Pratt Success

Mickalene Thomas' Graduate New Forms Class Exhibit in the East One Gallery

2012-02-01T23:41:00.002-05:00

Review by Leigh Hurwitz, History of Art and Design/ Library Sciences Graduate Student (2012)

Johnny Tragedy, "Cremation of Care Part 2"
vinyl, wood, silkscreen ink, plastic

In Mickalene Thomas' GraduateNew Forms class exhibit, currently up in East One Gallery, it is not just theforms that are new. Though pursuedthrough different media, each piece in this show strives after a new way oflooking. Textual and geometric, crinklyand smooth, sequential and singular – all of these works cut closely into ournotions of the experience of vision. This show exposes the differences between such related concepts aslooking, seeing, and viewing – as well as the opposition between doing thesethings and having them done to you.

A random sampling of theartists represented in the show gives us a foundation for thisexploration. In Leah Matthew's"Night Lights" series, omniscient circles enveloped in chaos starehotly at passersby. Kelly McCafferty's"Bingo" assembles a new lens with which to view leisure and comfort,constructed of a fluorescent afghan, bingo cards, and plastic liters of soda. A series of videos is projected on one wall,all a manifestation of the role that each of us plays in this visual loop ofsubject and object, perspective and myopia, forward and back.

Tania Yenidjeian, "Untitled"

Meat/blood on paper

Every artist in this exhibitcontributes to a cohesive attempt at untangling these universal states ofbeing. Although there isn't room here toadequately pay respect to all of them, it would behoove the members of thePratt community to come witness and be witnessed, to fully comprehend thejerking floor of perception underneath our feet and wavering around us.

Students @ Work with Nicola Scandiffio

2012-02-01T16:23:00.001-05:00

Nicola Scandiffio, a freshman Architecture student at Pratt, sat down to interview with Peer counselor, Becky Pierson, to discuss his film company, interests, and how it affects his time, path, and lifestyle. During the interview he was asked the following questions:

1. What is your job outside of Pratt?
2. How does your job apply to your interests and career goals?
3. How do you manage your school work and your job simultaneously?
4. What have you learned from your job about industry and having a career that will help you to dive into the real world when you graduate from Pratt?
5. What would be your advice to students seeking outside jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities?

Jump into the following article to understand the lives of a few ambitious students and get advice on balancing your job and your schoolwork from the "CEO" behind it all!

Junior year of High School Nicola Scandiffio started a film company called Think Inspiration Media, now nicknamed TIM. The company has evolved and grown in scale and productions. They’ve earned a few thousand dollars and the challenges they’re taking on are growing by the week. Hayden Hoyl, freshman film major, works along side Nicola in the dueling tasks of running a film company and tackling the demanding curriculum Pratt is known for. They’ve shot commercials and music videos. Nicola describes his job tasks as endless. He works as a director, creates media, does camera work, lighting, and often interprets creative thought. “We do whatever is thrown at us,” replies Scandiffio. Dakota Pailes-Friedman, freshman animation major, was recruited to help with their video animation, upping their par and quality even more. Recently the company has evolved into handling more than film. The music videos they shoot are, of course, for the artist of the songs, but, their work for the artist doesn’t end there. Lately, they’ve been creating a “digital presence” for these artists. They create online “characters” and presence, allowing them to be on social networking sites, youtube, private websites, and more. They are “self made and self paid.” “We try to do things other people our age don’t even attempt to do,” said Nicola when describing what his company strives for. They take pride in their work and look forward to the leaps and strides they can make in the next four years and hopefully beyond.

For Nicola, film making is a hobby and a passion. If it’s the career path he claims only time will tell. When asked to pick architecture or film he can’t choose. He believes that he has the best opportunities at Pratt because he has the chance to study and engross himself in architecture but still have the chance to find his passion and continue his hobby with students that also have ambitious goals like himself. When asked his dream job he replied, “Two jobs. Architecture by day and free lance film by night.” He claims it “seems silly to choose.”

Time management and balancing schedule, work, life and hobbies are common topics around campus. Nicola believes that TIM and his school work can never be perfectly in balance. He admits that they both sacrifice each other. He recalled the saying, “ Sleep, fun, work. Pick two.” In some ways this is true but all are important and necessary. On the weekend a normal Sunday starts with film at 9 AM. They shoot till 6 PM and then Scandiffio goes straight to the architecture studio, usually till 4 AM. They often shoot after class during the week as well. It’s all a balance. Nicola often realizes that sometimes you have to step back and know that even though there is a scene to be shot, the studios of Higgins Hall beacon his name. He claims he has always believed that a grade is just a number. It’s about quality and portfolio. He goes on to say, “I’m building two portfolios, which one will win, I don’t know, but I hope they tie for first.”

As far as being prepared for the “real world” Nicola has learned that you get exactly what you put into anything. Life and success is about passion, not numbers, grades, and scores. Committment is what one needs to be successful. He always plans to reach goals that are slightly out of reach. “I always tell Hayden when we’re planning a video, assume we can do anything,” Scandiffio explains. If a helicopter would make the video portray exactly what they want then they plan it with a helicopter. The first question should never be “How do we get the helicopter?” “We don’t have excuses, we just go for it. After working our butts off all day, then comes the reward."

When giving advice to other students seeking these opportunities Scandiffio states, “Don’t assume you don’t have time or can’t do it. In Architecture they say you won’t have enough time for life itself, but really that is just a lie. If you use your time efficiently then anything is possible. There are 24 hours in a day, don’t spend half of it sleeping and half of it doing one thing.” His advice is to cut up your schedule and make yourself busy. He advises to “take risks and do more, always.” Make sure to stay determined and remember that complaining won’t get you anywhere. Be excited about your work and put your whole self in to it and that’s when you get results.

"Do You See What I see?" Fine Arts Graduate/Undergraduate Exhibition in the Fishbowl and Alcove galleries

2012-01-31T23:11:00.000-05:00

Do You See What I See?

Review by Tiffany Von Cannon,

History of Art Undergraduate Student (2013)

Jean Paul Gomez, "Emancipation 3",Ink Jet Print

In the Fall of 2011, a handful of graduate and undergraduate students at Pratt Institute brought into this world a Fine Arts Exhibition at the moment on campus and on display. From these artists a manifestation of vision / experimentation unfolds. The raised portion of an etching remain blank while the crevices hold ink. Picture-like frames are splashed with acrylics while papers are torn and thrown on like confetti. There's a bright red pig at the left hand corner of the Fishbowl Gallery - by Brit Moseley - blasting sky high off his poop. An image of Jesus Christ in the Alcove Gallery is surrounded by white action figures on the back of a wooden canvas. Next to a stack of ripe bananas. Atop a white drawer by Jean Paul Gomez.

So what is it that these artists are trying to convey?

The abstract- Nelson Plaza uses

anatomic reference to depict the attachment of the body to the soul. Ian Swanson is conceptually driven in binary oppositions. His sculptural art is a fine line blended between what we reveal as human beings and what goes unseen. In the works of Rebecca Zeh, the ambivalent nature of her figures in orange compel the viewer to take a closer look. People of all ages are depicted in relation to their purpose in depth of the composition. Ryan Lammie's massive "Playground" is a magnification of textures and patterns overlooking the landscape incognito.

Amy Mathis, "Catastrophe!"

Foam, Cardboard, Fabric, Tape,Paper Mache, Plastic

The technique - Mina Park hangs her fluttering formations against a brick wall to uncover the various degrees of transparency with tracing paper and flour paste. Amy Mathis constructs the "Catasrophe!" using foam, fabric, cardboard, tape, plastic and papier-mache. The "Pseudomemory-Red Couch" by Jain Kwak is a

set of lined and blank index cards in repetition of an angled couch in red mylar.

Peer Book Report: I'd rather be in the studio by Alyson B. Stanfield

2012-01-25T10:59:00.001-05:00

I'd rather be in the studio:

The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion

Alyson B. Stanfield

As artists we may not realize that we build a brick wall between us and opportunity. Often, we make excuses that we can't work, we can't get ourselves out there, and that we can't find ways to be successful. The studio may be where we find inspiration, but that shouldn't be the only place. We shouldn't confine ourselves to the studio walls surrounding us; we should throw ourselves into the world and take charge of our art lives. Alyson B. Stanfield reveals her secrets of self-promotion that have already enhanced many art careers. Marketing is one of the most important aspects of promoting our careers. Personal skills and internet marketing strategies are what we need to board the train of success! Jump on and take advantage of all this book has to offer. Within the pages you'll also find:

How to define your goals and plan your dream track of success
How to build your mailing list, inventory your artwork and organize the rest of your information
How to put yourself at ease and free your creative mind
How to prepare your artist statement and separate your artwork from others
How to polish your image and create a knock out portfolio
How to amplify your online presence

In the words of Alyson B. Stanfield, "Go after your career with gusto." But if I were you, I'd start with reading this book! Get this book and others by visiting the Career Services office in East Hall.

