en peaston@pratt.edu Copyright 2009 2009-11-17T17:29:07+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/test/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/test/#When:16:29:07Z Renowned artist Eric Fischl will speak as part of the sixteenth annual Pratt Institute President’s Lecture Series at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2009 in Memorial Hall Auditorium on Pratt’s Brooklyn Campus. Fischl’s lecture titled “How Painting Died” will be free and open to the public, however, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.Fischl’s lecture will examine the evolution of art within the context of nearly 100 years of avant-garde thinking. For instance, in 1881 Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear; the act of self-mutilation was not considered art though his self-portrait with a bandaged ear was considered art. In 1971, Chris Burden shot himself in the arm and his performance of self-mutilation was considered art. The photo documentation about it is not considered art.Fischl has had numerous solo and group exhibitions. His paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints are represented in many public and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art; The Museum of Modern Art, N.Y.; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Louisiana Museum of Art, Denmark; and Musée Beaubourg, Paris. Fischl is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Fischl’s figurative artwork explores dysfunctional suburban family life with a focus on human interaction, memory, and body language. “Eric Fischl's cinematic, psychologically charged paintings of domestic sex scenes in the '80s were exceptional for their Freudian candor,” wrote art critic Ken Johnson in a 2009 New York Times article on erotic art. Fischl has a bachelor of fine arts degree from California Institute of the Arts and lives in New York.Memorial Hall Auditorium is located on Ryerson Walk on Pratt’s Brooklyn Campus. Visitors can enter campus at the main gate at Hall Street and DeKalb Avenue. The lecture is made possible in part through the generous support of Robert H. Thayer, Jr. and the Virginia Pratt Thayer President’s Lecture Series Fund.Members of the public may reserve seats by emailing events@pratt.edu by Thursday, November 26. Members of the press may reserve seats by emailing aarono29@pratt.edu. 2009-11-17T16:29:07+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/professor_of_humanities_and_media_studies_samantha_hunt_wins_bard_fiction_p/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/professor_of_humanities_and_media_studies_samantha_hunt_wins_bard_fiction_p/#When:14:42:55Z Pratt Institute Associate Professor of Humanities and Media Studies Samantha Hunt was awarded the Bard Fiction Prize for 2010 and $30,000 for her second novel The Invention of Everything Else (Houghton Mifflin, 2008). Hunt will be appointed as a writer in residence at Bard College for the spring 2010 semester, where she will continue to write, give a public reading, and meet informally with students. Hunt's first acclaimed novel The Seas (MacAdam/Cage, 2004) was awarded the first "5 under 35" Award from The National Book Foundation. Her works in fiction have been featured in The New Yorker, Esquire, Village Voice, Cabinet, and McSweeney's. Hunt earned her M.F.A. from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She currently teaches in the Department of Humanities and Media Studies at Pratt Institute. She also has served as acting coordinator of the Writing Program at Pratt. The Bard Fiction Prize, established in 2001 by Bard College to support emerging fiction writers 39 years or younger, consists of a $30,000 prize and appointment as writer in residence at Bard for one semester. The prize was founded to provide young fiction writers the opportunity to work in a thriving and intellectual environment while pursuing their creative goals. For information about the Bard Fiction Prize, visit http://www.bard.edu/bfp. For more information on Samantha Hunt and her work in fiction, visit http://www.samanthahunt.net.   2009-11-17T14:42:55+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_manhattan_gallery_presents_exhibition_that_explores_ways_of_rethinkin/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_manhattan_gallery_presents_exhibition_that_explores_ways_of_rethinkin/#When:14:05:26Z Pratt Manhattan Gallery will present "Ethics + Aesthetics = Sustainable Fashion," the first American exhibition to investigate the sustainable practices of American fashion designers, many of whom are based in New York City. The exhibition will run from November 20, 2009 through February 20, 2010 and will be celebrated with an opening reception on Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 PM. The exhibition and opening reception are free and open to the public. "Ethics + Aesthetics" is guest curated by Francesca Granata and Sarah Scaturro. Granata is a fashion theorist and independent curator who is completing her Ph.D. in fashion history and theory at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. She also lectures at Parsons The New School for Design. Scaturro is a textile conservator at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and adjunct instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Granata and Scaturro conceived of "Ethics + Aesthetics" as a way of building on established sustainable practices of using recycled, renewable, and organic fibers and the employment of fair