Gerald Luss (BID ’49), a Pratt alumus and celebrated midcentury-modern designer, passed away at 98. Best known for his groundbreaking interiors for the Time-Life Building, Luss helped shape postwar office design and left a lasting legacy in the field.
Workplace Ready: Project SEARCH Interns Graduate
New York City high school students received career training through Project SEARCH, a national program focused on workforce-readiness for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Pratt Names Courtney Knapp New Chair of the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
From Pratt Institute News
An award-winning scholar and professor in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment’s Urban and Community Planning program, Knapp will assume the role on July 1, 2025, succeeding Eve Baron, who is stepping down to join the full-time faculty.
Alumni Harvey Fierstein and Paul Tazewell Shine at the Tony Awards
From Pratt Institute News
Esteemed writer and actor Harvey Fierstein was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the theater; Oscar-winning designer Paul Tazewell won for Best Costume Design in a Musical.
Designer, Educator, and Writer Andrew Holder Named Chair of Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design
From Pratt Institute News
Holder will assume the role of chair on July 1, 2025.
Graduate Architecture Student Quinn Gregory Named 2025 Fulbright Finalist
From Pratt Institute News
Gregory will spend nine months in Europe to study how bicycle theft undermines collective efforts to increase urban cycling.
Runway Ready: Pratt Fashion Seniors Shine at Powerhouse Arts
From Pratt Institute News
The 2025 Pratt Shows: Fashion runway presentation featured nearly 160 looks from collections by 30 graduating seniors; Haeone Son, BFA Fashion Design ’25, received the 2025 Christopher Hunte “On Point” Award.
Hats Off to Pratt’s Class of 2025!
From Pratt Institute News
Graduates accepted their diplomas during an exuberant Commencement at the iconic Radio City Music Hall. Honorary degrees were bestowed upon Claudia Rankine, Annabelle Selldorf, and Stefan Sagmeister.
The Latest
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How a Sneaker Designer Spends His Day Transforming Nikes
Sneaker designer and alumnus Andy Martinez, who studied cartooning and film at Pratt, launched his bespoke brand &e after classmates admired his early designs—now worn by celebrities like LeBron James and SZA—combining cowboy boot shafts with Nike Air Force 1 soles in handcrafted, fashion-forward hybrids.
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Derrick Adams Wants His Art to Be Fun
Pratt alumnus Derrick Adams creates vibrant, imaginative artworks that celebrate the joy, normalcy, and everyday experiences of Black life.
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Emerging artist discovers his family’s Mexican roots through his work
Pratt student Angel Ortega explores his Mexican heritage and themes of cultural identity through his artwork and mentorship, inspired by his mother’s immigrant journey and supported by Pratt’s Young Scholars program.
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Pratt’s MFA Exhibition Mirrors These Disjointive Times
Pratt’s 2025 MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Inside/Out, was featured in Hyperallergic for its powerful exploration of space, identity, and the complexities of the current moment.
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Dona Ann McAdams’ Photography; Latest Tech News; Bab L’Bluz Performs Live; MUNA’s Katie Gavin
Photographer Dona Ann McAdams was recently interviewed on WNYC’s All of It with Alison Stewart, discussing her decades-spanning work capturing marginalized communities. The segment coincides with her solo exhibition black | box at Pratt Manhattan Gallery.
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Pin-Up interviews Mark Grattan, BID ’06, in a wide-ranging conversation that explores his love of woodworking, his upcoming Layered collection for HBF Textiles, and his resistance to trends. “I’m not on trend. I’ve always stayed clear of a trend. Stacking and repetition give me comfort. In my eyes, it’s a beautiful thing to repeat a shape. The new collection has a lot of repeating shapes, like marquetry, which I’m working on a lot at the moment.”
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Professors Claudia Berger, MSLIS ’21, and Nancy Smith were co-editors on a special issue of dh+lib, “Crafting Encounters with Humanities Data.” It also features work from two alumni, Erica Weidner, MSLIS ’24, and Jessika Davis, MSMDC ’22.
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For the Brooklyn Rail, Assistant Dean in the School of Art Marcus Civin reviewed a new monograph on artist and musician Lonnie Holley. “The highlight is his assemblages of cast-off objects installed in his backyard or other outdoor spaces—often stacks of rusty or busted-up furniture, tools, and wood,” writes Civin. “Collectively, these sculptures represent a kind of archaeology, history unearthed from the junkyard, combinations that appear as improvisational as the artist’s singing.”
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Professor of Writing James Hannaham’s Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta was included on Michelle Tea’s top ten list of favorite gay books for Literary Hub. “Is this perhaps the best book in the world?,” writes Tea. “This is a funny book about a serious subject—my fave—and it features one of the very best characters I’ve ever loved, Carlotta, and I happen to give a very serious shit what happened to her, from the electric first page til the last.”
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Nasreen Alkhateeb, BFA Fine Arts ’07, was awarded second place in the Getty Image award for creators advancing disability awareness. Alkhateeb also served as the cinematographer for She Runs the World, a feature-length documentary that premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and was selected as Audience Choice 1st Runner Up.
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Visiting Assistant Professor of GA/LA/UD Po-Yao Shih’s installation proposal, “Floating Field,” was shortlisted for the Shaping Water Competition, alongside fifteen other designs. Learn more from the School of Architecture News.
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Chair of Fine Arts Jane South spoke with The New York Times about the state of New York City. She noted that applications to Pratt’s Fine Arts program are up, indicating that artists still see the city as a place of hope. “[Artists] generate opportunities for themselves, for others. There’s a tremendous amount of that going on.”
Prattfolio
Perspective Shifts
Spring 2025
Change Your Gaze
An MFA Communications Design class explores new ways of thinking and making, finding collaborators in the natural world.