The School of Design’s 4th annual Social Justice and Sustainability Award winners were announced, recognizing students for leadership, scholarship, activism, and sustainability.
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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For Cultured, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore picked his five favorite images by accomplished New York photographer James Hamilton, who studied painting at Pratt. Hamilton is also the subject of the documentary Uncropped, which was reviewed in the New York Times. “We depend on history to recount what is vanished, what is missed, dreamed of, mythologized,” Moore tells Cultured. “In James Hamilton’s photographic archives I encounter a universe of sweetness, of salaciousness and a spell-binding grace.”
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Professor of Undergraduate Communications Design Rudy Gutierrez, BFA Communications Design (Illustration) ’79, captured the courtship of Cicadas in his signature illustration style for the New York Times.
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Adam Friedman, chief strategy officer of research and strategic partnerships in the office of the provost, was included in City & State New York’s 2024 Brooklyn Power 100. NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, MS City and Regional Planning ’98 and former director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, was also included in the prestigious list of local changemakers.
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Monse and Oscar de la Renta co-creative director Laura Kim, BFA Fashion Design ’04, was featured in Vanity Fair. “I wanted to share my passion for cooking through products that people could use in their daily lives,” she says about her new homeware collection for Crate & Barrel.
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Afzal Hossain, BArch ’05, is featured in a Queens Chronicle profile, which focuses on his Jackson Heights cafe Espresso 77 and his art practice. “When I painted figuratively, I would finish a painting and be done with it,” he said. “When I paint abstractly, I paint for hours and hours. I keep adding and changing things. It never stops.”
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Contemporary Istanbul Foundation presents the solo exhibition Mythologiques by Tomokazu Matsuyama, MFA Communications Design ’04, which is running concurrently with the 60th Venice Biennale. “Matsuyama, bridging his heritage between Japan and the USA, distills a bicultural narrative into a vibrant oeuvre that navigates the complexities of a globalized society.”
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Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Andrew Woolbright was named the recipient of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program’s 2024 Irving Sandler Prize in recognition of “his ongoing contribution to the New York City arts community, both in his artistic practice and generous spirit, as well as an educator, writer, and curator.”
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Deirdre Lawrence, MSLIS ’79, was interviewed by Cultured Magazine about print collectors in the digital age. “I have curated several exhibitions that have presented artists’ books,” said Lawrence, “and the public response to each has provided clear evidence that print is alive and well alongside their digital neighbors.”
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Visiting Assistant Professor of Interior Design Shari Francis was featured on Lumens’s “A Day in the Life” series. “As an assistant visiting professor at Pratt Institute, I teach sophomore studio. What it’s done for me, is to really bring the basics back into design,” said Francis. “Giving my knowledge is the reason why I teach, and to see how they become successful in their own design, I feel very grateful for.”
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.