labor, while deepening the public's understanding of what constitutes sustainability within the fashion system. "While the concepts of recycling and using organic materials are quite familiar in fashion, we are seeking to broaden the definition of what constitutes sustainable fashion by exploring ideas such as modularity, minimalism, and memory," said the curators. The curators have organized the exhibition around the themes of "Reduce, Revalue, and Rethink" that reference the traditional ecological mantra of "Recycle, Reuse, Reduce" while acknowledging the importance of aesthetics within fashion design. "Reduce" investigates how designers employ minimalist design as well as innovative materials and pattern-making to promote garment versatility and longevity through modular and reversible garments that employ streamlined and multi-functional design. Among the designers who most explicitly tackle these issues are SANS, a fashion company run by Lika Volkova and Alessandro DeVito that is known for its sculptural and modular silhouettes; Uluru, a sustainable clothing line by Caroline Priebe that is inspired by innovative construction; Loomstate, a company founded by Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn that utilizes certified organic cotton in its designs; and Bodkin, a sustainable women's collection by Eviana Hartman that comprises modern, smart design. "Revalue" underlines the importance of creating an emotional engagement with the wearer by focusing on the materiality of clothes and their ability to retain memory and history. Upcycling, wherein old clothing is recycled in such as way as to add value, and handcrafting, in which the hand of the maker is visible, are two emerging areas of sustainable fashion that suggest ways in which garments can become less disposable. Designers who explore this area are 2009 Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Alabama Chanin, a lifestyle company that focuses on creating handmade products through a combination of new, organic, and recycled materials; Susan Cianciolo, an independent fashion designer known for her artistry, handcrafting, and use of cherished vintage textiles; and SUNO, a workshop-driven line by Max Osterweis that produces colorful garments, many from one-of-a-kind vintage African textiles. "Rethink" questions the fashion cycle and its dependence on fast and constant change by suggesting a paradigm shift in the way we think about fashion. Artists such as Kelly Cobb, Tiprin Follett, Zoë Sheehan Saldaña, and Andrea Zittel, as well as the fashion line Slow and Steady Wins the Race, promote a slower fashion tempo by suggesting alternative ways to produce and consume fashion. Their practice fosters the creation of meaningful networks and relations through clothing as well as challenging the seasonality of the fashion trade. The full color catalog is made possible by a generous grant from the Coby Foundation, Ltd., a New York-based organization that funds projects in the textile and needle arts fields. The majority of the Coby Foundation's support goes to exhibitions and education programs that combine excellent scholarship and effective interpretation. For more information please visit http://www.cobyfoundation.org/. The exhibition design was completed by current graduate interior design students as part of the Exhibition Design Intensive course led by Professor Jon Otis. For more information, please call 212-647-7778 or email exhibits@pratt.edu. More information on this and all gallery exhibitions and events is available at http://www.pratt.edu/exhibitions. Follow Pratt Manhattan Gallery on Facebook by searching "Pratt Manhattan Gallery" and follow Pratt Exhibitions on Twitter at "PrattGallery."   2009-11-10T14:05:26+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_raises_400000_for_student_scholarships_at_legends_2009_gala_on_octobe/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_raises_400000_for_student_scholarships_at_legends_2009_gala_on_octobe/#When:21:57:56Z Over 400 guests attended Legends 2009 -- Pratt Institute's largest annual scholarship benefit -- which raised $400,000 through ticket sales during a festive and glamorous event on October 29 at 7 World Trade Center in Manhattan. Pratt honored fashion designer Marc Jacobs; architect and designer David Rockwell; and performer, poet, and visual artist Patti Smith as distinguished individuals whose accomplishments and values resonate with those of Pratt. Patti Smith was presented her award by photographer Edward Mappelthorpe, brother of Pratt alumnus and artist Robert Mappelthorpe and son of Pratt alumnus Harry Mappelthorpe. Edward Mappelthorpe, who gave a moving introduction that detailed Smith's completeness as an artist and the guidance she offered him as a fellow artist. Smith accepted her award by speaking of her time living on Hall Street in Brooklyn with collaborator Robert Mappelthrope and befriending his fellow Pratt students: "Even though I never attended Pratt I was touched by the world of Pratt, by the campus, by the students, by the professors, and I'm very happy to be part of a night that builds resources for scholarships." Former Legends Award recipient and architect Richard Meier gave a warm introduction to his friend David Rockwell by acknowledging his many accomplishments before presenting him with his award. Model and photographer Helena Christensen introduced and presented Marc Jacobs with his award. She quoted the words of Pratt founder Charles Pratt: "Be true to your work