Salman Toor, MFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’09, is profiled in an immersive, multimedia feature in The New York Times that explores his studio space, his art practice, and his background and influences. “When he graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2009, Toor was painting as if he was an apprentice of the Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Bellini. He had started making classical portraits of friends that included a strange scribble of paint above their heads. That is when Catherine Redmond, his painting professor at Pratt, knew something was about to change. His brushstrokes were becoming less about the Renaissance and more about him.”
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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Young Jun Kim, BFA Fine Arts (Jewelry) ’24, was featured in The Good Men Project about his jewelry practice. “In a world where jewelry often begins and ends with surface beauty, Young Jun Kim dares to dig deeper, transforming metal into memory, ornament into narrative,” writes Noen Noah. “As both a designer and metalsmith, Young Jun Kim is redefining what it means to adorn the body, crafting pieces that not only captivate the eye but also question the nature of beauty, imperfection, and time itself.”
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The Pratt women’s tennis team won the 2025 Atlantic East Conference Championship, the first conference championship for Pratt since attaining full NCAA membership in 2022. Kayla Abraham, BA Critical and Visual Studies ’28, was named Tournament MVP after notching two wins in doubles and two straight-set victories at singles.
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Graphis awarded Satchel McLaughlin, AOS Graphic Design ’25, Silver for typography and design in their New Talent 2025 competition. She also received an Honorable Mention for her poster design.
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Pratt’s Puppet Club had its 5th biannual “Puppet Off” with puppeteers from The New School.
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Fadila Prastawa, Qinni (Nino) Xiang, Xueer Han, and Liliya Treyger, all MPS Design Management ’25, presented their project “Beacon of Light” to the American Institute of Architects, New York. The proposal addresses urban resilience during citywide blackouts. A pilot program is slated for Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, with plans for citywide expansion and partnerships with agencies like NYC Emergency Management and FEMA. Emphasizing community preparedness over infrastructure alone, Beacon of Light provides a scalable, human-centered model for blackout resilience that aligns with global sustainability objectives.
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Claudia Berger, MSLIS ’21, and Gabby Evergreen, MSLIS ’24, led a workshop, “Exploring Environmental Data Through Data Physicalization,” at the 2025 METRO STEM Information Professionals Mini Conference. At that same conference, alumna Diedre Brown, MS Data Analytics and Visualization ’21, gave a talk, “Empathy for the Faceless: Using Coloring Books to Exploring the Urban Aerobiome Microclimate,” and alumna and METRO staff Mary Bakija, MSLIS ’20, helped organize the conference.
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Emily Vasquez, BFA Art and Design Education ’26, received the 2025 Seraphin Bernard Student Leader of the Year Award.
![Emily Vasquez smiling and holding up a plaque award. She wears a red top and glasses.]()
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Alumnus Jashar Awan is highlighted in Little Village magazine for his latest picture book, Every Monday Mabel, which “radiates pure joy,” writes Casey Maynard. “I have loved Awan’s previous titles, especially Towed by Toad, but this one feels like a new creative stride. . . . Everything about the presentation showcases Awan’s colorful style and wonderfully paced narrative.”
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Ben Zweig published “This Prompt Contains Prohibited Words’: Language, Ekphrasis, and the Limits of the Generative Imagination” in The International Journal for Digital Art History. Also, a panel that he organized titled “Rethinking the Ethics of “Open” in the Shadow of AI” was accepted for the Digital Humanities 2025 conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
More Pratt Institute News
Pratt Architecture Graduates Are Building the World Around Us
For over 70 years, Pratt Institute has been preparing architects to shape the world we live in, from the homes and schools that anchor neighborhoods to the parks, infrastructure, and civic spaces that bring communities together.
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.
Three Pratt Students and Two Alumni Named 2026 Fulbright Semifinalists
From Pratt Institute News
Each year, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers graduating seniors, recent college graduates, graduate students, and young professionals from the United States the opportunity to engage in academic projects, learn from diverse cultures, and work on pressing societal issues.