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

Career Coffee Break: Erwin Gorostiza

2011-12-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

Erwin Gorostiza is a Pratt Alum working as the Creative Director at RCA Music Group. He graduated in 1988 with a B.F.A in Graphic Design and spoke with us about his experience in school and after he graduated.
Career Coffee Break is a program run by the Peer Counselors in the Peer to Peer Program in Pratt Institute's Office of Career Services. The Peer Counselors bring coffee to Pratt Alumni in their studio and interview them on what life is like after graduation.

If you are a Pratt Alumni and want to participate in this project, email peer@pratt.edu and let them know how you take your coffee.

A Farewell from a Peer

2011-12-15T13:34:00.002-05:00

That's me on the right (front) with the fishface.

Hey guys! I'm Christee Curran, one of the Peers who updates the Pratt Success Blog, mostly doing the Peer Book Reports, where I review the career development books we have here in the Career Services Office at Pratt. I am graduating this semester, and I will be starting the New Year fresh out of school as a freelance illustrator. I'm a little scared, but very excited. I don't know exactly where I'll wind up, but wherever it may be, I'll work as hard as I can to get there. I am thankful for all of the connections with the friends, classmates, faculty, and staff members I have made over the past three and a half years (I transferred here from Rutgers MGSA). I also feel privileged to have been involved with the Career Services office from my very first week at Pratt, in September of 2008.

Now, as a "Super-Senior," I would like to offer some parting words of humble advice. It is not enough to go to Pratt and do your homework, counting down the days each semester when you know you will be met with either a Winter or Summer Break. Pratt is what you make of it, like anything else you will experience in your life. Those eight semesters will come one after the other and end sooner than you think, and once you're in the "real world" (I hate that term), you will find yourself reminiscing about the miserable all-nighters in studio and the cryptic crits of frazzling professors. My recommendation is to be proactive from the beginning: it starts with getting involved with campus clubs and organizations, but it can extend to getting involved with internships and jobs. The connections you forge here can have surprising rewards. They did for me, and I wouldn't change anything. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to stop by East One for some career counseling and a good book!

Best wishes and have a Happy New Year,

Christee

Peer Book Report: The Education of a Design Entrepreneur, edited by Steven Heller

2011-12-15T13:09:00.002-05:00

The Education of a Design Entrepreneur, edited by Steven Heller

Being a Designer often means being your own boss and running your own business. "Getting a job right out of school" was never a very common luxury, but it's less of a luxury in the present economic climate. But that doesn't mean Designers don't have the opportunity to succeed: being a self-starter is more important now than ever, and it is crucial to recognize that those who succeed are willing to take some risks and leaps of faith. Steven Heller explores this notion one-on-one with many successful Designers, some of whom are:

Stephan Van Dam, Mapmaker, Vandam's Digital Map Library in New York
David M. Kelley, CEO of IDEO
Ellen Shapiro, Principal of Ellen Shapiro Design
Maira Kalman, Cofounder of M&Co.
Gary Baseman, Illustrator and Creator of Teacher's Pet (a cartoon from the late 1990s)
Chip Kidd, Author and Designer
Jay Vigon, Graphic and Fashion Designer
Alexander Isley, Principal of Isley Design
David Volgner, Designer of "Gak" for Nickelodeon Consumer Products

This is just a small handful from the collection of Designers and their invaluable advice. There are over 250 pages here of help and encouragement. As cheesy as it sounds, you can learn the secrets of a lot of success stories.

Career Coffee Break: Judy Nylen

2011-12-08T12:31:00.001-05:00

Judy Nylen, Director of Career Services
Pratt Institute Alumna, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Library Science

We bring you this special edition coffee break featuring our very own Director of Career Services, Judy Nylen. In honor of her time and achievements in the office, we met with Judy to talk about her experiences and plans for the future. As a former graduate student turned staff, Judy offers insightful advice about what it means to be an artist that only experience can give.

Thank you Judy for making the Career Services office what it is today and guiding many students in the direction of their own careers!

Career Coffee Break: Wennie Huang

2011-12-06T13:02:00.001-05:00

Wennie Huang: CAREER COFFEE BREAK from Peer to Peer on Vimeo

Pratt Institute Alumnus, Bachelors in Fine Arts, 1994

We met up with Wennie Huang and talked about her experienceas a student and eventually becoming a professor whileestablishing herself as a fine artist.

Career Coffee Break is a program run by the Peer Counselorsin the Peer to Peer Program in Pratt Institute's Office of Career Services. The Peer Counselors bring coffee to Pratt Alumni in their studio and interviewthem on what life is like after graduation.

If you are a Pratt Alumni and want to participate in this project, email peer@pratt.edu and let them know how you takeyour coffee.

Peer Book Report: The Interior Designer's Guide to Pricing, Estimating, and Budgeting by Theo Stephan Williams

2011-11-22T15:04:00.001-05:00

The Interior Designer's Guide to Pricing, Estimating, and Budgeting by Theo Stephan Williams

As students at Pratt, design is a heavy component in our education. Regardless of major, most of the content of our class critiques is dictated by the level of creativity in the designs pinned up on the wall. For certain majors, though, design is only the beginning of what's required to be a successful industry professional. Interior design is a division of the market that is just as dependent upon project and budget management as it is on design. Williams' book not only drives this point home, but provides so much valuable information and aids, including:

Interviews with working professionals on their experiences and life lessons
Different formats of Budgeting and Estimation Forms
How to send out a Purchase Order or Work Change Order
Samples of how to keep Purchase Logs
Multiple sample contracts as well as contract advice
Client Approval Forms, as well as what they are and why they're important!

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

Frances Waite & Lauren Smith, "Diluted", Two Person Show in the Alcove Gallery

2011-11-21T13:56:00.001-05:00

Review by Janine Sleem, Historyof Art and Design Graduate Student (2013)

Memory, our ability to store and recollect, is shared.How well we are able to recollect them varies. Diluted, currently onview at the Alcove Gallery, is a collaborative exploration of memory andits recollection by first year student Frankie Waite and second year graduatestudent Lauren Smith.

Frances Waite, "Sister in the Water" 2011

Waite captures intimate, candid family portraits,blurred, discolored and overexposed, as if snapshots from memory rather thanfilm. The rocky cliffs and crystal waters of the Aruba coastline act as thesetting for an unexpected transcendental experience, inviting us to peer intothe sublime haze of figures in high places and deep waters.

Old habits diehard for Waite, whose affinity for painting reveals itself in her photography.She takes to manipulating the medium as she does watercolor and ink, exposingthe film to the sunlight and salt water rather than altering it digitally. Theresults appear to have been painted by the natural elements they portray. Theexposure reveals both the vulnerability of the grainy film, and that of Waite'sown memory. Waite reinforces the authenticity of the moment by allowing us tonot only see the events unfold as she did, but to experience the blanks thather mind's eye and her camera's lens failed to capture and preserve.

While the water is a trigger and an applied medium forFrankie Waite's memories and photographs respectively, for Lauren Smith, theocean waves are the subject matter she attempts to remember and the culprit indenying her the ability to do so. Pixelated waters and white noise dilute thememories that Smith struggles to recapture.


Lauren Smith, "Untitled", 2011

Smith, a New Forms major, focuses on projected videoinstallations, including what she describes as 'memory videos', from which hersequence of exhibited images were taken. The videos are created by heavilyediting existing films that correspond to her own recollected memories. Smithalters the videos, including the audio, exposure and lighting, timing, andsequence of frames to correspond to the process of evoking a memory. She thencaptured four images that best represent this process for the Alcove Galleryshowing.

Like Waite, Smith ventures into the realm of fadingmemories using the natural elements of the scene, an attempt to fill in theforgotten with the familiar; Waite through the use of the actual elements, and Smiththrough digital manipulation. Smith's work, however, exhibits a self-awarenessthat Waite's work does not, a realization that the image is only a temporaryrecollection, a realization that is met with a heavy resistance.

Diluted addresses the very human concern ofpassing time, ephemeral memories, and ultimately, our own ephemeral existence.

Yiji Hong, "Something Between Nothing", Solo Show in the Fishbowl Gallery

2011-11-21T13:53:00.001-05:00

Review by Sophie Buonomo, History of Art and Design Graduate Student (2013)

"Remains", 2010, gloves, canvas, charcoal powder

Yiji Hong’s solo show, on view in the Fishbowl Gallery, is simple, spare, and conceptually lovely. A visitor to the Fishbowl Gallery might not even realize immediately that there is even a show on display – Hong’s work is quiet, and calls little attention to itself. However, this subtlety belies an energy and even a playfulness that becomes evident as one considers the work.