and your work wil be true to you" remarked that the phrase is "the essence of what Marc stands for." Guests included Terry Winters, Pratt alumnus and painter; Stefan Sagmeister, Pratt alumnus, graphic designer, and typographer; Steven Sebring, photographer and filmmaker; Karim Rashid, award-winning designer; Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, arts advocate and author; Patrick McMullan, president, Patrick McMulllan Company; Paul Banks, lead singer, Interpol; Robert Siegel, Pratt alumnus and principal and founding partner, Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects; Robert Pincus-Witten, art historian; and Carlos Zapata, Pratt alumnus and architect. Legends 2009 was hosted by Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte and Board of Trustees Chair Mike Pratt. Pratt Trustees Kurt Andersen and Amy Cappellazzo along with Pratt friend Marjorie Kuhn served as co-chairs for the event. Current undergraduate industrial design student Kyle Solá designed the Pratt Legends Awards, and was on hand to present the honorees with the awards he worked to create months in advance of the event. The Legends 2009 ceremony came to a triumphant close when Legends Honoree Patti Smith gave a special four song performance for event attendees, including a sing-along of "Because The Night," which she dedicated to Robert Mappelthorpe. "The future is in your hands, not only the visionary, but the social aspects," she told the students in the crowd as she wrapped up her set.   2009-11-09T21:57:56+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/artist_mary_kelly_to_speak_november_10_as_part_of_the_2009-2010_visiting_ar/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/artist_mary_kelly_to_speak_november_10_as_part_of_the_2009-2010_visiting_ar/#When:16:22:19Z Artist Mary Kelly will speak at Pratt Institute about her influences, artwork, and career as part of the 2009-2010 Visiting Artists Lecture Series, from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, in the Engineering Building, Room 371, on Pratt's Brooklyn Campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. The Pratt Visiting Artists Lecture Series is an annual year-long series organized by the Department of Fine Arts in the School of Art and Design at Pratt Institute to welcome nationally and internationally recognized fine artists to share their experiences with the Pratt community. Kelly has contributed extensively to the discourse of feminism and postmodernism through her large-scale narrative installations and theoretical writings. Her recent exhibitions include "Documenta XII," Kassel; WACK! "Art and the Feminist Revolution," Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2007; the 2004 Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the 2008 Biennale of Sydney. She is the author of Post-Partum Document (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983) and Imaging Desire (MIT Press, 1996). Publications on her work include Mary Kelly, (Phaidon Press, 1997) and Rereading Post-Partum Document, (Generali Foundation, 1999). Kelly is professor of art at the University of California, Los Angeles. Kelly is the fourth artist of eight invited to speak as part of the fall program of the 2009-2010 Visiting Artists Lecture Series. The series is coordinated by graduate students Yael Rechter and Elizabeth Stehling under the supervision of Professor Dominique Nahas in the Department of Fine Arts. Visitors can enter Pratt Institute's campus on DeKalb Avenue or on Willoughby Avenue between Hall Street and Classon Avenue. The closest subway stop is the Clinton-Washington station on the G line. For directions to campus or parking information, visit http://www.pratt.edu/directions.   2009-11-06T16:22:19+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/designer_eva_frederiksen_to_deliver_lecture_on_scandinavian_architecture_at/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/designer_eva_frederiksen_to_deliver_lecture_on_scandinavian_architecture_at/#When:16:29:32Z Eva Frederiksen, Assistant Director, Architecture and Design, of the Denmark International Studies (DIS) program will deliver a lecture titled "New Spaces in Scandinavian Architecture" at Higgins Hall auditorium at 61 St. James Place in Brooklyn on Monday, November 9 at 6 p.m. Frederiksen's talk will be followed by a furniture and textile exhibition opening at 8 p.m. at The Juliana Curran Terian Design Center Gallery located at 200 Willoughby Avenue. The exhibition, which will run through Friday, November 13, will showcase 20 prototypes of student furniture and textile designs produced during Pratt's Study Abroad program, DIS/Copenhagen in Summer 2009. Both the lecture and exhibition are free and open to the public. Frederiksen has her own architecture practice, Frederiksen Architects, and has served as project architect for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Royal Danish Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Copenhagen Business School and New Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition to her work at the DIS, Frederkisen has taught at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, and The Danish Design School, Institute for Interior and Furniture Design. This year, 26 Pratt students participated in the DIS programs in Copenhagen. DIS, which is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, provides the opportunity to study in one of five seven-week summer programs: architecture and interior design, furniture