PRATT INSTITUTE TO CELEBRATE 125 YEARS OF INNOVATION IN ART AND DESIGN

125th Gala will kick off Anniversary Week on October 15 and will honor the Pratt Family, Maximilian Josef Riedel, Julie Taymor, and Kehinde Wiley

L to R: Pratt Institute 125th Anniversary Gala honorees Charles Pratt, Maximilian Josef Riedel, Julie Taymor, and Kehinde WileyPratt Institute will kick off its 125th anniversary week with a golden gala on October 15 at New York’s famed Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. The event will celebrate Pratt’s rich history and impressive roster of alumni and faculty in a magnificent venue designed in 1929 by Pratt alumnus Lloyd Morgan (Architecture 1911). As the Institute’s largest fundraiser to date, the 125th Gala has raised record-breaking funds for student scholarships through ticket sales. In honor of Pratt’s school colors of cadmium yellow and black, gala attendees are being encouraged to wear gold festive dress to the black tie event. The Empire State Building lights will also be decked out in gold the night of the gala in celebration of Pratt's anniversary. 

"We’re excited to commemorate Pratt’s 125th by celebrating the Pratt Family at our anniversary gala as well as our other distinguished honorees: Maximilian Josef Riedel, CEO of Riedel Crystal of North America; Julie Taymor, director of theater, opera, and film; and Kehinde Wiley, artist and contemporary portrait painter," Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte said. "We’ll also recall the past achievements of our illustrious faculty and alumni, as we raise much-needed scholarship funds for the next generation of talented Pratt students."

The Waldorf=Astoria itself is one of countless examples of Pratt’s iconic cultural legacy. In addition to cocktails and a seated dinner, this year’s gala will also include the unveiling of works to be featured in 125 Icons, an exhibition in honor of the Institute’s 125th anniversary featuring the most revered works by alumni and faculty as voted on by the Pratt community.

The day after the gala, Pratt will be celebrated in a documentary film, Treasures of New York: Pratt Institute, which will air Tuesday, October 16, from 10:30–11 PM on WLIW21 and Thursday, October 18, from 8:30–9 PM on WNET13. The program, which is hosted by former Pratt student and celebrated writer Pete Hamill, will go inside the Institute to discover its storied history and explore its architectural and cultural impact. The program is also available to national audiences on the series website.

Details on additional 125th events, including a campus-wide celebration to take place on the anniversary of the Institute’s founding on October 17, will be made available closer to the date. The 125 Icons exhibition will open at Pratt Manhattan Gallery this November and remain on view through January 2013.

To purchase tickets to the 125th Gala, please visit www.pratt.edu/125gala or contact Pratt Director of Special Events Katie Hush at 718-399-4486 or by email at 125gala@pratt.edu.

Text: Amy Aronoff
Photos (L to R): Courtesy of the Pratt Institute Library Archive, Crystal of America, Marco Grob, Kwaku Alston

PRATT’S FIRST ALUMNI ART AND DESIGN FAIR OPENS TO THE PUBLIC

Alumni Day fair offers artwork for sale on Brooklyn campus on September 29

From left to right: Pearls by Shira Toren (B.F.A. Fashion Design '81), NYC Metro Cuff by Tiffany Burnette (M.I.D. '08), and Molecular Sculptures by Edward Krent (B.I.D. '66 and M.I.D. '73).

As part of Alumni Day 2012, Pratt will present its inaugural Alumni Art and Design Fair from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 29, on the Brooklyn campus. Available for sale on this special day only will be apparel, ceramics, greeting cards, jewelry, paintings, photography, and sculptures created by nearly 40 talented Pratt alumni.

The fair is open to the public and visitors may enter through the main gate at 200 Willoughby Avenue. Participating alumni artists will be on hand to personally show and sell their work on Grand Walk. Each artist will have their own booth on the sidewalk. There will be free popcorn and cotton candy for all.

Highlights from the fair include NYC Metro Cuffs by Tiffany Burnette (M.I.D. '08); dynamic form sculptures from Edward Krent (B.I.D. '66; M.I.D. '73); architecturally inspired jewelry designs by Andrea Panico of Panico Design (M.I.D. '02); and Hematite ink, graphite, and Venetian plaster artworks by Shira Toren (B.F.A. Fashion Design '81).

For the full list of exhibiting alumni, please visit alumni.pratt.edu/artfair. For more information, please contact Megan McCurry at alumnievents@pratt.edu or 718-636-3635. 

Text: Amy Aronoff, Adrienne Gyongy
Photos: Courtesy Shira Toren, Tiffany Burnette, Edward Kent

NEWEST RANKINGS CONFIRM PRATT’S REPUTATION AS TOP SCHOOL

Interior Design remains #1 program in the nation as Institute places among Top 20 in the region in U.S. News and World Report rankings  

Pratt Institute's Interior Design program was once again ranked #1 in the country by U.S. News & World Report in its 2013 Guide to America's Best Graduate Schools. Pratt Industrial Design and Communications Design degree programs were ranked fifth and 12th, respectively.    

In addition, Pratt’s undergraduate ranking has risen to #20 in the region in U.S. News and World Report's prestigious Best Colleges 2013 publication. The rankings, which were published on September 12, rank Pratt #20 out of the 98 peer institutions in the publication's Regional Universities North category, which ranks institutions that provide a full range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Pratt was the only independent college of art and design on the list. In 2012, the Institute ranked #26 in the Regional Universities North category.  

Pratt Provost Peter Barna said: "We are thrilled to again be recognized as having some of the best art and design programs in the nation. The U.S. News & World Report rankings reflect the skills of our talented students, many of whom go on to be leaders in their fields as graduates, and our inspired faculty members and departmental chairs, who provide our students with a wealth of professional knowledge and expertise."  

U.S. News & World Report's #1 ranking of the graduate Interior Design program acknowledges continued achievements. Anita Cooney, chair of the Department of Interior Design, said that given the department's illustrious history as a pioneer of interior design education in the United States, it is fitting that the Institute continues to set the national standard for excellence in the field. "The program has established a tradition of excellence that challenges students to create new approaches to design as demanded by the impact of modern technology and evolving societal issues," she said. "It continually graduates some of the most provocative, creative, and engaged designers in the nation."

Among the Interior Design department's prominent alumni are Samuel Botero (B.F.A. '68), principal of Samuel Botero Associates in New York, NY; Joe D'Urso (B.F.A. '65), president of D'Urso Design in Santa Monica, CA; Laura Bohn (B.F.A. '76), principal of Bohn Design Associates in New York, NY; and the late Naomi Leff (M.S. '73), who created elegant spaces for celebrities and retailers like Ralph Lauren, Ferragamo, Gucci, and Giorgio Armani. 

Text: Amy Aronoff