Kate Evans, MFA Fine Arts (Printmaking) ’25, received the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, Robert Blackburn Printmaking Award. “Her work explores the self-importance that saturates society—whether through social media, political corruption, or daily chaos. By highlighting these themes, she pokes fun at our perceptions of ourselves, revealing the gaps between reality and self-image.”
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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Rosetta S. Elkin, academic director of Landscape Architecture, received Pratt Institute’s Research Recognition Award for her “varied contributions to the field of landscape architecture across architectural practice, pedagogy, and scholarship. Her research often takes her into the ground, as plant life develops underfoot. In writing and scholarship, she aims to experiment with the ways in which we compose our worlds, blurring the traditional boundaries in the research process.”
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Alumnus Paul Tazewell and Pratt Trustee and alumnus Derrick Adams were among those to be honored at the 2025 Native Son Awards, which celebrates “mavericks and Black gay excellence.” Tazewell told The Hollywood Reporter, “This organization is incredibly close to my heart, and to be acknowledged by a community that celebrates the brilliance and resilience of Black queer and gay men is truly humbling. Thank you for seeing me.” Derrick Adams is also one of four artists featured in The New York Times Style Magazine’s 2025 Art Issue.
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Pratt Fine Arts Ox-Bow summer 2025 awardees include Giovanna Lisa, BFA Fine Arts (Drawing) ’26, Isaiah Robinson, BFA Fine Arts (Sculpture) ’26, Jack Catlett, MFA Fine Arts (Sculpture) ’26, and Associate Professor of Fine Arts Laurel Sparks, who will be teaching Material Abstraction in Painting.
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Pratt women’s tennis excelled in the 2024–2025 academic year with an impressive combined GPA of 3.566. Special recognition goes to Kayla Abraham, BFA Critical and Visual Studies ’28, and Julia Ognibene, BFA 2D Animation ’25, who both achieved a 4.0 GPA this semester.
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Professor of History of Art and Design Eva Díaz’s new book After Spaceship Earth was included in Art Review.
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Jimmy & The Demons, a new feature-length documentary about Pratt alumnus and former Pratt faculty James Grashow, BFA ’63; MFA ’65, is premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, with a final screening on Sunday, June 15. The film follows Grashow, who taught art at Pratt from 1969 to 1982, on a multiyear journey to complete a large and detailed wood sculpture titled The Cathedral. The film was recently reviewed in The New York Times.
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Rachel Genito and Jimmy Li, both BFA Communications Design ’26, were selected as finalists for scholarships from the Society of Illustrators. Genito was selected as a Zankel Scholarship finalist, while Li was selected as a Will Eisner Scholarship finalist.
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Dashiell Schaeffer, BID ’28, is profiled in Core77 for his project “Curvesse Rocker,” a rocking chair he designed and built out of a single sheet of plywood.
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The New York City Department of Transportation cites the Pratt Center for Community Development’s report Better Buses for Flatbush Avenue: Participatory Action Research with Riders Alliance in a proposal for new bus lanes along Flatbush Avenue.
More Pratt Institute News
Pratt Names Courtney Knapp New Chair of the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
An award-winning scholar and professor in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment’s Urban and Community Planning program, Knapp will assume the role on July 1, 2025, succeeding Eve Baron, who is stepping down to join the full-time faculty.
Alumni Harvey Fierstein and Paul Tazewell Shine at the Tony Awards
From Pratt Institute News
Esteemed writer and actor Harvey Fierstein was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the theater; Oscar-winning designer Paul Tazewell won for Best Costume Design in a Musical.
Designer, Educator, and Writer Andrew Holder Named Chair of Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design
From Pratt Institute News
Holder will assume the role of chair on July 1, 2025.