design, textile design, glass, and jewelry. Students in each discipline enjoyed 10-day study tours in Stockholm and Helsinki, where they visited professional studios related to their field. In addition to doing hands-on work in their studios, students also attended lectures by Danish professors active in their respective fields. The Furniture Design Program, which is run in collaboration with The Danish Design School (DDS) is one of DIS's newer offerings, and has attracted a large following among industrial design, interior design, and architecture students. The textile design and glass programs are also administered in partnership with DDS and attract mainly fashion design and fine arts students. The DIS programs draw students from colleges throughout the U.S. and other countries, but Pratt remains an important constituency for their summer semester, accounting for about half the student body. For directions to the main gallery in the Juliana Curran Terian Design Center, please visit http://www.pratt.edu/about_pratt/visiting_pratt/maps_and_directions/.   2009-11-02T16:29:32+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/marc_jacobs_david_rockwell_and_patti_smith_to_be_honored_at_legends_2009/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/marc_jacobs_david_rockwell_and_patti_smith_to_be_honored_at_legends_2009/#When:15:34:38Z Pratt Institute will present Legends 2009, a scholarship benefit honoring fashion designer Marc Jacobs; architect and designer David Rockwell; and performer, poet, and visual artist Patti Smith on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street in Manhattan. The event begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by a dinner and awards ceremony and special performance by Patti Smith. Tickets are required for entry. Jacobs will be introduced and presented his award by model and photographer Helena Christensen; Rockwell will be introduced and presented his award by architect Richard Meier; and Smith will be introduced and presented her award by photographer Edward Mapplethorpe, brother of Pratt alumnus and artist Robert Mapplethorpe and son of Pratt alumnus Harry Mapplethorpe. Legends 2009 will be hosted by Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte and Board of Trustees Chair Mike Pratt. Trustees Kurt Andersen and Amy Cappellazzo, and Pratt friend Marjorie Kuhn are serving as co-chairs of the event. The Legends Awards were conceived in 1999 by the Board of Trustees to celebrate distinguished individuals and corporations in the world of art and design, whose accomplishments and values resonate with those of Pratt. The event's mission is to raise funds to provide financial aid to Pratt students based on need and merit. Eighty percent of Pratt's students require financial aid to pursue their educations. Every dollar raised through Legends strengthens the student body by increasing the scholarship endowment, which allows the most qualified students an opportunity to attend one of the world's foremost schools of art, design, and architecture, regardless of their financial background. "These three together represent some of the areas in which Pratt is most known for worldwide," said Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte. "Pratt is privileged to welcome such luminaries in fashion, architecture, design, and the visual and performing arts as 2009 Legends," he added. Marc Jacobs, one of the most recognizable names in fashion for his edgy, eclectic designs, is currently creative director for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton, where he has worked since 1997. He has collaborated with artists Takashi Murakami (a 2008 Legends honoree) and Richard Prince, fashion designer Stephen Sprouse, and Grammy Award-winning musician Kanye West to elevate street style to high fashion, creating work that has been shown and marketed in fine arts museums as well as in boutiques. Jacobs has multiple Council of Fashion Designers of America (CDFA) awards to his credit, including the 2009 CFDA International Award for Louis Vuitton. Jacobs designed his first collection with the Marc Jacobs label in 1986 and debuted his secondary line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, in 2001. Jacobs's licensing and design company with business partner Robert Duffy currently includes ready-to-wear, men's and women's wear, shoe, fragrance, swimwear, and accessory collections, which are available in more than 100 stores worldwide. Jacobs and Duffy have been involved with more than 60 charities in the communities surrounding these stores, and their ongoing support continues to be a top priority. David Rockwell is principal and founder of Rockwell Group, an award-winning, cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City, with satellite offices in Madrid and Dubai. The formative influences of the theater and the colorful spectacles of Mexico reverberate strongly throughout his practice as his firm focuses on a diverse array of projects that range from hotels to hospitals, restaurants to airport terminals, and Broadway set designs to consumer products. Projects include The Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles; interior work and brand conceptualization for the JetBlue terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York; Nobu restaurants worldwide; and set design for the Broadway musicals Hairspray and Legally Blonde. Rockwell serves as chairman of the board of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS and is a member