On display is the evidence of a performance called Vanishing (which will soon be in video form on her website, www.yijihong.com). In this performance, Hong shifts black powder from one sheet of paper to another. The effect is two-fold – first, the physical evidence of the shift (that is, a streak of black powder) remains on each sheet. Second, with each shift, there is less powder, and the marks become lighter and lighter. However, the powder never fully disappears, which, for Hong, represents the failure of the artist to fully transcend her materials.

Hong turns material into art, and the evidence of her artistic process becomes the artwork itself. In the gallery, we encounter a bag of scrap paper, powder-blackened gloves, and a rusty lock box. In this lock box, hidden from our eyes, lays torn paper – the evidence of Hong destroying her art at the end of the process. For all of this conceptual gravitas, there is lightness in the physicality of the work - the delicateness of the powder, and the simple exploration of material interaction.

detail from "Container", 2010,mixed media

Hong describes her anxiety as an artist, which she feels stems from the question: “how do I overcome the white sheet of paper?” The tension between an artist and her materials is nothing new, to be sure. Yet, Hong’s process, at once both meditative and witty, infuses this difficult and ancient relationship with an enormous amount of light.

Kelly Mc Cafferty, "Trash Talk", Solo Show in East One Gallery

2011-11-21T13:47:00.001-05:00

Review by Leigh Hurwitz, History of Art and Design/ Library Sciences Graduate Student (2012)

detail from "Stalagmite Stalactite", 2011, collage on paper

Ranging in size, but hoveringaround 6 ft x 3 ft, the five collages making up Kelly McCafferty’s currentexhibit in East One Gallery vibrate with the strains of a choir of disparatevoices. McCafferty's background in abstractpainting is clear in these compositions, made of paper, plastic, andbought/found items, all adhered to pink or white paper canvases, evocative of agrade school bulletin board. Butemotion, memory, and nostalgia are all refracted through the prism of colorful formalism.

Stopping short of fetishism,these collages make the case for objects themselves having a memory, a personalhistory. There is a desolate sadnessradiating around each one, from the anachronistic Roger Rabbit collector cardsto the piece of tessellated Japanese paper with one small red stain. A codifiedarrangement of bisected shopping bags, musical silhouetted rabbits,already-peeled Sanrio stickers, and patterns of tape (caution, packing, duck,scotch) are aligned to suggest a record of…someone. An alien finding consolation on an unfamiliarplanet?

detail from "Thanks a Bunch", 2011, collage on p

A post-apocalypticanthropologist? Or are these the rainbowresidues of a teenage girl vomiting up a buffet of consumer culture, theproverbial assumption of feminine sweetness, and the unstoppable force ofgrowing up?

These are all my interpretations,however the true protagonist is actually the artist herself. A scrapbook, a locker, an under-the-bedshoebox of treasures, are all containers that inspire this diaristic work. So what was that chorus of lo-fi keening Iheard emanating from each panel? I thinkit was the crooning of each dislocated object, mourning its own loss andyearning for amnesia.

Lucia Oceguera, "Recollection", Solo Show in East One Gallery

2011-11-02T09:55:00.001-04:00

Review by Clara Wanatirta, History of Art and Design Graduate Student (2012)

"Knot in Throat/ Nudo en la Garganta", 2011, video

The broad nature of New Forms opens up a door to endless possibilities. This is
certainly true for MFA student Lucia Oceguera’s exhibition, titled Recollection,
currently displayed at the EastOne Gallery on the first floor of the East Building.
Oceguera has faith in non‐traditional media such as the readymade and video,
seeing little boundaries to their capabilities as tools of expression. Her working
method is flexible, allowing her materials to speak and develop ideas into concrete,
multi‐layered manifestations shown in her final products.
Recollection displays Oceguera’s intention for the liberation of her materials. For
example, physical qualities such as image reflection, found in the mirror in Untitled,
and texture in the grey bricks used in World of Opposites may act as an element in
symbol making or simply play an aesthetic role.

The beauty of the open‐ended nature of Oceguera’s work lies in the fact that theviewer creates his/her personalencounter with each art piece. There is neither
duplication nor monotony as the elements that compose the different pieces
function as parts of a bigger whole as well as their individual entities.
EastOne Gallery as a makeshift artistic venue (the space is formally the Career
Services office) fits Oceguera’s display concept well. Not only are her artworks open
to interpretation, they also work better in non‐traditional exhibition where thereare no dedicated facilities as a support system; Oceguera’s installations work with
any given setting, creating new meanings wherever and however they are displayed.

"World of Opposites", 2010, painted bricks

To Oceguera, this pop‐up method for exhibiting her work allows her, through the
artworks, to enter a person’s personal space without being invasive or perhaps even
consciously acknowledged. Oceguera is thoughtful in integrating her work into
everyday spaces and people’s preset knowledge and experience, making her a
unique artist who produces installation‐based artworks that reach out to a wide
range of audience.

Hwanyoung Jung, "Urban Solitude", Solo Show in Alcove Gallery

2011-10-31T14:53:00.002-04:00

Review by Clara Wanatirta, History of Art and Design Graduate Student (2012)

The Student Affairs Office, doubling up its role as the Alcove Gallery, currently
houses Hwanyoung Jung’s exhibition Urban Solitude. An MFA student majoring in
photography, Jung’s work is highly influenced by artists such as Andreas Gursky,
Thomas Demand and Thomas Struth, amongst many others.
Jung displays five large‐format landscape photographs of the built environment,

creating an interesting dynamic with the setting of this gallery. The artist frames
scenarios of disconnection between the human self and the manmade surroundings
by isolating individuals against vast urban landscapes. Jung’s photographs suggests
that the city can easily make a person conscious of his or her personal loneliness
amidst a sea of strangers at any given moment of the day.
Uncannily, perhaps, Jung’s photographs hang at the back of a few of the staff
members of the Student Affairs Office, highlighting the reality of solitude as part of
the daily life of city dwellers.

"Untitled" 2009, digital c-print, 30'' x 40''

Concerned with the notion of the singular unit, and therefore solitude, as the
essence of existence, Jung’s body of work in this exhibition reflects this thought
through capturing the city landscape juxtaposed with the solitary individual and the
nature being marginally accommodated by the concretes.
The artist admits that this idea drives most if not all of his thought process, and has
undoubtedly directed his artworks towards this specific notion. However, he wishes
for his audience to freely interpret his photographs and take away the parts that
might have stood out to them. Jung facilitates this by printing in large size, exposing
minute details that would otherwise go unnoticed in landscape compositions.
It goes to show that Urban Solitude is merely a fraction of Jung’s exploration of the
individual. There is a progression of idea seen in this exhibition that promises
further development. A comprehensive series of work perhaps await in the near
future.

Sheena Dowling, "Inside Out" Solo Show in the Fishbowl Gallery

2011-10-31T13:47:00.013-04:00

Review by Sophie Buonomo, History of Art and Design Graduate Student (2013)

"Skin", 2010-2011, panty hose

Sheena Dowling’s Inside Out, on view now in the Fishbowl Gallery, is a work of grotesque beauty. Dowling twists, stretches, and sews found materials, such as nylons, ribbon and lace into objects that are at once abstract and deeply associative. These objects have an implied narrative – their stains and tears tell the story of human contact - and in most minds, an irrevocably female connection.

Dowling intends to question these associations, and her work explores the ambiguity of gender. When the nylons are sewn together, they create both phallic and leg-like shapes flowing in and out of each other, leading the viewer to a contemplation of the rigidity of gender construct. This ambiguity leads Dowling to describe her work as feminine, but not necessarily feminist. Bodily references - both male and female - play a large part in Inside Out. The stuffed and sewn nylons, contorted into tube-like shapes, resemble intestines and phalluses, while the stretched nylons are markedly skin-like. These associations are born out by the material, which has touched the most intimate parts of the body, only to be discarded. This refuse has absorbed not only the energy of the original owner, but of Dowling herself through the movement of her hand.

"Protection", 2011, panty hose,
ribbon, fabric and wire

She describes the influence of Oceanic art, noting that ritual objects are often wrapped in fabric to give them unearthly power. She sees her stitching as an act of wrapping as well as a meditative process. Her intervention beautifies the process of decay, and prolongs the life of these discarded objects. Inside Out represents the artist’s simultaneous struggle with the ultimate futility of the preservative gesture and the universal fear of both human and material impermanence.

