The Daily Hub

Sylvia Plachy, BFA ’65, has a retrospective of photography that captures New York over the decades on display in the Brooklyn Central Library through April 14. It happened in New York showcases Plachy’s “ability to uncover vulnerability and the psychogeography of her surroundings [and] demonstrates the indispensable role of the photographer.”

Na’ye Perez, MFA Fine Arts (Painting/Drawing) ’20, is featured in Artsy’s 29 Emerging Black Artists to Discover This Black History Month, Part 1. “Na’ye Perez uses different techniques—including printmaking, painting, and drawing—to talk about his community.”

Kiernan Francis, BFA Film ’23, will have his film Trial Period featured on the Criterion Channel’s February lineup. Francis wrote and directed the film, which was submitted as his thesis project in Pratt’s Film/Video senior showcase for 2023.  

Megan Thee Stallion wears pieces by two Pratt alumni in the video for her new song “Hiss.” Laurel Dewitt, BFA Fashion Design ’06, created a custom crystal neckpiece for the artist, while Sarah Sokol, BFA Interior Design ’11, provided a custom hat.

Gerald Levy, adjunct assistant professor of social science and cultural studies, discussed the growing strength of the labor movement in the United States with CFO Dive. “The ‘mood’ of the workers has changed,” Levy said. “They see the current time as a historic ‘moment’ to strike while the iron is hot and make transformational changes.”

Salman Toor, MFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’09, shares his work, preoccupations, and influences in the PBS arts and culture series, CANVAS. “About three or four years ago, I decided to make semi-autobiographical paintings that were about being more out as a gay man,” he said.

Steve Locke, professor of fine arts, has joined the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture’s Board of Governors to advance the school’s mission of uplifting emerging visual artists. “Skowhegan has been such a major part of my life as an artist and educator,” he said. “I’m really happy to have this opportunity to serve and give back to a place that has given so much to me.”

Stefan Sagmeister, MS Communications Design ’88, has been named the 2024 William O. Steinmetz ’50 Designer in Residence at the Maryland Institute College of Art. As part of the residency, he will give a lecture on his work as a designer, artist, and author.

Rudy Gutierrez, professor of undergraduate communications design and BFA ’79, was commissioned by the MTA Arts & Design program to create an illustrated design for its popular Poster program. His vibrant Transporting Art to Life! design can be viewed on various lines throughout the NYC subway system and is available for purchase as a poster.

The Washington Post profiles Hamid Rahmanian ’96, who majored in computer animation at Pratt, and his epic Song of the North multimedia production that uses 483 shadow puppets to adapt part of the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). “The ‘Shahnameh’ is like ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ for Iranians,” Rahmanian said.