of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum's committee on exhibitions. The recipient of numerous honors, including the Presidential Design Award for his work for the Grand Central Terminal renovation, Rockwell also has authored two books, Pleasure: The Architecture and Design of Rockwell Group (Universe, 2002) and Spectacle (with Bruce Mau), which examines the history and public fascination with larger-than-life manmade events (Phaidon Press, 2006). Patti Smith is an iconic performer, poet, and visual artist who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Her extensive recording catalog includes the seminal 1975 album Horses (Arista, 2005); trampin' (Columbia, 2004); Peace and Noise (BMG, 1997); and Dream of Life (Arista, 1996). Smith also has given readings of her published poetry and exhibited her artwork at major museums worldwide. She is the author of Witt, Babel, Wool Gathering, The Coral Sea, and Complete, a catalog of lyrics, photographs, illustrations, original artwork, and reflections. In a volume of poetry, titled Auguries of Innocence (Ecco, 2005), Smith joins in that great tradition of troubadours, journeymen, wordsmiths, and artists who respond to the world around them in fresh and original language. Smith is currently finishing a book on her growth as an artist and her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe, whom she teamed up with when he was a student at Pratt; titled "Just Kids: From Brooklyn to the Chelsea Hotel," the book will be published in early 2010. Aside from recording, performing, art, and writing, Smith is strongly involved in social issues and continues to participate in various human rights organizations. Past Legends Award recipients include Ralph Appelbaum, Dale Chihuly, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Michele Oka Doner, Al Hirschfeld, Helmut Jahn, Kenneth Lane, Naomi Leff, Peter Marino, Richard Meier, Takashi Murakami, Beverly Pepper, Stanford Richards, James Rosenquist, Julian Schnabel,Victor Skrebneski, Barbara Tober, Pauline Trigere, Emanuel Ungaro, Bruce Weber, Robert Wilson, and Eva Zeisel. Past Corporate Legends include Lawrence Herbert, Pantone, Inc.; Joseph Pacifico, CulinArt, Inc.; and Philip Morris. To purchase tickets, please contact Pratt Director of Special Events Michael Hambouz at 718.399.4486 or by email at mhambouz@pratt.edu. Members of the press who are interested in covering the event may contact Mara McGinnis at 718.636.3471 or mara.mcginnis@pratt.edu.     2009-10-29T15:34:38+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_manhattan_gallery_presents_theoretical_and_innovative_exhibition_on_u/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_manhattan_gallery_presents_theoretical_and_innovative_exhibition_on_u/#When:14:32:32Z Pratt Manhattan Gallery will present "Design Jazz: Improvisations on the Urban Street," a two-part exhibition inspired by Deb Johnson, Pratt's Academic Director of Sustainability, that will document both theoretical and innovative approaches to the design and interpretation of the urban street from September 25 to November 7, 2009. The exhibition will be celebrated with a public reception on Friday, October 9 with live music by Brooklyn jazz trio Big Words at 6 p.m. The exhibition and event are free and open to the public. This summer, the gallery space was transformed into a design studio where three invited guest artists met and discussed contemporary critical design theory and design for contemporary culture and sustaining communities. The cross-disciplinary trio consisted of Amy Guggenheim, an artist, writer, filmmaker, and Pratt adjunct associate professor; Mitchell Joachim, an architect, designer, and co-founder of the non-profit philanthropic design collaborative Terreform ONE; and Leon Reid IV, a Pratt alumnus and public works artist. Their work, in the form of sculptural and theoretical models and films, and video documentation of their discussions, will be on view as part of the exhibition. The second part of the exhibition will chronicle the design process of nine young designers working to create street furniture for possible inclusion as part of the Sustainable South Bronx's Greenway Project, a community-led plan for a bicycle/pedestrian greenway along the South Bronx waterfront on Lafayette Avenue in Hunts Point, one of New York City's last remaining industrial areas. Sustainable South Bronx is a community organization dedicated to environmental justice solutions through innovative, economically sustainable projects that are informed by community needs. The exhibition will showcase the designers' process through a documentary film on the project and installations of their work. The film, which was completed by current Pratt students, captures the stories of the community and chronicles the designers' ongoing dialogue and engagement with Hunts Point community members. "Our goal is to engage Hunts Point community members and let them drive the decision making process," said Johnson. "There was a lot of interest in the prospect of a design that residents could learn to fabricate themselves so that has been the design team's focus," she added. The designers' work represents the beginning phase of the Greenway Project, which is slated to begin this fall. Pratt alumni George Estreich, Zachary Feltoon, Daniel Jeffries, Jason Pfaeffle, Emily Potter, and David Wright-along with three invited Canadian designers Paul Dolick, Paul Kawai, and Yen Trinh-will collaborate under the direction