"Urbanized" Film Review

2011-10-24T13:32:00.002-04:00

As students in Pratt’s School of Art and Design we generally focus on creating things, whether buildings, products, art installations, or graphics. We create the object rather than the environment that defines it. Similarly, we overlook the role that design plays in the formation of our cities and communities. Everything - the width of the sidewalk, the design of each park bench, the infrastructure of every highway - has been designed. Gary Hustwit's third film in his Helvetica and Objectified design trilogy, Urbanized examines the cities we live in and how they shape our lives.

The film features urban design projects in cities around the world, with commentary by leading architects, planners, politicians, and innovators. Hustwit's selection of projects provides inspiration beyond urban planning, relevant to most any field. For the Communications Design student, check out how the Tidy Street project generates awareness of energy usage through a street-wide information graphic. Fine artists can contribute to urban design as well-- Candy Chang’s work uses stickers to facilitate conversation within her community. Placed on abandoned buildings, passerby are encouraged to write what they wish was there. Housing developments in Mumbai show a positive way to accommodate growth through participatory architecture and interior design. As far as public infrastructure goes, the pedestrian pathways in Capetown demonstrate that effective urban design can lower crime and enhance the quality of life.

Within Pratt’s School of Architecture, students in City and Regional Planning, Environmental Systems Management, Facilities Management, and Urban Design majors consider such possibilities on a daily basis. These students, often overlooked by the general Pratt population, are actively involved in the development of our community. Check out their Sustainable Planning Blog to keep up with PSPD news (Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development).

No matter what your major is, Urbanized offers plenty of inspiration. The storyline weaves together urban development efforts from around the globe with awe-inspiring cinematography. Urban design aficionados may be disappointed by how the documentary skims over the intricacies of their field, but as with Helvetica and Objectified, the film isn't meant to be an in-depth report on the status of an industry. It merely intends to bring to light the design behind our daily interactions. In this it excels, highlighting that the structure of the city itself, more than any other factor, defines the lifestyle of its inhabitants. In Urbanized, Hustwit successfully draws attention to the influence of urban design on the city that evolves from it.

www.urbanizedfilm.com

**One last note: The film concludes with a shot of our dearly beloved G train!

Internship Success: Macy's

2011-10-11T14:01:00.019-04:00

Danielle Ryan, Fashion Design 2012

Place of internship: Macy's Summer 2011

Danielle has always had an interest in market-driven, corporate fashion businesses, so when an opportunity to intern at Macy's Merchandising Group presented itself in May of 2011, she knew it was right. Interns choose from departments such as men's, women's children, accessories, loungewear, and home. Danielle found out more about the program in weeks leading up to orientation: it was a paid, 40 hour per week, 8 week-long internship program that included working closely with a design team daily and a special market-based side project for interns that would be presented to executives of Macy's. The best part is that a majority of interns are offered jobs for after graduation. It seemed like the most promising offer, so Danielle signed on with Alfani women's cut and sew knitwear from the beginning of June until the end of July.

Macy's Merchandising Group encompasses all of Macy's private brands, the labels that are designed within Macy's and placed on the salesfloor along side other brands that Macy's carries, such as DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, and BCBGeneration. The total profits of private brands makes up about 20% of MMG's business, so it's a really great opportunity to design for them and bring the customer back to Macy's again and again.

The best part about Danielle's experience at Macy's, besides being paid, was getting to meet some of the top executives of Macy's, such as Terry Lundgren, Peter Sachse, and Jeff Kantor, and receiving their advice about being successful in the fashion retail industry. Also, at the end of the program, all of the interns get to choose a location at which they do community service. This is an important aspect of the Macy's company culture, which Danielle feels is important and says a lot about the people who work there. Danielle feels that Macy's really takes deep interest in interns as the future of their company and takes great care of them, from paying them to ensuring they do not work more than 40 hours each week. Another awesome aspect was that all of the interns are taken to New Jersey where the Macy's Parade Studio is located. They are given a personal tour of the facility and get to see the entire process of how the balloons and floats for all of the Macy's events are created. Finally, Danielle has made lasting connections and friendships with other students in many areas of fashion - buying, planning, merchandising, accounting, e-commerce - from schools around the country.

Danielle's best advice for a student seeking an internship: "In my department, we are often told to just intern in one specific area, such as specifically design, but it is extremely important to know every aspect of your industry inside and out, and today, people who will hire you are often looking for that person that has experience in everything - design, sales, merchandising, public relations, production, social media - and isn't afraid to try something new. As long as you're learning, there's no such thing as an unhelpful internship. Also, coming from a fashion major, ALWAYS dress professionally - people really do take notice and appreciate it. It shows that you care about your job and you take care of yourself."

Peer Book Report: Rethinking Curating: Art After New Media by Beryl Graham and Sarah Cook

2011-10-07T14:13:00.003-04:00

Rethinking Curating: Art After New Media by Beryl Graham and Sarah Cook New Media Art and Design encompasses so much of the content that artists are creating today from fine artists to designers. How people make art is rapidly changing, so why wouldn't the spaces in which we view it change as well? Rethinking Curating begins with an analysis of the New Media art form; how it started up and how it has changed. Part II explains the contexts, practices and processes of curating. Finally, Part III is dedicated to the author's conclusions bringing the two previous sections together. There are many examples dispersed throughout the body of the book, which provides good context to the material being discussed. This book is great for anyone involved in the curation processes, as well as the digital artists creating the works. In this book you'll find sections about:

Art After New Media: Histories, Theories and Behaviors
The Art Formerly Known as new Media
Space and Materiality
Rethinking Curating: Contexts, Practices and Processes
Curating in an Art Museum
Other modes of collaboration

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

Peer Book Report: Portfolio Presentation for Fashion Designers

2011-09-30T10:11:00.011-04:00

Portfolio Presentation for Fashion Designers by Linda Tain

The fashion industry is perhaps one of the most fast-paced and competitive industries in the world of design--it is also infamous as one of the harshest. As a fashion designer, your portfolio needs to stand out that much more from the rest of your peers. Linda Tain, a long time professor at FIT, and fashion designer, illustrator and consultant, knows this better than anyone, and she has put together this 3rd edition of what is a truly extraordinary guide to assembling an exceptional fashion design portfolio. Tain's exploration of the many different components to the fashion designer's portfolio is an informative, illustrative, and thorough guide for any designer wishing to enter (or re-enter) this job market. In this book, you can find:

examples of successful portfolio cases and content
specs on illustrative flats
examples and processes of presentation boards and mood boards
age and gender customer market guidelines
covers children's, activewear, knitwear, accessories, juniors, and men's fashion (along with women's)
tips for and examples of successful fashion illustration
sample markdown log sheets
interview tips and sample cover letters and resumes
FAQ section, glossary of industry terms, supply lists and sources/ brands list

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

Peer Book Report - Creative Careers In Museums

2011-09-22T09:53:00.010-04:00

Creative Careers In Museums - Jan E. Burdick

Everyone loves museums! And now everyone can work for a museum! Jan E. Burdick explains how museum jobs are not restricted to history majors, but open up opportunities for other professionals, ranging from photographers to graphic designers. This book is an excellent resource for anyone trying to get into the museum business or even just learn about the logistics of a museum. The highlighted feature of this book includes testimonies from working professionals from places such as, The Brooklyn Museum, talking about their own personal museum experiences. Burdick condenses this wide range of museum career information within a comfortable two hundred pages.

Other goodies include:

The history of museums
Information on specific types of museums
How to land a museum job
Finding a museum position that suits your fancy
Resources for professional associations, study programs, resumes, etc.

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

· \

Internship Success: PromaxBDA

2011-09-08T14:17:00.007-04:00

Raymond Miller, Film 2011
Place of internship: PromaxBDA, promaxbda.org

During his senior year at Pratt, Raymond realized he had an interest in the advertising industry, but had no experience or knowledge of it. He decided to meet with a career counselor in our office and get some insight on where to begin, which is how he discovered PromaxBDA.

Promax is a non-profit, full-service association for promotion and marketing professionals working in broadcast media and advertising. Every year they hold a week long conference in New York City, which includes lectures, discussions, exhibits, screenings, and networking opportunities. Raymond was accepted to be a part of this conference, where he provided event support and hospitality, got to sit in on any event happening in the conference, and was provided housing, meals, and a stipend for the week.

Raymond says the best part about his internship experience was his opportunity to network and make contacts, as well as sit in on lectures and talks he never would have been exposed to otherwise. His advice for students seeking internships: There are lots of options if you know exactly what you want from an internship. Contact them and ask questions.

