Here you can carry out art historical and design research; apply the theories and practice of information science; design and curate digital libraries, archives, and exhibitions; and communicate arts content and design effectively across diverse cultures and societies.
Pratt students at the Morgan Library Reading Room (courtesy Polly Cancro, History of Art and Design / Library and Information Science '18)
History of Art and Design / Library and Information Science at Pratt
The MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design dual-degree program prepares you for careers in art and design, museum, and academic libraries. In this program, you will become an expert on the intersection of art and design and information, going deep into art, design, and historical archives, art and design collections, and more. With fellowship opportunities at NYC’s leading museums, libraries, and archives, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frick Art Reference Library, and MoMA, the dual-degree program offers unique experiential learning opportunities.
Students in the dual-degree MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design program get to experience all Pratt has to offer by taking half of their program (30 credits) at the School of Information based in Manhattan, and the other half in the Department of History of Art and Design on the Brooklyn campus (30 credits). The first two years students take courses in both departments, with much of the thesis work taking place in the third year. With class sizes of just 8-12, you’ll collaborate closely with your cohort and faculty and be learning at the nexus of NYC arts and culture communities.
Internships
Internships at museums, libraries, nonprofit art organizations, and galleries provide professional opportunities in your area of interest and prepare you for future careers. Recent students have interned at prestigious institutions such as the New York Public Library, Franklin Furnace, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Study Abroad
We are pleased to offer study abroad options for dual-degree students, including a new course offered for the first time during spring break 2024: “Artist Archives: Rome/New York”. We also recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of Pratt in Venice, which is a 6-week program that occurs each June and July. For more information on Study Abroad, see where you can go.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learning resources.
Our Faculty
Pratt’s distinguished faculty of outstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives, they provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all History of Art and Design faculty and administrators and School of Information faculty and administrators.
Our Alumni
Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.
Where They Work
Librarian, Photographs and Prints Division, New York Public Library
Archivist, Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library
IT Project Manager, J. Paul Getty Trust
Head, Reference & Reader Services, Teachers College, Columbia University
Web Collection Librarian, Columbia University Libraries
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
Whether your goal is to advance your career, pivot to a new field, or explore your craft or groundbreaking research, our 33 graduate programs provide the rigor and support to achieve your vision. Explore our graduate programs in architecture, fine arts, design, information studies, and the liberal arts and sciences. Learn More.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
Artwork Analysis — Edward Hopper, Nighthawks (1942)
Hopper paints with precision and restraint: smooth brushstrokes, crisp edges, and light that feels almost architectural. The diner’s glow isolates its figures, turning an ordinary night into a study of stillness, distance, and modern urban life.
#ArtHistory #ArtworkAnalysis #EdwardHopper #arthistory #historyofdesign #ArtHistory #ArtAndDesign #pratt #arthistory101 #art
This month's art post: Trust visions that don't feature buckets of blood, 1983-1984 by Jenny Holzer and Lady Pink.
"In the 1980s, Holzer and Lady Pink used New York as a backdrop for their artworks: Holzer wheatpasted posters and slogans on walls throughout Manhattan, and Lady Pink spray-painted graffiti on buildings and subway cars. The two also collaborated on a series of paintings on canvas, such as this work, for which Holzer composed phrases and Lady Pink did the painting. Trust visions that don’t feature buckets of blood was based on a recent image by the documentary photographer Susan Meiselas, who worked extensively in Nicaragua during the armed conflict that roiled the nation for decades in the second half of the twentieth century."
MoMA gallery label from 2019, (Source: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/290520)
#ArtAndDesign #ArtHistory #historyofdesign #pratt #arthistory #arthistory101 #art
You are warmly invited to the 2026 HAD Student Symposium, featuring research presentations by HAD Undergraduate and Graduate students.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Alumni Reading Room
Please RSVP and save the date! The morning session (10:30am –12:45pm) will showcase research presentations by HAD undergraduate students, followed by graduate thesis presentations from 1:45–3:00pm. Lunch will be served during the break--so please be sure to RSVP.
Also, please remember that the Keynote Address, delivered by Dare Turner, Curator of Indigenous Art, Brooklyn Museum, will take place the night before on Thursday, April 23rd at 5:30 in the Alumni Reading Room.
Family and friends are welcome!
We invite you to “Curation as Care," a keynote address by Dare Turner (Yurok Tribe), Curator of Indigenous Art at the Brooklyn Museum.
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Venue: Alumni Reading Room
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP.
* This event is open for Pratt community and the general public.
In this talk, Dare Turner (Yurok Tribe), Curator of Indigenous Art at the Brooklyn Museum, discusses Indigenous community representation, engagement, and dialogue through the curation of historical and contemporary Native art in encyclopedic museums. Turner will address the concept of "curation as care" as it relates to her recent projects and her role in stewarding the Brooklyn Museum's Indigenous art collection. She will also speak about the exhibition initiative she co-curated with Leila Grothe at the Baltimore Museum of Art entitled “Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum,” the reinstallation of the Brooklyn Museum's American Art wing, and her collaboration with museum professionals and Indigenous knowledge keepers alike.