of project leader and Pratt professor Robert Langhorn and project manager and Pratt alumna Kristina Drury. They will work as part of the Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation, which is part of the Pratt Center for Sustainable Design Studies, headed by Johnson. The project led by Johnson is in collaboration with Miquela Craytor, executive director, Sustainable South Bronx; Kellie Terry-Sepulveda, executive director, The Point Community Development Corporation; and Michael G. Cluer, landscape designer with Mathews Nielson Landscape Architecture, the firm responsible for the design of the Greenway. Johnson, an alumna, is the Academic Director of Sustainability at Pratt and the director of Pratt's Center for Sustainable Design Studies (CSDS). She is also the founder and director of the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation, which is part of CSDS and supports Pratt's entrepreneurial alumni in starting businesses based in sustainable and social enterprise. For more information, please call 212-647-7778 or email exhibits@pratt.edu. More information on this and all gallery exhibitions and events are available at http://www.pratt.edu/exhibitions. Follow Pratt Manhattan Gallery on Facebook by searching "Pratt Manhattan Gallery" and follow Pratt Exhibitions on Twitter at "PrattGallery."   2009-09-25T14:32:32+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_alumni_faculty_and_students_to_completely_outfit_two_model_residence_/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_alumni_faculty_and_students_to_completely_outfit_two_model_residence_/#When:22:56:52Z Pratt Institute has completely outfitted two Hudson Companies model residences interiors in the new Third + Bond townhouses at 115 Third Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, creating holistic interior home environments that include conceptually innovative and aesthetically stunning floor and wall coverings, home accessories, furniture, textiles, art, lighting elements, and more-all by Pratt alumni, faculty, and student fine artists, designers, and architects. The Pratt-outfitted duplex 3-bedroom and floor-through 2-bedroom residences will be on view in October 2009. The Pratt residence interiors represent, integrate, and celebrate the broad range of internationally-recognized art, design, and architecture talents from the Pratt community while showcasing a full-scale, green environment in one of the residences. Pratt Professor of Architecture and Alumnus Anthony Caradonna coordinated the curating, styling, and staging of the apartments. "These high-design environments represent the extraordinary range of talent of Pratt's students, faculty, and alumni," said Caradonna. "The spaces are fully functional, residential interiors that reflect a diverse cultural milieu intrinsic to Brooklyn and its developing urban context," he added. The residences at Third + Bond are on track to be the first Brooklyn mid-rise, luxury project to achieve both LEED-Gold and Energy Star Home green building certifications. Designed by Rogers Marvel Architects as a modern interpretation of the traditional brownstone, the project showcases 44 units, many with private outdoor space. "We are thrilled to be working and engaging with Pratt alumni, faculty, and students in this design process," said David Kramer, a principal at Hudson. "The Pratt and Third + Bond partnership is a natural-we both are about great design, sustainability, practicality, and beauty," he added. The duplex three-bedroom, three-bathroom model with private yard includes sustainable design elements with a sophisticated, modern sensibility. The furniture is clean-lined and fabricated in natural wood, glass, and metal, with home accessories that include various designs by former Pratt faculty Eva Zeisel, industrial design professor and alumnus Bruce Hannah, architecture professor and alumnus Bill Katavolos, and alumni Harry Allen and Giovanni Pellone. The color scheme is primarily blue, with abstract, organic patterned wallpaper and textiles inspired by locally grown oysters and created by Pratt students. The apartment will be outfitted with GROW, an ivy-like solar and wind panel system designed by Pratt alumni and acquired by The Museum of Modern Art for its permanent collection in 2008. Elements of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom floor-through model residence include eco-conscious designs made from natural and recycled/recyclable materials that reflect a playful and affordable modern design sensibility. Caradonna selected objects that rely on no waste-design and material strategies made from both cutting-edge technologies like laser-cutting and inventive traditional design methods. The furniture is both organic and streamlined, while the home accessories, artwork, and textiles incorporate natural and urban imagery through silkscreened images of neighborhood trees and Brooklyn architectural themes, storefronts, and roofscapes. The color-scheme and custom-designed wallpaper are inspired by the variations of greens and reds found in historic street maps of Brooklyn from the 1920s. Members of the press are invited to an exclusive VIP/Press preview of the Pratt-outfitted Third + Bond model residences on Tuesday, October 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. Please RSVP to Amy Aronoff at aarono29@pratt.edu or 718.636.3554.     