Surface spotlights Pratt alumni Chen Chen and Kai Williams as “Designer of the Day,” highlighting their Brooklyn studio’s material-driven practice spanning furniture, lighting, and collectible works, including their recent show Basic Instinct at The Future Perfect.
Alumni News
Pratt Alumni Honored for Creative Impact Across Art, Design, and Urban Planning
From Pratt Institute News
At the 2026 Alumni Achievement Awards, graduates from across generations gathered to celebrate the careers of Nanette Carter, Vann Graves, and Lian Farhi.
Design with Purpose: Júlia Martinez ’25 on Finding a Meaningful Career
From Prattfolio
Júlia Martinez, MS Packaging, Identities, and Systems Design ’25, is a graphic designer and visualizer at OXMAN, a design lab exploring how nature and humans can coproduce through biologically informed design.
Pratt Alumni Reunite on the Court for Annual Basketball Game
From Pratt Institute News
Alumni Bernard Chang and Kadir Nelson were both honored during the event for their ongoing dedication to Pratt’s basketball program.
Jewelry, Home Goods, and More From Pratt Alumni
From Prattfolio
Pratt graduates’ recent products and publications include playful accessories, hybrid furniture, and visual histories.
Alumni Press
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Meet Kristin Mallison, the Sustainable Indie Designer Loved by Millie Bobby Brown, Lisa and More
Teen Vogue spotlights Pratt alumna Kristin Mallison for her viral, sustainability-driven fashion brand and high-profile celebrity clients. Mallison credits Pratt’s fashion program with “really push[ing] for recycling,” shaping her upcycling approach and long-term commitment to waste reduction.
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Overlooked No More: Pamela Colman Smith, Artist Behind a Famous Tarot Deck
A New York Times Overlooked obituary revisits the life of Pratt trained artist Pamela Colman Smith, the long-uncredited illustrator of the best-selling Rider-Waite tarot deck, highlighting her expansive career as an author, publisher, suffragist, and mystic.
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Alumni Notes
Alumni Notes highlights Pratt alumni news and updates compiled from your submissions. Submit your note.
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![A diagram of humans posing so that their bodies form each letter of the alphabet from A to Z.]()
Cindy Slotnick Beene, BFA Art Education ’76, has developed a system of activities built around the “Human Alphabet Letter” following her retirement from her career as a special education literacy and reading teacher. The packet, which includes cards, a poster, a coloring book, and an instructional brochure, is designed to help learners improve a variety of skills, including balance, letter recognition, and hand-eye coordination.
Image: Part of the “Human Alphabet Letter” system created by Cindy Slotnick Beene ’76
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![Poster for the film Sallywood depicts actress and producer Sally Kirkland standing next to Tyler Steelman, who is taking a selfie of them both. They stand under the silhouette of the Hollywood Hills, with the iconic]()
Xaque Gruber, BFA Fine Arts ’91, directed and released his first feature-length film, Sallywood, an autobiographical comedy based on Gruber’s adventures as an assistant to legendary actress Sally Kirkland, who plays herself in the lead role. Sallywood has won 50 film festival awards and was released on Amazon Prime, Fandango, and in cinemas nationwide.
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![Book cover of Oxette: The Power of Two features an illustration of a yoked ox standing in a field in front of a stone wall.]()
Lea Patrice Fales, MFA Fine Arts ’16, wrote and illustrated her second children’s picture book. Oxette: The Power of Two was released on April 1 and published by Pasture Pine Press. The book explores the importance of both persistence and asking for help through the eyes of Virginia, a cow tasked with removing stones from a field.
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![Portrait of Jan Degenshein]()
Jan Degenshein, Emeritus AIA and FAICP, BArch and MS Planning ’70, was elected to the City Council of Norwalk, Connecticut, in 2025. He also received the Community Beacon Award from the Westchester Hudson Valley Chapter of the AIA, where the chapter recognized his “generosity in sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration.”
