The Daily Hub

Creative Bloom profiled Xiangni Song, MFA Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) ’22, showcasing her work and exploring her transition from illustration to fine arts. “Today, painting, drawing and ceramics are Xiangni’s medium of choice, and her art deals with themes of identity, self-observation and the imagination.”

Fernando Ortiz Báez, BA Critical and Visual Studies ’14, was recently recognized by El Diario Nueva York as one of the most influential Latino men in the tristate area for his work in economic development and community engagement in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. “There are beautiful spaces, economic development, employment opportunities, mobilization,” he said. “I think the best way to combat poverty is by giving people economic opportunities.”

Karin Yngvesdotter, adjunct professor-CCE of fashion design, discussed the importance of size inclusivity and Pratt’s soon-to-launch MFA in Fashion Collection + Communication with Fashionista. “We have gone over every syllabus with a fine tooth comb to make sure there’s diversity, equity and inclusion in size and gender, wherever appropriate for the course,” she said. 

Edel Rodriguez, BFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’94, discusses his new graphic memoir, Worm, which features more than 1,000 illustrations, in a profile by The New York Times. The memoir explores the rise of Fidel Castro, his family’s escape from Cuba, and his role as a political artist. “The whole book is a bit of a trap,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted you to come in with your prejudices and realize this is not what you thought it was.”

Meshal Alradadi, BArch ’23, and Halie Kim, BArch ’23, have won Buildner’s 2023 Architect’s Sugar Architectural Visualization Award competition with their submission The Imaginary Variance: Collective Memories and Urban Reconstruction. “A representation of a dense urban center, this line drawing is a mixture of drawing and diagram, skin and organs, an image with an electrifying level of detail and an excellent balance of dynamic colors,” the jury wrote about their design.

Prattfolio, the magazine of Pratt Institute, was recognized with two Best of District II awards from CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The magazine won for alumni/general interest magazine and the special issue Power of Place (Spring 2022).

Suneil Sanzgiri, visiting assistant professor of film/video, has his first solo museum exhibition, Here the Earth Grows Gold, on display at the Brooklyn Museum through May 5. The exhibition features three new works including Two Refusals (Would We Recognize Ourselves Unbroken?), a “two-channel video installation that combines archival footage, animation, interviews, and a script written by poet Sham-e-Ali Nayeem.”

Kay WalkingStick, MFA ’75, shares memories and insights from her decades of experience as a painter of the natural world in a profile for The New York Times. “For a lot of years, I didn’t get very much recognition so I wasn’t painting for clients, God knows,” she said. “I was painting to keep myself excited about painting. I still am.”

Mary Lempres, BFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’18; MID ’23, received a winning entry nod for her project Reef Rocket in the Global Design Graduate Show 2023 in collaboration with GUCCI. “Reef Rocket seeks to decarbonize cement production by employing nature in the manufacturing process while engaging communities most impacted by rising sea levels in fabricating and restoring natural reefs that reduce coastal flooding, promote biodiversity, and filter water.”

Nathan Ginter, BFA Film ’23, won Best Short Film for The Third Ear at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. “The Third Ear couldn’t have been made without a lot of support, so I’m incredibly grateful to all who’ve given their time, resources, and care to the film,” Ginter said.