2009-09-22T22:56:52+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_institute_releases_climate_action_plan/ http://www.pratt.edu/site/mypratt/pratt_institute_releases_climate_action_plan/#When:19:23:34Z Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte has submitted an official climate action plan to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), which documents Pratt's commitment to reducing its campus greenhouse gas emissions and outlines a series of academic initiatives designed to educate faculty, students, and the local community on issues related to sustainability. Participating institutions were encouraged to submit plans by mid-September. "Pratt Institute has established itself as leader in sustainable practice and education among colleges of art and design nationwide," said Schutte. "We are committed to integrating sustainability into both campus facilities management and into our educational curriculum so that all students who graduate from Pratt fully understand sustainability and their role as socially and environmentally responsible citizens," he added. In 2007, Schutte became one of the first signatories of the ACUPCC and that same year accepted Mayor Bloomberg's 30/10 Challenge to reduce greenhouse gases by 30 percent by 2017, which is the central goal of the Institute's climate action plan. Other major plans outlined in the document include the recent creation of a Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research, the development of an all-institute sustainability minor at Pratt, utilizing the Pratt campus as a model for sustainable living, and working with local community groups to promote energy conservation and other sustainable living practices. To achieve the goals of the plan, Pratt created a unique model among colleges of art and design nationwide by filling two full-time sustainability positions - one administrative director in charge of campus facilities and one academic director in charge of educational, research, and enterprise initiatives. Tony Gelber, administrative director of sustainability at Pratt, works to ensure that the campus facilities operate as efficiently as possible. To meet the goals of Pratt's plan, Gelber has inventoried greenhouse gases for the past three years and is overseeing the development and implementation of a campus-wide energy and greenhouse gas reduction project. Pratt is pursuing five fundamental greenhouse gas mitigation strategies to achieve its goal of reducing emissions 30 percent by 2017. They include implementing a sustainability campaign that promotes energy-conscious daily living, adopting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver-certified low energy use guidelines for new construction and major renovations, retrofitting all existing buildings to meet the reduced greenhouse gas objectives, developing renewable energy projects on campus, and purchasing green electricity and carbon credits. Debera Johnson, academic director of sustainability, oversees and coordinates Pratt's educational, research, and enterprise programs as head of the Institute's Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research (CSDS). One CSDS initiative includes "Living Lab" projects, which link Pratt's design students to campus improvement projects that reduce the carbon footprint of the Institute. CSDS uses graduate interns to conduct research on materials and in-depth case studies of faculty projects. CSDS also includes the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation (http://incubator.pratt.edu/), a program to support entrepreneurial talents of Pratt designers, artists, and architects by providing them with the resources necessary to launch businesses. Seven successful businesses have been launched since 2002 and the incubator currently supports 6 start-up businesses. Pratt has also reached out to other art and design schools throughout North America to create a working group to integrate sustainability into the classroom. "It's time to collaborate," said Johnson. "There's no time for schools to compete on global warming and no one school has the resources to do this alone. We need to work together and share our ideas." As a signatory of the ACUPCC, Pratt receives support and resources designed to help the school achieve the outlined climate objectives and has access to a supportive network of peer institutions that share insights into best practices. Six hundred fifty college and university presidents have joined the ACUPCC, a comprehensive climate change initiative through which schools are committing to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses, dedicating research and programs to the development of climate change solutions, and training their students to address the climate crisis upon graduation. "I congratulate Pratt Institute for contributing to this first sector-wide effort at creating climate action plans," said Toni Nelson, Program Director of the ACUPCC. "The collective impact of schools throughout the nation fighting climate change is tremendous," she added. Launched in 2007, the ACUPCC is a network of 650 signatory schools, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This high-visibility effort to address global warming garners institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate. For more information, visit http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org. To learn more about Pratt's academic initiatives related to the Institute's climate action plan, please visit the Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research website at http://csds.pratt.edu/.   2009-09-13T19:23:34+00:00