Tomokazu Matsuyama, MFA Communications Design ’04, was awarded a 2025 Pen Creator Award and interviewed for Pen Magazine about his art practice. “I began working as a self-taught artist, and while painting murals in New York I found myself immersed in environments where culture and art intersect,” he said. “I was drawn to a free, physical mode of expression.”
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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Kadir Nelson, BFA Communications Design ’96, was interviewed in Publisher’s Weekly about his most recent book, Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game. “This book is my love letter to basketball. It merges my love for athletics, art, and literature. It’s over 100 pages of text and artwork that I created over the last nine years. It’s a potent mixture of all the things that I really love.”
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Pratt alumna Pamela Colman Smith, the artist behind the world’s best-selling deck of tarot cards, was spotlighted in a New York Times “Overlooked No More” feature. “She was this radical feminist—an iconoclast—who was so ahead of her time,” Alex V. Cipolle said in the article. “I think she would still be radical today.”
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
More Pratt Institute News
Three Pratt Students and Two Alumni Named 2026 Fulbright Semifinalists
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.
Imagining Alternative Futures for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal
From Pratt Institute News
Architecture students worked with local groups in Red Hook on neighborhood revitalization and climate resilience plans as NYC looks to redevelop the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
Pratt Pairs: Valentine’s Day 2026
From Pratt Institute News
Alumni share their stories of meeting at Pratt and how they continued their lives together following graduation.