Sunlight through tri-color foliage on Pratt campus on an autumn dayDean Gerry Snyder announced that Pratt Institute’s School of Art has received a $777,000 gift from the estate of Philip Dulmage of Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, to enhance the student learning experience and scholarly pursuits of Pratt’s faculty. Dulmage’s gift will establish an endowment in memory of his mother, Pratt alumna Elizabeth Longfellow Dulmage (B.F.A. ’27).

The Elizabeth Longfellow Dulmage ’27 Fund will support the Visiting Artists Lecture Series, which exposes the nearly 1,300 students in the School of Art to a highly acclaimed group of artists, critics, and cultural theorists. The fund will also sponsor Pratt School of Art faculty fellowships at the American Academy in Rome, allowing Pratt faculty to spend time working in one of the most culturally rich cities surrounded by the Academy’s accomplished artists, writers, designers, and scholars.

“The School of Art is very excited to have received this generous gift from Philip Dulmage on behalf of his mother,” said School of Art Dean Gerry Snyder. “By allowing us to bring distinguished artists to campus and to send celebrated faculty members abroad, this wonderful bequest will help Pratt continue to enhance the School of Art’s growing stature. We are deeply grateful to Philip and his mother for all that their generosity and foresight will make possible.”

Elizabeth Longfellow studied painting at Pratt, where she met her husband, Earl Wellington Dulmage. After graduating from Pratt, she continued her artistic education at the Art Students League in New York; in Fontainebleau, France; and in San Miguel Allende, Mexico. She settled in Michigan with her husband and went on to produce many watercolor landscapes and seascapes inspired by her travels. A member of the Michigan Watercolor Society, the Michigan Academy of Arts, the Detroit Society of Women Painters, and the Grosse Pointe Artists, she exhibited her paintings in New York and had one-person shows in Michigan and Ohio. Beyond her own artwork, Elizabeth was also an art educator in both the public schools and at the Grosse Pointe Arts Center in Michigan. The speaker series and faculty development opportunities made possible through this gift will help to perpetuate her commitment to creative education.  

For information on making a bequest to Pratt Institute and other planned giving options, please visit prattlegacy.org.