Sara Cedar Miller, MFA Photography ‘83, is retiring after 40 years as the Central Park historian and photographer. “It has never been an ordinary job—because, of course, the Park is extraordinary,” she told the West Side Rag.
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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Pratt’s Puppet Club had its 5th biannual “Puppet Off” with puppeteers from The New School.
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Fadila Prastawa, Qinni (Nino) Xiang, Xueer Han, and Liliya Treyger, all MPS Design Management ’25, presented their project “Beacon of Light” to the American Institute of Architects, New York. The proposal addresses urban resilience during citywide blackouts. A pilot program is slated for Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, with plans for citywide expansion and partnerships with agencies like NYC Emergency Management and FEMA. Emphasizing community preparedness over infrastructure alone, Beacon of Light provides a scalable, human-centered model for blackout resilience that aligns with global sustainability objectives.
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Claudia Berger, MSLIS ’21, and Gabby Evergreen, MSLIS ’24, led a workshop, “Exploring Environmental Data Through Data Physicalization,” at the 2025 METRO STEM Information Professionals Mini Conference. At that same conference, alumna Diedre Brown, MS Data Analytics and Visualization ’21, gave a talk, “Empathy for the Faceless: Using Coloring Books to Exploring the Urban Aerobiome Microclimate,” and alumna and METRO staff Mary Bakija, MSLIS ’20, helped organize the conference.
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Emily Vasquez, BFA Art and Design Education ’26, received the 2025 Seraphin Bernard Student Leader of the Year Award.
![Emily Vasquez smiling and holding up a plaque award. She wears a red top and glasses.]()
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Alumnus Jashar Awan is highlighted in Little Village magazine for his latest picture book, Every Monday Mabel, which “radiates pure joy,” writes Casey Maynard. “I have loved Awan’s previous titles, especially Towed by Toad, but this one feels like a new creative stride. . . . Everything about the presentation showcases Awan’s colorful style and wonderfully paced narrative.”
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Ben Zweig published “This Prompt Contains Prohibited Words’: Language, Ekphrasis, and the Limits of the Generative Imagination” in The International Journal for Digital Art History. Also, a panel that he organized titled “Rethinking the Ethics of “Open” in the Shadow of AI” was accepted for the Digital Humanities 2025 conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Sam Raddatz, MSLIS ‘15, has launched Forest & Trees, a consulting firm specializing in supporting cultural institution leaders who recognize a mismatch between their organization’s insides and outsides. The firm’s signature offering, the Question Catalyst, helps teams identify and address fundamental questions before investing in solutions. Learn more at forestandtrees.us.
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Studio and Gallery Manager Taylor Bielecki, MFA Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) ’22, reviewed exhibitions by Judi Keeshan and Sarah Martin-Nuss in Art Spiel.
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Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Information Claudia Berger, MSLIS ‘21, gave a talk concluding their year as the Scholars’ Lab’s first Virtual Artist in Residence. Their talk covered a data quilt made for them exploring the history of the Appalachian Trail and who national parks are designed for. Also, the companion zine to the special issue they edited for dh+lib won best DH Training Material at the 2024 DH Awards. The zine also includes work from Associate Professor in the School of Information Nancy Smith.
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