Salman Toor, MFA Fine Arts (Painting) ’09, is profiled in an immersive, multimedia feature in The New York Times that explores his studio space, his art practice, and his background and influences. “When he graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2009, Toor was painting as if he was an apprentice of the Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Bellini. He had started making classical portraits of friends that included a strange scribble of paint above their heads. That is when Catherine Redmond, his painting professor at Pratt, knew something was about to change. His brushstrokes were becoming less about the Renaissance and more about him.”
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
Leading by Example
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.
Seeing the City: Tours, Talks, and More
From Pratt Institute News
This fall in New York City, students went to the newly renovated Frick, explored innovative materials at a circular design brand, and heard from famed director Spike Lee.