Peer Book Report: Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market

2011-05-05T13:48:00.014-04:00

2011 Children’s Writers and Illustrator’s Market edited by Alice Pope

This book is an excellent resource for both Writing majors and Illustration majors who are interested in pursuing careers in the Children’s and Young Readers’ Literature publishing market. It may be difficult to get published, but it’s not impossible, and this book provides the information and advice to accompany you on your publishing endeavors. Not to mention, the book itself is easy to navigate with its tab system on the pages’ edges.
Inside this book, you will find:

Listings, contacts and submission guidelines for Children’s Book and Magazine Publishers in the US, Canada, and other countries.
Articles and interviews from industry professionals giving tips, advice, and words of encouragement
Lists of contests, awards, and grant opportunities
Information on the benefits of group blogging
Online promotion and literary agents
Includes a free online subscription to WritersMarket.com for one year (updates on market
listings, industry news, databases, and record keeping tools)

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

The Braille Plate

2011-04-27T15:23:00.005-04:00

The Braille Plate, designed by Pratt 2011 grad Roxanne Phillips, was the winner of the Pratt Fishes Eddy competition and has been produced as the winning entry this year. The plate says, in Braille, ‘the sighted will never know: to touch words and have them touch you back.’ Not only is this an elegant design but one which gives the user pause and exposure to universal design.

The Braille plate will be on display at the Pratt Show and will be one of the gifts in the drawing from attendee business cards. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th 6– 9pm. Visit www.pratt.edu/show for tickets.

The Pratt Show

May 10th– May 13th

Manhattan Center

311 West 34th Street

New York, New York

Pratt Show 2011: Steffi Min

2011-04-27T13:38:00.007-04:00

This block woodcarving inspired project from Industrial Design senior Steffi Min adds an artful elegance to any space. Steffi seeks to investigate how the craft of traditional Indian handmade goods can be translated into today's context through modern material and production. Her Mandala Bar (below) brings the design and concept beyond the home and into your own hands, adding a bit of beauty to your chocolate indulgence.

See more cutting-ed

ge work this year's top seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show

May 10th– May 13th

Manhattan Center

311 West 34th Street

New York, New York

Career Coffee Break: Michala Monroe

2011-04-26T14:04:00.010-04:00

Michala Monroe: CAREER COFFEE BREAK from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Michala Monroe
Pratt Alumna, BFA in Interior Design, 2008
Check out Michala's website and blog

Michala Monroe is an interior designer in the Brooklyn area. After she graduated from Pratt, she established her Limited Liability Corporation, mmonroe design, and began freelancing. Within the past year, she expanded her clientele from the New York area to Texas where she designed for a corporate space. In this interview, she gave incredibly valuable information on starting a company and project management. Students from every major would benefit from hearing what she has to say. Thanks, Michala!

Interviewed by Christee Curran and Jenny Elfanbaum
Edited and Posted by Christee Curran

Career Coffee Break: Stuart Constantine

2011-04-22T14:15:00.002-04:00

Stuart Constantine: CAREER COFFEE BREAK from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.
Stuart Constantine
Pratt Institute Alumnus, Masters of Industrial Design, 1995.
core77.com

We recently met with Stuart Constantine, a founding partner of Core77 (you may be familiar with core77.com and coroflot.com). He discusses the development of the company from concept to realization (it began as a thesis project in the early days of the Internet), and offers advice to Pratt students looking to break into the design industry. Be sure to check out his tips for managing an online presence, as well as the dos and don’ts of building a portfolio!

Interviewed by Jenny Elfanbaum and Raymond Miller
Edited and Posted by Jenny Elfanbaum

Pratt Show 2011: Q Kyu Seop Lee

2011-04-20T13:01:00.017-04:00

Industrial Design senior Q Kyu Seop Lee combines the work of Isamu Noguchi with a familiar object most students appreciate and love, a pizza box. The result embodies the iconic simplicity of Noguchi's coffee tables and maintains the accessibility and youthful quality associated with the pizza box. Q's side table is perfectly crafted to provide easy assemblage without any tools, and comes apart to fit inside the box of the top.

See more cutting-edge work from this year's top graduating seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show
May 10th– May 13th
Manhattan Center
311 West 34th Street
New York, New York

Pratt Show 2011: Kate McCreary & Ashley Landon

2011-04-06T15:14:00.008-04:00

Need a break from your busy day? 'Walnut' (left) by Ashley Landon, designed to be sat in in the lotus position, offers a comfortingly natural place for a quick escape and a bit of meditation. The design offers yoga and meditation lovers an elegant alternative to the common yoga mat.

A perfect compliment for Ashley's 'Walnut' is Kate McCreary's tea shelf. Her thoughtful, organic design provides the perfect opportunity to show off that beautiful teapot hiding in your kitchen cabinet, complete with space for cups and any other tea accessory.

See more cutting-edge work from this year's top graduating seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th, 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show

May 10th– May 13th

Manhattan Center

311 West 34th Street

New York, New York

Pratt Show 2011: Andrea Zeuner & Mayang Anggraeni

2011-04-06T13:14:00.012-04:00

The last pair of jewelry previews for The Pratt Show come from Mayang Anggraeni (right) and Andrea Zeuner (left). Mayang's necklace has a certain fondness for any art lover with it's careful use of the beloved colored pencil. The color of the pencil combined with the grain of the wood brings a fun and unique quality to the piece. Andre's piece, however, is inspired by the contrast between how humans divide land and how nature divides land. Using brass, asphalt crack repair, and nickel she explores this relationship and their final marriage below the surface of the earth.

The Pratt Show

May 10th– May 13th

Manhattan Center

311 West 34th Street

New York, New York

Pratt Show 2011: Collin Velkoff

2011-04-01T12:07:00.012-04:00

Chaos at breakfast? These 'buds' offer an elegant solution for organizing cereals, milk, and sugar. Or anything else for that matter! Industrial Design senior Collin Velkoff incorporates a contemporary, interesting aesthetic in his design that other containers lack. We'd like to see these on the breakfast table, that's for sure!

See more cutting-edge work from this year's graduating seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industrial professionals: May 10th, 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show

May 10th– May 13th

Manhattan Center

311 West 34th Street

New York, New York

Pratt Show 2011: Bitna Joo

2011-04-01T11:22:00.007-04:00

We have another beautiful piece for you from the jewelry department seniors! This time from Pratt Show candidate Bitna Joo. Her pin, made from brass plated copper and lace, really demonstrations the delicacy and femininity of her work. Bitna describes her collection, this pin is just one of three, as a growth of herself and appreciation of life's compliments.

See more cutting-edge work from this year's graduating seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show

May 10th– May 13th

Manhattan Center

311 West 34th Street

New York, New York

Pratt Show 2011: Amanda Thong

2011-03-30T13:04:00.010-04:00

This innovative, versatile piece by Industrial Design senior Amanda Thong is for all the going green artists out there. Amanda transforms the red plastic cup, a staple to nearly every college student, into not only art, but art we can use. These smashed cups can be linked together to form different fun objects- a light, wall art, containers, or even a room divider.

See more cutting-edge work from this year's graduating seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th, 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show
May 10th– May 13th
Manhattan Center
311 West 34th Street
New York, New York

2011-03-29T15:20:00.004-04:00

Starting Your Career as a Freelance Photographer by Tad Crawford

Starting your own business is scary. Especially if you have no background in business! It’s easy to make mistakes and feel overwhelmed when getting started. That’s where this book comes in: Crawford gives incredibly helpful advice on not only how to get started, but how to manage your own studio. Although some of the more specific advice is given with an audience of photographers in mind, anyone who is thinking of running his/her own business ought to check out what this book has to offer. Some of the insights Crawford mentions are:

How to do your taxes correctly
Health and Safety management (darkrooms)
Legalities, your rights, and how to copyright your work
Pricing your work and successful negotiating
Establishing and protecting your business (leasing, insurance, etc.)
Sample invoices, contracts, and tax forms

Pratt Show 2011: Jina Lee

2011-03-25T14:17:00.004-04:00

This year's first Pratt Show post comes from Jewelry senior Jina Lee. Her ring set, which can be connected or worn separately, is made of silver and crystal beads. Lee draws her inspiration from mysterious organisms under the sea, represented here by tiny, delicate repeated elements. She seeks to capture the buoyant, weightless sense and intriguing colors of a magical world.

See more cutting-edge work from this year's graduating seniors in all areas of design at the 2011 Pratt Show. VIP reception for industry professionals: May 10th, 6– 9pm. For tickets and more information visit pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show
May 10th– May 13th
Manhattan Center
311 West 34th Street
New York, New York

Peer Book Report: Art/Work

2011-03-23T15:50:00.011-04:00

Art/Work—Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career
by Heather Darcy Bhandari & Jonathan Melber

This is a true workbook for serious artists: Fine Arts majors, pay attention! This book covers
everything from doing your taxes, to packaging your work, to interviewing with gallery
directors. On almost every page, there are side panels full of anecdotes and advice from
established art directors, curators, art historians, professors, other fine artists, dealers,
journalists and critics. Art/Work’s information is also brilliantly designed: there is so much
information and advice from industry professionals to take in, and you won’t even realize it
because the layout is so varied and dynamic that your eyes easily flow from page to page.

