The Daily Hub

Nicole Rifkin, BFA Communications Design (Illustration) ’14, featured a tote bag designed by Alexander Heir, BFA Fine Arts (Printmaking) ’06, in her cover illustration for the latest issue of The New Yorker. “I bet you there are thousands of people on the subway every day who are going home or to the studio to create something that might change your life for the better,” she said of the subway-themed cover.

Kenneth Cobonpue, BID ’91, reflects on the state of Filipino craft and design and spotlights up-and-coming designers for Vogue Philippines. “Only on this island can I find the quality of craftsmen and artisans who can transform my dreams into reality,” he says. 

Daniel Lopatin, MSLIS ’10, is profiled in the latest issue of The New Yorker, which delves into his “career writing elegiac, otherworldly electronic compositions using computers, synthesizers, and digital scree.” Lopatin says he wanted to become a librarian because “the human instinct to preserve and to document the past while it’s falling to rubble is one of the most romantic things I can possibly think of.”

Kellan Cantrell, MS City and Regional Planning ’17, discusses his new role as village planner for Scarsdale, New York, along with how he approaches issues of affordability, sustainability, and zoning in an interview with Scarsdale 10583. “I have never been accused of being artistic but being a Planner is like being a painter, you bring together other professionals into a project in order to paint the overall picture of that project,” he said.

Mackie Mallison, BFA Film ’23, has been selected as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. His senior thesis film, Live From the Clouds, is showing at this year’s New York Film Festival and his narrative short, Lunchbox, is next up for the festival circuit in 2024.

Billy Cotton, Industrial Design ’10, and Loren Daye, MID ’06, recall film and television apartments that sparked their interest in New York for The New York Times. “This city throws so much visual energy at you on a daily basis, and I love the idea of having just a couple good things you can take with you from place to place,” Cotton said.

Dean of the School of Architecture Quilian Riano discusses his goals, inspirations, and views on leadership in an interview with The Architect’s Newspaper. “Leadership becomes easier when there is a grassroots desire for it, which I see right now to tackle rigorously with labor, environmental, and social justice issues,” he said.

Sylvia Morse, a program manager for policy at the Pratt Center for Community Development, recently spoke about local efforts to establish community land trusts and affordable housing at a public event hosted by Pratt Institute. “Why is it that the majority of CLTs are still fighting for land even as the city mentions CLTs as an important model in its current housing plan?” Morse asked the audience. “We’re seeing forms of vocal support, but there isn’t a comprehensive approach yet to how the city is looking at building out community land trusts.”

Ryan Pauly, BID ’02, and Cody Stonerock of Kuzco Lighting have been awarded a Prize Design for Modern Furniture + Lighting 2023 by Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum for Architecture and Design as Best Lighting of the Year for their work Collide that took inspiration from ocean waves.

Pratt Institute has earned a STARS Gold rating in the 2023 Sustainable Campus Index, ranking in the top 10 of masters degree-awarding institutions for overall performance. Pratt received particularly high marks for curriculum, research, and campus engagement. STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.