From art directing a Pizza Hut commercial starring Mikhail Gorbachev to exhibiting his work in MoMA’s permanent collection, as well as an Emmy nomination for a famous FedEx ad, Ted Shaine has led a long and storied career—one he traces back to his formative years at Pratt. “This place changed my life,” he explains. “My hope now is to make a positive difference for others.”
As a teenager growing up in Brooklyn, Ted’s love of the arts began when he met Leon Friend, his high school graphic design teacher. “He ignited a creative passion in me,” Ted recalls. “I started going to school at 5:30 in the morning, six days a week, so I could learn everything I could from him about printmaking.” Friend encouraged Ted to enroll in Pratt’s Saturday Art School program; Ted was subsequently awarded a scholarship to the Institute. “My Pratt education motivated me to be the best artist I could be,” Ted says. “It paved a way to a rewarding life in art and advertising, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Ted’s gratitude to both Pratt and his mentor is commemorated by the scholarship he has endowed in Friend’s name for students from Brooklyn. That show of support is deeply personal. “The scholarship recipients write to me each year,” Ted says. “Reading those letters is incredibly emotional for me—especially when someone tells me they’re the first in their family to go to college.”
Every year, these students inspire me through their excitement, their determination, and their desire to learn more. Their optimism gives me hope for the future.
Kathryn Chenault, World Makers Campaign Co-Chair; Trustee; Hon. ’12
Generations of artists like me have found their way to Pratt. It’s exciting to know that the World Makers campaign includes investments in the spaces where students will continue to learn, challenge each other, and realize something entirely new.
Derrick Adams, BFA Art and Design Education ’96; Trustee