Sample Invoices for Fine Artists specifically
Tax, Insurance, Legal, and Copyrighting advice
How to price your work
How to promote yourself
Advice on choosing which work to display and how to display it
Portfolio Review advice from a gallery curator
The 4-1-1 on residencies and grants
Sample Consignment, Commission and Gallery Representation Agreements

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

The Portfolio Show

2011-03-10T15:34:00.009-05:00

At Pratt's Brooklyn Campus Library
Open through April 8, 2011

This exhibition highlights the steps that designers take to put together a successful portfolio by displaying the work of Pratt students and recent alumni. Work is arranged by major, with relevant portfolio tips accompanying the work from each department.The show spans the three floors of the library and includes an interactive display. Library resources in the New Books room supplement the exhibit.

Special Alumni Feature: Cooper Miller

2011-03-09T12:47:00.012-05:00

Graduating from Pratt majoring in film/video in 2004, Cooper Miller has created a good career for himself. In 2009 he established his production company, Demonstrous, which works in all aspects of media production including graphic design, product branding, and motion graphics. His clientele has covered a wide gambit such as politicians, local shop owners as well as major advertising firms.

Transposition - a working class portrait from Cooper Miller on Vimeo.

The documentary portrait Transposition focuses on the life of Jeff Richey. This piece exploring the intertwining lives of one man trying to sustain his living and make his art in Denton, Texas was produced and edited by Miller. Another feature of the documentary is the subject, Richey, who is the father of the filmmaker, Juliette Richey, also a Pratt alumnus and Miller's wife. Moreover relationships with artistic friends have allowed for his artistic development. Miller had worked for many years with a visual artist who helped develop his understanding of how far reaching art was in nearly all professional industries.

As far as doing mainstream work some of Miller’s clients have included Sony Music and Royal Caribbean International. Having worked in the commercial world he has experience with the regimented demands of contracted work. Miller though prefers work that leads to collaborative opportunities with other creative individuals. Creating the tools and mediums meant to fulfill needs and desires is what he cites as the most exciting challenge in his work.

Though his professional work has allowed him to travel and work in exotic places he by choice remains based in Brooklyn. Miller is highly active in local community movements and arts scenes. He openly endorses projects that are meant to engage community and support DIY culture.

Being able to work on one’s own terms is the mark of a good artist according to Miller. Even more importantly being able to make creative compromises is what he considers to be the mark of a successful artist. Surrounding himself with like minded creative individuals Miller has found to be what has advanced his success.

Peer Book Report: Graphic Designer's and Illustrator's Guide...

2011-03-07T16:08:00.014-05:00

The Graphic Designer’s and Illustrator’s Guide to Marketing and Promotion by Maria Piscopo

When I took this book off of the shelf, I was a bit skeptical—why? because the cover is pretty heinous (got to love that irony). However, upon reviewing it, I found that it was a treasure trove of valuable information and well organized, easy-to-read instructions on how to get your self promotion and marketing journey started.

You probably know of some really talented designers and illustrators who have beautiful work, but not many clients. Likewise, you may know of some designers and illustrators who aren’t very good, but who get a lot of work because they are excellent businesspeople. This book really delineates how you can have both creativity AND clients. Some great features include:

Plans of action for marketing, advertising, selling, and promoting your work
Lists of phrases to avoid being filtered as spam
Sources to getting art director contacts
Finding your mission and marketing message
Targeting new clients
∙Designing advertising campaigns

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

"Body Image" Group Show in Fishbowl Gallery

2011-03-01T11:39:00.012-05:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata

Sponsored jointly by Pratt’s Health and Counseling Services and Career Services, The Body Image exhibit currently on display in the Fishbowl gallery unites a variety of dissimilar artistic practices to promote discussion and reflection on the concept of self-image. As stated by the press release, “The culminating point forces us to consider how body image issues cut across the lines of gender, sexuality, cultural identity, age, and time.”

Michael Johnston, The Provider
Silver Gelatin Print, 12.5 x 9.25", 2010

Michael Johnston’s “The Provider,” 2010, depicts the artist as a grim-eyed young man staring almost stoically out a glowing window, the background enveloped in darkness. An awkward training bra is strapped across his chest, with what appear to be bed sheets stretch tautly across his lap. The implications of intimacy are apparent beyond simple signifiers of his bared torso and rumpled bedding, but his almost disdainful, detached gaze speaks of something more visceral than just an intimate moment intruded upon with camera. Johnston states, “This photograph is a documentation of how homosexual males are often looked at as being more female than male,” explaining that the image speaks to the struggle of discovering a sexual identity in conflict with socially dictated gender roles.

Amanda Barker, Untitled, oil on canvas, 2010

Amanda Barker’s untitled self-portrait discusses a similar sense of trepidation, albeit in another gender and shade of insecurity. “For me, this painting is about my constant battle against weight loss and the struggle to feel comfortable in my own skin. The pose is also a representation of the fact that I am involved in a sexual relationship in which someone is able to view my body in a way completely different from the way that I view it myself,” writes Barker. All neutral hues and rather unforgiving oil paint, the artist depicts herself on hands and knees, apprehensively eyeing the viewer as though she may suddenly crawl away or, safe in the gaze of her loved one, remain in this vulnerable, tentatively seductive pose.

Adjacent is Kieran Brennan Hinton’s uneasy, epic-sized, 48” x 72” painting, “Till Human Voices Wake Us, And We Drown.” The artist depicts himself alone in a field of darkness, his skin and garments almost luminous, the white outlines of his bones visible beneath the surface, like a grim rendering of that board game, “Operation,” minus buzzers and jokes. Hinton’s rendering seems a symbol of irrefutable human unity – that, in his words, “beneath our flesh we all have the same colored bones and blood, and all face the same struggles of identity, mortality, expectations, and alienation.” Likening his discomfort in his own skin to wearing someone else’s suit, his image seems to hint at those universal elements that transcend mere surface.

Kieran Brennan Hinton, Till Human Voices Wake Us,
and We Drown, oil and urethane on Canvas, 2010

Sarah Gordon’s photographic series tackles female body shame with frank, brutal imagery. “Series 1: Untitled” depicts the artist isolated, stripped bare of protective clothing, surrounded by those casual terms of misogyny so pervasive in common speech, like an endlessly screaming schoolyard full of bullies aimed squarely at the soft, vulnerable ego. “Series 2: The Hazing” describes a less subtle phenomenon. “These images,” says Gordon,” are based on a popular hazing ritual done in fraternities and sororities,” in which the aggressor highlight’s the victim’s physical flaws with a Sharpie. Her images depict the cowering recipients of these humiliating marks.

Amanda Elsbree’s “Rogue” reimagines the familiar object of the fashion magazine cover, engaging the viewer in a dialog about the true nature of what we are consuming between those glossy pages. Elsbree states, “At first, the image and layout is appealing to the eye, though when viewed a bit more closely, it takes on a more disturbing nature.” Her impeccably made-up model is crying and visible pained, and the text reveals hideous subtexts, here laid bare in titles discussing the unrealistic standards and bizarre aspirations our culture devours and attempts to assimilate from popular media.

In “Mask-Ara Un-Covered,” Diego Torres combines an array of imagery intended to evoke themes of tribal identity and ritual into a subtle digital collage. Figures pose together in formation along the bottom of the image, as though reaching upward, while disembodied, diaphanous painted faces float above, under the gaze of yet another group in headwear appearing as though caught mid-ceremony. “Here I play with the idea of projecting our camouflaged selves, as if being examined through an x-ray or soaring from the ritualistic smoke,” states Torres.

Lanie Smith’s trilogy of feminine absurdities, “Wonderbra,” “My Short Skirt,“ and “Cover-Ups,” examine the lengths to which women go in pursuit of socially constructed beauty ideals, defying nature and often logic in the process. Where “My Short Skirt” refers directly to the concept of woman as empty object to be viewed, “Wonderbra” frames this infamous undergarment as object to be questioned. Smith layers caulk and enamel to the bras in a process she states adds unnecessary layers to the bra’s own unnecessary layers. “Cover-Ups” find Smith wrapping limestone in pantyhose and lipstick, reference, she says, to the fact that, “nature does not mask or attempt to conceal and minimize its ‘blemishes,’ nor should we as women be airbrushed to hide our own markings.”

Elizabeth Quick, Self Image, Charcoal
andBrown Paint on Cardboard, 2010

Elizabeth Quick’s self-portrait, titled “Self Image,” portrays the artist in tense gestures with charcoal. Her description is a poem, stating, essentially, those perceived figure flaws and details that linger in the mind of their owner when she imagines herself. The artist’s hand seems to convey all frantic lines and motion, as she depicts herself in a vulnerable pose, arms raised to expose her bare torso and hips, her expression almost seeming pained as though the viewer’s scrutiny is overwhelming.