Dare Turner is the Curator of Indigenous Art at the Brooklyn Museum and a member of the Yurok Tribe. In 2024, she co-organized Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum at the Baltimore Museum of Art, which included nine exhibitions, interpretative interventions across the Museum, and a catalogue. At the Brooklyn Museum, she curated Nico Williams: Aaniin, I See Your Light and co-curated Towards Joy: New Frameworks for American Art, a radical reinstallation of the American Wing guided by Indigenous ways of knowing and Black feminist theory. Her forthcoming exhibition and book, Hopi Kachina Dolls: Blessings for a Balanced World, will debut at the Brooklyn Museum in October 2026.
On Friday, April 24th, Turner will return to serve as respondent for the HAD student symposium. We encourage everyone to participate in this two-day celebration of our students' accomplishments.
#ArtAndDesign #art #arthistory101 #pratt #pratthad #design #ArtHistory
Art Nouveau (1890–1910)
A movement that broke away from historical revival
styles and embraced a new, nature-driven modernity.
Emerging across Europe at the turn of the century, it
sought to unite art, architecture, and everyday life.
Key characteristics: organic lines, whiplash curves,
botanical motifs, and a deep commitment to
craftsmanship across architecture, furniture, and
graphic design.
Example: the iconic Paris Métro Entrance, where iron
and glass twist into vine-like forms, turning a public
transit entry into sculptural urban art.
A reminder that design can be functional, expressive,
and poetic all at once.
#pratthad #arthistory101 #ArtAndDesign #pratt #art
#design
The evolution of Western art is a story of creativity, innovation, and cultural transformation. From the idealized forms of ancient Greece and Rome to the spiritual intricacies of the Middle Ages, and finally to the humanistic revival of the Renaissance, each era brought new ways of seeing and depicting the world. Join us as we explore key moments and masterpieces that shaped art history, highlighting timeless works and groundbreaking techniques that continue to inspire today.
A journey through the foundations of Western art:
Classical Era: Idealized beauty & mythological themes.
Example: "Laocoön and His Sons" (c. 40-30 BCE)
Middle Ages: Art turned spiritual with intricate designs.
Example: The Book of Kells (c. 800 CE)
Renaissance: A rebirth of humanism, realism, and perspective.
Example: "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli (c. 1485)
Innovations: Leonardo da Vinci redefined art with works like Mona Lisa (1503-1506) and The Last Supper (1495-1498).
#art #historyofdesign #arthistory101 #ArtAndDesign #arthistory #ArtHistory #pratthad #pratt
Congrats to Prof. Pamela Pavliscak (@pamelapavliscak )- her new book "All the Feels: How to Stay Human in the Digital World" (Algonquin, 2026) has been published. She is also having a book launch party at the Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo on Thursday at 7pm. More info and to RSVP via the link in our bio. Copy of the book available on the 6th Floor faculty publications display.
InfoShow26 was a big hit, Gradation at Radio City Music Hall was a smash, and much more news in the School of Information June '26 newsletter; link available in our bio.
Dean Cocciolo and Associate Director Brull paid a visit to our neighbors to explore the option of using their backyard for a school event or two. Interesting to see the OSGEMEOS mural from a different perspective!
🏳️🌈 🏳️🌈 Don't forget to look up - our Pride Flags are being installed this Saturday morning and will be up for the month of June! #LGBTQPride #NYCPride #Pride2026 #14thStreet 🏳️🌈 🏳️🌈
Students in INFO 634 Conservation Lab with Prof. Slava Polishchuk finished up their custom enclosures for rare books. Sometimes, it is nice to get off a screen!
The MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design dual-degree program prepares students for careers in art, museum, and academic libraries. With fellowship opportunities taking place at NYC’s leading museums, libraries, and archives, such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the dual-degree program offers unique opportunities for experiential learning.
This program consists of 30 credits at the School of Information and 30 credits at the Department of History of Art and Design for a total of 60 credits, which must be completed with a B average or higher. Students in the dual-degree program generally take one or two classes in each program per semester (3–4 courses, 9–12 credits).
Students in the dual-degree MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design satisfy the learning outcomes of each of the respective degrees.
MS Library and Information Science
Throughout the LIS program, students will create a digital portfolio to highlight the work they have completed and demonstrate they have met the program’s five student learning outcomes:
Foundations of Library and Information studies – Apply core concepts and theories to information collection, organization and access in multiple environments.
User-centered services – Students can meet information needs of diverse user communities across multiple communication formats (e.g. oral, written, visual, interactive).
Technology – Students can select and apply tools and technologies used in the field to improve information functions.
Research – Investigate information environments and users’ needs, behaviors, and experiences through appropriate research methods and analysis.
Ethical/Creative/Critical practice – Apply core ethical principles to professional practice and understand the broad impact of information on society. Students can raise critical questions about information, its production, dissemination, storage and preservation.
MA History of Art and Design
Graduates are able to articulate the mutually constitutive nature of historical changes in social, political and economic conditions in the fields of art, design, and cultural production.
Graduates are able to describe, research and analyze the forms of cultural artifacts and monuments.
Graduates demonstrate a critical engagement with the discipline’s tools and methods.
Graduates have the skills to craft lines of inquiry and perform in-depth research, including the use of relevant languages, that results in original analysis and interpretation.
