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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Pratt has been named a recipient of the Insight Into Academia 2025 Excellence Mental Health and Well-Being Award, which recognizes national leadership in supporting the mental health of students, faculty, and staff. The award “is a measure of an institution’s individual programs and initiatives that significantly advance the core values of inclusive excellence and belonging through programs, initiatives, and many other campus priorities deserving of this national recognition.”
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Fine Arts alumnus Peter Kuper has won the Entomological Society’s 2025 Science Communication Award for his graphic novel Insectopolis. The award honors “impactful and innovative communication projects or programs that engage diverse public audiences with entomology-related scientific information.”
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Undergraduate Communications Design faculty members Tim O’Brien and Rudy Gutierrez, BFA Communications Design ’79, and alumnus Kadir Nelson, BFA Communications Design ’96, have been inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. Each year, the Society adds three contemporary illustrators to the Hall of Fame, chosen for “their distinguished achievement in the art of illustration.” This year, all three honorees are part of the Pratt community. The Society will be honoring this year’s inductees at The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 9, 2025.
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Paolo Balboa, MSLIS ’20, has been appointed the chief digital equity officer for the City of New York.
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Dean of the School of Architecture Quilian Riano shares some of his favorite things to eat, see, and do in Brooklyn with Archinect. “If Brooklyn was independent, it would be the third-largest city in the United States, and any guide will not capture the entirety of what makes it a special and diverse place. I simply offer some personal favorites with an eye towards giving you a unique experience.”
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A faculty exhibition at Pratt Munson was featured on wktv. “This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to see the personal art practices of the Pratt Munson faculty beyond their teaching roles,” writes Zach Lewis. “It also serves as a chance for students to see the faculty’s expertise in their respective fields.”
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Lily Cianfaglione, BFA Art and Design Education ’29, was profiled in The Provincetown Independent in a piece that explores her passion for art, career aspirations, and her summer residency at Wellfleet Preservation Hall.
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Judy Walsh, MS Historic Preservation ’26, is the 2025 Adolf Placzek Fellow at New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. As a part of the fellowship, she undertook extensive research and survey work into vulnerable historic buildings, helping with the development of a digital map to track them, and had the opportunity to explore some fascinating sites including the Old Coastguard Building in Staten Island, the Apollo Theatre and LPC’s archaeological repository.
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Art and Design Education faculty members Visiting Associate Professor Patrick Rowe and Visiting Instructor Nell Klugman will be attending the 18th International Conference on the Inclusive Museum as panelists. Their workshop presentation, Making Room at The Bronx Museum: Learner-Informed Curation, will illustrate that educational theory and practice can and should be at the heart of an inclusive curatorial project.
More Pratt Institute News
Legends 2025 to Honor Jeremy Scott and Mavis Wiggins
The creative icons will be celebrated at the annual benefit for student scholarships that support artists, designers, architects, and creative thinkers of all backgrounds.
Finding Inspiration Along the Mondego River
From Pratt Institute News
Pratt students and faculty displayed creative works at the inaugural À Deriva Festival, a culmination of a yearlong collaboration with peers from the University of Coimbra in Portugal.
Welcome to Pratt!
From Pratt Institute News
Pratt orientation week helped students ease into the rhythms of campus life and the city beyond with fun activities, group trips, and informational sessions.