Marta Gonzalez takes a less overt approach to the concept of self-image in her photographs, “Self-Reflection #01,” and “Self-Reflection #02.” These abstracted views seem to depict grit ad muted color, all but abandoning any representation of the figure. The focus on subtle textures intermingling seems to represent a state of mind more than an overt illustration of the artist’s actual, physical self. Gonzales states, “Through these images, the viewer is able to observe my rejection and disconnection from the human form.”

Courtney Astrid Mendenhall’s “The Beautiful People” series dissects the concept of beauty and celebrity through the appropriation of rather iconic movie posters. Mendenhall removes the star and inserts a less glamorous, real character. She says, “The idea of these movie posters is to challenge society’s conception of beauty by replacing the so-called ‘sex symbols’ with real people I found around the city.” In “Some Like It Hot,” Marilyn Monroe’s famed visage is displaced by one sagging and elderly, albeit treated with similar care and adulation, for, says Mendenhall, they are “beautiful in my eyes,” regardless of social notions of what should be celebrated as such.

Peer Book Report: The Fashion Intern

2011-02-24T16:12:00.012-05:00

The Fashion Intern by Michele Granger

Although some of the more specific step-by-step instructions on how to seek out contacts, for example, are geared towards fashion majors, ANY prospective intern would find Granger’s insight very useful and extremely pertinent.

Some features of the book include:

Top Ten Tips for the Workplace
Resume writing and “power words”
Building contacts
Dos and don’ts of interviewing for and acquiring internships

That being said, to all the fashion majors out there: THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ. It speaks to your market specifically (but not exclusively), and some of the features mentioned are:

Analysis of different stores’ layout and customer trafficking
Sample resumes and application letters
Case studies
Advice for finding an internship that fits your needs and interests

Our internship counselor here at Career Services, Laura Keegan, had this to say about The Fashion Intern:

"This book offers really great industry insight for fashion interns, and even more so for any intern looking to set structure to an unstructured internship experience. The later chapters can really assist students' understanding of what is 'learned' in an internship class alongside the on-site internship experience."

To see other books in our library, see our collection at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/prattcareer.

Introducing the Peer Book Report!

2011-02-24T15:55:00.003-05:00

Most of you know that there is a Career Services Office here at Pratt; and most of you know that there is a library here too.

But did you know that there is a library IN Career Services?

We may not have Tiffany glass floors, but we do have great books, magazines, catalogs, and other reference materials here to help guide you through establishing your professional career.

Check in regularly for our feature book review, or stop in to see for yourself what Career Services has to offer!

***Disclaimer before you read: Just because these books are geared towards certain majors, does not mean that EVERY SINGLE STUDENT cannot hugely benefit from checking out these books!***

FRESH MEET 2011

2011-02-11T14:49:00.006-05:00

This coming Tuesday, Feb. 15th, Peer to Peer will be hosting Fresh Meet. This amazing social brings freshman and upperclassmen together to answer the questions Freshman have that their teachers and counselors can't answer, but we can! Anything is fair game, from the best classes to take to which professors will make you cry.

Freshman, don't miss this opportunity!
Upperclassmen, if you want to get involved, email us!

"Oddities", Group Show in FishBowl Gallery

2011-01-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata

Seven current Pratt MFA candidates with very different artistic approaches come together in the Fishbowl in a dynamic display of two and three-dimensional work.

Photography work by second year students Jane Huntington and Caitlin Peluffo approached different ends of the human life cycle with equal mastery of slick, seductive color. Huntington’s “Reclaimed Bunny Series, #11”, with its worn stuffed bunnies wedged determinedly in a tree, seems like a hazy childhood memory dug up, made manifest and somehow grotesque in the present, and captured in a believable moment of anthropomorphic escape from some unseen pursuer. Huntington’s piece represents a thousand different narrative possibilities to any given viewer, depending on his or her relationship with certain childhood memories and concrete objects, and this ambiguity lends a startling potency to the work. Peluffo’s work veers toward old age however, with “Nonno,” depicting in two images both her grandfather himself and the space he presumably inhabits. Like Huntington’s piece, this work seems to elicit a sense of nostalgia, like a child viewing a grandparent, minus the veil of innocent awe and veneration. Peluffo captures the wrinkles, cracks, flaws, and minutiae that compose not only the person who is her grandfather, but the extraneous information that, through the camera’s innately unsentimental eye, flesh out an entire personal experience and concrete space without nostalgia or mawkishness.

Jane Huntington, Reclaimed Bunny Series #11

Second year student Janean Hearn’s acrylic “Still Life” series of four panels depict, in vivid color, a mind game demonstrating what would be fabric if it weren’t paint on paper. Hearn’s panels seem anything but still, in fact, almost implying an odd, uncomfortable moment between movement and inertia. Hearn creates a question, almost asking the viewer to wonder what makes an object real, as she chooses to highlight unseen supports and backgrounds by omitting them entirely from the frame.

Becky Borowicz, Red-3, 2009

The movement implied by second year student Becky Borowicz’s deep red wall-mounted sculpture is more subtle, though the protruding paint-coated yarn seems more likely to actually leap from its place on the wall than Hearn’s solidly two dimensional imagery. Hanging limply from the wall although appearing ready at any moment to breathe or convulse, Borowicz captures a strained moment with an economy of hue and medium, freeing the viewer to explore subtle changes in the surface of the piece created by light, shadow, and the nature of the yarn when coated in paint.

Second year student Ryan Turley’s collage, “Downtown,” uses the overtly sexual imagery so popular in advertising juxtaposed with an innocent child figure, overlaying faceless hyper-masculinity atop giddy, unaware youth to seemingly question proper gender roles and identity. In removing what appear to be the (headless) rippling abs of an Abercrombie and Fitch model from the oddly safe context of a catalog or magazine and thrusting them next to a grinning, here-powerful child, Turley’s wry piece makes a forceful statement about the value of the male and how society chooses to joylessly, constantly eroticize the masculine body while simultaneously condemning the male sexual gaze.

Louise Kim’s “Shoes Define Yourself” refers less darkly to issues of identity and self-concept, depicting Kim in simple line drawing as her alter ego “Chuck,” of “Chuck and Chelsea,” dressed in Cole Haan. As in Turley’s “Downtown,” here the main figures are headless, but in Kim’s work this seems to serve to highlight the sartorial preferences of her characters, her economical use of line functioning as a spotlight on those details that set apart one shoe from another.

Meredith Fitzgerald,Leela's Electronic Exquisite
Corpse 1.0, 2010

Further exploring the concept of identity is second year student Meredith Fitzgerald, whose work was created under the guise of her virtual alter ego, Leela Ada Stephenson. Fitzgerald’s “Embroidered Electronic Exquisite Corpse Results version 1.0” depicts the textile-based outcome of the collaboration between virtual persona Leela and her facebook friends, who contributed suggestions of words and colors, which were then randomly juxtaposed to create an artwork. The identity of Leela, that of curious, childlike simulation of life, is woven seamlessly throughout the project – this is made by “her friends,” this is the result of “her questions.” The resultant textiles are beautifully surreal fragments even before the viewer realizes their origins.

All the artists represented in this show participated in a professional development seminar over the Fall to ease their post-school transition into the art world. “Working with a small ‘think tank’ type of group allowed us to go in-depth on key issues related to becoming a working artist,” said Turley.

Kim said “My favorite part of the seminar was when an artist came over and gave us a speech on what it means to be a professional artist based on her experience... It was inspirational and helpful in many ways listening to a professional New York based artist.” This is one of the few opportunities in which students can meet with a working artist in such an intimate setting, free to ask their own questions.

“I feel the class has helped me demystify the workings of the art world a bit. It's given me some tools that I know will support my art practice after graduation. There was a lot of information that I'm still digesting and attempting to act on but it was definitely worth my time and I can see how it will give me support in the future,” said Fitzgerald. While this may be the only time to catch this group exhibiting in its present incarnation, this will certainly not be the last time these names and faces will pop up in a group show near you.

DeShawn Dumas "You can talk about whatever you like when or whenever you like, just obey." Solo Show in EastOne Gallery

2011-01-26T16:55:00.003-05:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata

The complex textures and nuanced colors wrought in large scale throughout EastOne gallery represent what first year Pratt MFA candidate DeShawn Dumas calls a shift away from the flat fields of pure color that marked his earlier work upon entering the school’s painting program. In his own words, “I now realize pure color disallows the meditative quality I seek. The sense of the infinitely boundless and the freedom of choice that prompts a search for inner knowledge; can only be imparted through the use of modulated, nuanced and indeterminate color.”

