Founded in 1887, Pratt Institute is a global leader in higher education dedicated to preparing its 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students for successful careers in art, design, architecture, information and library science, and liberal arts and sciences. Located in a cultural hub with historic campuses in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Pratt is a living lab of craft and creativity with an esteemed faculty of accomplished professionals and scholars who challenge their talented students to transform their passion into meaningful expression. The main campus is a 25-acre oasis of grass, trees, meandering paths and historic buildings, nestled in a vibrant, bustling, and diverse area of Brooklyn. 

Pratt’s vision is to be and be seen as among the best institutions of visual, critical and literary learning. It is committed to poetic pragmatism by making critical thinking and creative practice two inseparable halves of the same whole. The mission of Pratt Institute is to educate artists and creative professionals to be responsible contributors to society. Pratt seeks to instill in all graduates aesthetic judgment, professional knowledge, collaborative skills, and technical expertise. With a firm grounding in the liberal arts and sciences, a Pratt education blends theory with creative application in preparing graduates to become leaders in their professions. Pratt enrolls a diverse group of highly talented and dedicated students, challenging them to achieve their full potential.

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Sculpture student Anthony Limauro (B.F.A. Fine Arts ’15) referenced classical forms in the contemporary table that he created as part of his senior thesis project. With a glass and walnut top supported by four bronze caryatids, which are sculpted figures that serve as supports, his design explores the contrast between the classical sensibility of the dark, sculptural table legs and the cleaner, lighter finish of the rest of the piece. 

In a departure from the sculpted female caryatids found in classical architecture, Limauro created both male and female figures to serve as caryatids supporting the tabletop. Each one faces a different direction, offering a sense of movement to the piece that emphasizes his modern interpretation of the traditional.

Made@Pratt No 2: A Caryatid Table - Anthony Limauro (B.F.A. Fine Arts '15)

2015 Pratt Institute Fashion Show

Industrial design student Kai Lin (B.I.D. ’15) designed KLIPPA, a prosthetic leg for amputee rock climbers, for Professor of Industrial Design Jonathan Thayer’s Aesthetics of Prosthetics class. Inspired by the exceptional climbing ability of mountain goats, Lin developed a design that would offer the flexibility, articulation, and small footprint needed to allow amputees to climb comfortably and securely.

In this short video, Lin talks about the inspiration behind KLIPPA and how he developed and tested his design—including the valuable input he received from members of an adaptive climbing group.

Kai Lin (B.I.D. ’15) Designs Mountain Goat-Inspired Prosthetic for Rock Climbing

Chengtao Yi (B.I.D. ’15) was selected earlier this year to design the award for Legends 2014, Pratt Institute’s annual scholarship benefit honoring icons of art and design whose works have helped shape the cultural landscape.

For the last several years, Pratt’s Department of Industrial Design has worked with the Office of Institutional Advancement on the Legends award design project. Karen Stone, adjunct associate professor of industrial design and director of design at Knoll, chose Yi to design the award based on his skills and confidence, and worked with him through every stage of the process. This included the opportunity to work with artist Edison Zapata at Urban Glass and Adam Apostolos, sculpture technician at Pratt, to create the glass and metal pieces of Yi’s distinctive design.

In this short video on the making of the award, Yi discusses his inspiration and what he learned from the project.

Video Spotlight: Chengtao Yi (B.I.D. ’15) Designs Legends 2014 Award

Lashonne Duncan (B.F.A. Graphic Communications ’99) began her career in publishing, working in graphic design for Reader’s Digest and Essence magazines as well as Condé Nast publications such as House & Garden and Gourmet. Today, she is Design Manager at JetBlue, where her work extends into environmental design, interior design, and other areas as she brings the airline’s fresh, distinctive brand identity to everything from terminal designs and airplane tailfin patterns to in-flight service ware and many other projects.

Duncan credits her Pratt education with expanding her design capability and sensibility, and continues to draw on what she learned in her current work.

Alumni Innovator: Lashonne Duncan (B.F.A.’99)

Five decades of Pratt alumni reminisced and reconnected on Alumni Day 2014, which was held on September 20th.

Pratt Alumni Day 2014

Pratt Institute's senior fashion students presented their final thesis collections to a sold out crowd at its 115th annual fashion show, titled "Under Construction," on May 1, 2014.  At the show celebrated designers Stephen Burrows and Byron Lars were honored for their contributions to fashion. Burrows received the 2014 Pratt Institute Fashion Lifetime Achievement Award from legendary supermodel Pat Cleveland and Lars received the 2014 Pratt Institute Fashion Visionary Award from acclaimed actress and producer Angela Bassett.

Pratt Fashion Show 2014

The 2014 World Cup "Brazuca" soccer ball has been touted as being the most advanced ever made after the company spent two years designing it with fewer panels of a single shape across the ball's surface. Such "single-panel" design makes the ball smoother, rounder, and more consistent. But Pratt Institute Architecture Professor and designer Haresh Lalvani says the preferred "one-panel" design means future choices for ball designs are limited.

In 2007, Lalvani disclosed one-panel soccer ball designs in a patent which included a very similar design to the 2014 World Cup soccer ball. He says that through mathematics and geometry it is possible to see where innovation in ball design may be heading.

The Future of Soccer Ball Design by Pratt Faculty Haresh Lalvani

John Davies, partner at the Hall Partnership Architects, is the project architect for the ongoing renovation of the historic Pratt Townhouses on the Brooklyn campus, which are being transformed into housing for undergraduate students. Phase Four of the project, which will have a total of seven phases, will begin this summer with the renovation of four more townhouses along Willoughby Avenue. To date, 13 of the 27 townhouses have been completed and reoccupied. The renovations include Wi-Fi, energy-efficient lighting, and other up-to-date features.

Built over a hundred years ago, the Colonial Revival townhouses originally housed workers from Charles Pratt's Astral Oil Works, and later served as faculty housing. With separate bathrooms and kitchens, windows in every room to provide ample light and air, and easy access for ice delivery and garbage removal, the residences were considered state-of-the-art in the early twentieth century. They have been designated New York City landmarks.

As an alumnus, Davies brings a unique perspective to the project, and remembers seeing the Pratt Townhouses from his dorm room every day as an undergraduate in the early seventies. Coming back to the Institute to work on the renovation project "feels like coming home again," he says.

Alumni Innovator: John Davies (B. Architecture '75)

After graduating from Earlham College with bachelor's degree in Sociology and Anthropology, Thom Stead took his time deciding what type of graduate education he wanted. He won a Fulbright that brought him to Indonesia to teach English. He lived in San Francisco and learned about bike advocacy. He applied to urban planning programs and elected to defer enrollment, taking more time to be sure of his niche. When he found Pratt's City and Regional Planning program chaired by Professor John Shapiro he "felt at home," recalls Stead. "I knew I wanted to study transportation planning with a community-based approach, where the city is a large part of the curriculum. I found that at Pratt." Stead has continued to pursue his interest in biking, but doesn't embrace New York City's approach to promoting bicycling wholesale.

Student Spotlight: Thom Stead

Pratt Institute has experts available to comment on emerging technology in the fields of design, illustration, and book binding.

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Pratt Institute's Experts Are Available to Talk About Emerging Illustration Technology

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Susan Young