Pratt Students Go Behind the Scenes

This spring, campus bloomed with exciting events, studious classrooms, athletics, artmaking activities, and more. But all around the city learning continued for many! In our latest look at academic field trips, students go behind the scenes, gathering information, experience, and a deeper understanding of the industries that make New York City run. From artists at a recycling center, to writers getting the inside scoop at a magazine, to research students seeing how the UN runs, and so much more, take a look at a few of the eye-opening trips from this semester. 

Behind the Scenes at . . . Esquire

When it came time for Sirena He, the Writing Department’s spring 2026 alum-in-residence, to plan her semester at Pratt, she decided to offer students a unique opportunity to peek behind the curtain at a major New York City-based magazine. “I really wanted to give the students a real-world, firsthand experience of a potential career in editorial and magazine work,” she said.

The group visited the Esquire offices in Hearst Tower, which is also home to Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. Students spoke with editors and writers there, discussing their career paths and receiving advice on entering the industry. Students also visited the Esquire archive room, where they had the chance to flip through decades-old issues of the magazine.

“Personally, editorial and publication are something that appeals to me as a future career choice,” said Sarina Greene, BFA Writing ’26. Comparing it to her own experience as editor-in-chief of The Prattler, Greene added that “it was inspiring to see cubicles, offices, and a fuller team (more than seven) of people who all care about the release of a magazine. I think I would thrive in an environment where I can bounce ideas off of people.” 

Behind the Scenes at . . . the UN

Students in INFO-645 Advanced Usability and UX Evaluation recently visited the United Nations headquarters to learn about the UN Digital Library ecosystem. Together, students conducted a multi-method usability audit of the UN Digital Library to identify where researchers—including diplomats, academics, and the public—may face challenges or frustration in their experience. Then, they developed appropriate recommendations and design prototypes to improve the library’s searchability and navigation.

“This site visit took the teams out of the classroom and into the real world, showing them exactly how their research impacts the people using these global tools every day,” said Visiting Assistant Professor Kat Chiluiza. “This hands-on experience provided invaluable insights into the inner workings of the library that directly informed their semester-long research projects.” 

Shelly Guan, MS Information Experience Design ’27, said she benefited from the in-person experience. “Not only was it cool to visit the United Nations, but also being able to stand in the room where the librarians manually scan rows and stacks of UN documents really helped me understand the full scope of how our clients work and their limitations,” she said. “Our project is a digital database, but knowing how the system actually worked behind the scenes built the foundations for our recommendations.”

Behind the Scenes at . . . 4Wall

In Pratt’s Virtual Production course, taught by Assistant Chair of Digital Arts Eve Leonard, students create virtual worlds for live action and 3D animated characters to inhabit. Through a unique partnership with Pratt alumnus Eve Roth, BFA Digital Arts (3-D Animation) ’20, head of virtual production at LED Volume studio 4Wall, students have the unique opportunity to record portions of their projects in a professional context with state-of-the-art technology and trained staff. 

Virtual production is defined as the augmentation or replacement of traditional visual effects or animation workflows by the use of real-time digital technology. This new technique of film and television production is used on projects such as Disney’s The Mandalorian, Netflix’s Wednesday, and Warner Bros’ The Batman. The Department of Digital Arts and Animation recognized the possibilities of this innovation and started offering elective courses on it in fall 2024. Since then, the course has expanded into separate introductory and intermediate-level classes in virtual production.

For Nicholas Jameison, BFA Digital Arts (Art and Technology) ’26, the experience at 4Wall was indispensable. “It was legitimately like stepping into a dream,” he said. Their access to the expertise of the crew and equipment taught them about the processes behind the work and helped them get the best quality footage. “[It’s] the only thing I can see myself doing after graduating,” he said. 

Behind the Scenes at . . . El Puente

This past semester, students in ADE-401 Community Matters took on the challenge of creating a community mural at El Puente, a human rights organization based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Puerto Rico. Before starting their mural, the class read and discussed the history, possibilities, and challenges of community-based arts education, the community mural movement, and El Puente. The course posed questions about crossing geographic and cultural borders and how it might be possible to become a contributing member of a community outside of one’s own.

Classes were primarily held at El Puente’s headquarters, where students interviewed founders and staff members, developed and facilitated a community workshop, and designed, painted, and installed the final concept for the mural on the side of the El Puente buildings at 211 S. 4th St. 

“It has been such a rewarding experience for everyone involved. The Pratt students and faculty created a sense of community and worked tirelessly to conceive, design, and install a beautiful mural to commemorate the past, present, and future of El Puente,” said Visiting Assistant Professor Louise Butler, who co-teaches the course with Visiting Assistant Professor Joe Matunis.  

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