A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
Lillian Benson, BFA Art Education ’70, received Black Public Media’s 2025 Trailblazer Award for her work editing films including American Masters – Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, Beyond the Steps: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Dancing: New World, New Forms.
On Artsy’s 11 Must-See Museum Exhibitions in 2026: Pratt Trustee and alumnus Derrick Adams’s solo exhibition View Master at the Institute of Contemporary Art, and a group exhibition on masculinity at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, featuring Salman Toor, MFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’09.
Dean of the School of Architecture Quilian Riano shared his predictions for 2026 with Archinect. “In 2025, the New York City mayoral campaign’s central messages around affordability and quality of life resonated across the country. Addressing these issues not only in NYC but also nationally will require the design and construction of millions of housing units and accompanying infrastructure.”
Trey Phillips, BFA Communications Design ’27, was named the Atlantic East Conference’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season after a dominant performance against Elms College.
Mike Flynn, MS City and Regional Planning ’06, was named the New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner. “Flynn brings more than two decades of experience across the public and private sectors, helping cities envision and implement transportation systems that advance economic opportunity, social equity, and environmental sustainability.”
The Associate Degree Department recently hosted a portfolio review day for high school students planning to apply to art schools for college. Juniors and seniors interested in receiving feedback on their work dropped in to have their portfolios reviewed by AOS Chair Susan Young and Visiting Instructor Rinn Wight. Event goers also participated in a figure drawing session led by Associate Professor Stewart Parker, who provided instruction as well as feedback on participants’ drawings.
Kadir Nelson, BFA Communications Design ’96, discusses his forthcoming illustrated book Basketball and his love of the game in an interview with Rolling Out. “I begin with an idea, I create a sketch. Sometimes I do studies if it’s a very complex painting, and then I’ll transfer my sketches to a canvas, and I create the canvas, so it’s very traditional. I really enjoy the medium of oil painting because it’s something that the old masters used and it stands the test of time. Working with it is a bit more familiar to me than working with other mediums.”
Art and Design Education faculty members Borinquen Gallo, adjunct professor – CCE, and Katherine Huala, associate professor, will be workshop presenters at the NYSATA Region 8 Inaugural Winter Symposium at the MoMA Cullman Education Center this January. This is a full day of professional development for art educators centered on the Ruth Asawa exhibition.
TheyDream, the most recent feature film by William D. Caballero, BFA Computer Graphics ’06, was selected to premiere at Sundance 2026 in the NEXT category. The film, a mix of live action and animation, was also highlighted as a standout in Filmmaker Magazine and Deadline.
The Associate Degree Department hosted the Fall 2025 XYZ Playtest, an ongoing game dev showcase and playtesting event. Students and alumni from the AOS Game Design program, BFA Game Arts program, and other neighboring university game programs got together to showcase games they’ve been developing throughout the fall semester. From a library book sorting video game to a tabletop game about lucid dreaming, there was a lot of creativity and talent on display.
From Pratt Institute News
From Pratt Institute News
