A story about Joan Semmel, BFA Art Teacher Education ’63; MFA ’72, was Art in America’s most read article of 2024.
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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For Freedoms (co-founded by Michelle Woo, BFA Fine Arts (Painting ’07)) was featured in the New York Times and Print Magazine. The organization is beginning a three-year residency with the National Gallery of Art.
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Jake Stewart, AOS Illustration ’26, was named the first place winner of an illustration contest for students, hosted by Pratt’s AOS Department and leading Italian legacy printer PdiPigna. Participants designed notebook covers and the winning notebook design is to be printed and sold commercially in a limited-edition release. As the winner, Stewart will earn a portion of commissions as well as the opportunity to work with an established art brand.
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Professor of Undergraduate Architecture John Lobell appears in a documentary film about post modernist architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, which premiered at the 2024 Architecture & Design Film Festival. Lobell was a student of Venturi and Scott Brown in the 1960s, and a clip of his interview appears in the film.
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Edel Rodriguez, BFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’94, was selected as a PRINT Awards Jury Member for Hand Lettering, Illustration, Graphic Novels, and Invitations. The jurors were chosen because they possessed the “insight and experience needed to recognize standout work across these creative categories.” Rodriguez has also been chosen as The Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence for the spring 2025 semester at Baruch College, and he recently presented his book, The Mango Tree, at the Miami Book Fair.
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Laurie Cumbo, who was a visiting assistant professor from fall 2001 to fall 2009 in the Arts and Cultural Management program at Pratt Institute, was listed among 2024’s Leading Culturepreneurs: Pioneers of Cultural Transformation by Elucid Magazine. “As New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Cumbo oversaw significant cultural grants, expanded public art installations, and championed arts institutions, ensuring the city’s vibrant arts scene remained valued by residents and visitors alike.”
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Devin B. Johnson, MFA ’19, was interviewed for the Fall 2024 issue of Gagosian Quarterly. During his first semester at Pratt, he says he was challenged to think “more in depth about the ideas and concepts of my practice, the whys and the scaffolding of what my practice was based on.” He remarks on the “influential professors,” including Greg Drasler, Torkwase Dyson, and Cullen Washington Jr, who “challenged their students to think and talk about their work in a more philosophical manner.“ A painting of Donald Glover by Johnson was also featured in TheWrapBook.
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Former Dean of the School of Architecture, Dr. Harriet Harriss, professor in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, was featured in Building Design and on Dezeen’s top 10 architecture and design books of 2024 for 100 Women: Architects in Practice, co-authored with Naomi House, Monika Parrinder, and Tom Ravenscroft.
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An exhibition by Visiting Associate Professor of Fine Arts Nat Meade was included in Cultured’s 10 must-see gallery shows in LA this month.
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Three short films by Mackie Mallison, BFA Film ’23, will be streaming on Vimeo starting today, January 9.
More Pratt Institute News
Three Outstanding Graduates to be Honored at Pratt’s 2026 Alumni Achievement Awards
Pratt Institute alumni Nanette Carter, Vann Graves, and Lian Farhi will be honored for their creative and professional accomplishments.
Leading by Example
From Pratt Institute News
Spencer Giuliano, BArch ’26, thrives on the soccer field and in the studio, all while helping fellow student-athletes balance the demands of both worlds.
Designing Her Way to Her Dream Job
From Pratt Institute News
Recent alumna Renata Dominguez always knew she wanted to work in design. Now, just one year post-grad, she’s thriving at one of the biggest international branding agencies.