In these physically imposing works, Dumas seeks to depict what appear to be dense, subtle worlds through vague and mysterious textures laid heavily across the (usually bland and oft-predictably flat) surface of the canvas. While the application of non-traditional art materials to yank the work from two dimensions into three is perhaps not a concept unfamiliar to painting in the year 2011, the specific set of media and intentions Dumas brings to this pursuit certainly represent a new twist on the concept of questioning and redefining the boundaries of the flat canvas and its relationship to inert pigments.

DeShawn Dumas, Making Trouble God

“…I began an inquiry with a set of specific and historical materials: flour, sugar, coffee grinds and pages torn from the King James Bible,” says Dumas. “Coffee grinds, sugar and flour not only signify the world beyond the white cube of the gallery but have an intimate historical connection with Capitalism's commodity/consumer culture.” Through the deconstruction and apparently intuitive reconfiguration of these rather unexpected collage elements, Dumas layers and juxtaposes until he achieves a surface both hostile and hypnotic, beckoning the viewer to further examine the true constitution of his manmade terrain. Though, at this point, he concedes that the socio-politically loaded nature of his quite carefully selected media may be, in fact, immaterial in the face of his larger goal of creating what he dubs, “a beautiful introverted art object.” Dumas states, “I am not interested in a propagandist sort that demands the viewer know the personal and specific motivations for employing such material,” provocatively suggesting these well-researched, thoroughly-explained materials are not important at all - or perhaps suggesting the artist enjoys toying with his viewer.

DeShawn Dumas, A place without equal in the history of all mankind hunter

Most interesting (at least to this fellow student) is Dumas’s quick assessment of how his own work has so rapidly transformed in just one semester - from technical, stark abstractions into quiet, introspective explorations in textural possibilities under measured swaths of gentle hues and tempered pigments he calls “indeterminate color.” The artist’s statement refers repeatedly to his pursuit of an obscure, intangible meditative quality, and his palpable shift from frank, intense color fields into more elusive, emotionally variable works, each infused with insinuating gestures rife with visual entry points for the curious viewer, clearly speak to a vast maturation from each canvas.

Career Coffee Break: Annie Beth Ericsson

2010-12-16T10:56:00.009-05:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Annie Beth Ericsson from Peer to Peer on Vimeo

Pratt Institute Alumna, BFA in Illustration, 2010

Annie Beth Ericsson, a former Peer to Peer counselor, graduated Pratt last May with a BFA in Illustration. Always fixed on pursuing a career in Children’s Books, she left Pratt already with a job at the Penguin Young Readers Group, where she is a Junior Design Assistant.

Annie helped to start a lot of the programs that Peer to Peer continues today, like Fresh Meet and the Networking Workshop. She also created and organized Pratt’s first annual Professional Organizations Fair last year. Her list of achievements while she was at Pratt goes on--as a student, Annie had already illustrated two published board books for Starbright Books Publishing Company. All of us at Peer to Peer and Career Services knew that Annie’s achievements would only grow after Pratt, and now she has two book design assignments at Penguin. Congratulations, Annie!

Interviewed by Angeline Ucci and Christee Curran

Edited by Christee Curran

Kevin William Reed, "Headspace" at Alcove Gallery

2010-11-30T14:58:00.002-05:00

Review by Raymond Miller

The walls of Pratt Institute’s Student Affairs Office have a new function. They have become the support for the new Alcove Gallery. This is the now third addition to a group of student exhibition spaces.
Headspace, by Kevin William Reed is the title of the inaugurating show in this space. Currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Printmaking at Pratt, Reed has mounted a show of new prints and paintings. These pieces by Reed mark a new phase in his fine art career.

Initially Reed received his undergraduate education at University of Maryland. It was here that he was introduced to printmaking. In this first encounter with the medium Reed experienced a new artistic challenge. Through printmaking he was pushed to explore new realms of expression beyond just fine tuning his technical skills. Printmaking has also introduced him to a new art community which has also helped his development as an artist.

This collection of new work is the result of Reed’s mining through his own psyche discovering the sources of his inspiration. It is his goal to work as intuitively as he possibly can, speaking in the visual language he has developed over the course of his artistic career. Reed remembers in his youth collecting postcards designed with images of Asian art. He admits that these images, likely imbedded in his subconscious, and are now surfacing in his newer work. What’s more Reed sees this as an opportunity to laugh by including humor in his art. Where the Asian influence is concerned, the largest painting in this show is much like an Asian landscape. The humor comes in where this landscape contains depictions of animals that would be foreign to this environment. This juxtaposing of symbols removes a seriousness that is often associated with fine art.

This Headspace collection for Reed, functions as the first step in a new direction toward self realization rather than an actual location. The collection shows that he is still in a phase of transition attempting to understand himself better as a creative individual. Exposure of this kind is certainly a bold move though the work that has resulted creates excitement for what comes next.

SeungHun Lee, JongHeon Kim, and June Kim, "LAYERS", group show in Fishbowl Gallery

2010-11-30T12:38:00.002-05:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata

The photographs currently on display in the Fishbowl Gallery are clearly the work of separate artists: two seem to depict some sort of ethereal, muted drowning scene, segueing into a visceral but poignant homage to the wolf, then, finally, massive, stark black and white prints of some empty street, some empty night. Only further examination allows the connections between these seemingly unrelated works to become apparent. “LAYERS,” is a group show, featuring the work of three Pratt photography students, second year MFA candidate SeungHun Lee and first year MFA candidates June Kim and JongHeon Kim.

June Kim, I Wolf (top), 2010 and Family of Present (below), 2010

As described by Ms. Kim, “All of our work has different layers. We may make very different work, but in spite of the obvious surface differences, we all address the same underlying themes.” Initial observation certainly describes more differences than similarities: Ms. Kim’s work is raw and urgent, both her text-based pieces and her photography are immediate and absolute. In her text work, Kim injects the word WOLF into phrases where one would automatically expect LOVE, subverting concepts of what is “primal” and what is “family.” The image of the artist - beautiful, pale-skinned, and seemingly fragile – crawling on the earth in a stance mimicking that of the wolves surrounding her, is at once terrifying and absurd. In this image Kim firmly places herself as an equal to these animals, a sister, a concept she discusses further in her statement (as research has discovered wolf packs don’t actually follow a clear hierarchy but exist, in fact, in more of a familial structure), yet in her text pieces she elevates them beyond our narrow human concept of “some stupid animal,” replacing our most inexplicable, cherished, and animalistic emotion, love, with WOLF. The viewer is immediately confronted with his or her own prejudices about the meaning of, and appropriate place for, animals in our human world. The wolf, especially, as “man’s best friend” minus some key piece of cuddly domesticity and safety, represents some fading shred of savageness. To see this fierce, lovely creature juxtaposed in such a way with a term so savage yet saccharine (LOVE) makes just… so much sense.

Yet Ms. Kim’s savage, carnal fun seems almost too real and too vicious adjacent to the ethereal, intangible images presented by JongHeon Kim. The artist explores themes of identity, station, and social signifiers; literally asking, “Why do people try to find their identities by outer looks? Why do people evaluate others by the prices of the clothes that they wear? Why cannot people penetrate the shallow exterior and see what is beneath it, what is really valuable and meaningful?”

JongHeon Kim, Lookism #1, 2009

Mr. Kim’s images, shot in what appears to be a swimming pool, bear a diffuse, dreamy sense that only the distorting, light-refracting qualities of water can impart. Contrary to the crisp, vivid finish in Ms. Kim’s anthropomorphic stare-down or the murky nightscape of Mr. Lee’s street scenes, Mr. Kim’s pool views seem almost abstract – what from afar appears to be a smear of color or abstruse shape, upon observation, reveals itself to be an article of clothing tangled helplessly in the water around the body of the (presumed) wearer. These articles of clothing, given such meaning as social symbols, in Kim’s hands are odd creatures made almost impotent and writhing in some unseen current, as the wearer seems to drown under their weight, or is he being freed from their burden? The ambiguity of the meaning behind using these loaded objects is one of the manners with which Mr. Kim draws in the viewer and demands closer inspection and analysis of these nuanced images; this careful tension is enhanced by the artist’s use of color and the taut framing.

Last, most somber, and darkest by far are the large-scale exterior night shots by SeungHun Lee. Lee positions the viewer as voyeur in these massive matte black and white prints, peering into bright windows and the lives of others from the safe shroud of anonymous darkness afforded by some random street at night. Lee says, “When the sun goes down, and time passes into midnight, and artificial lights illuminate the world, I go across the boundaries to alternate narratives: void of humans, enigmatic spaces, and reflections of artificial light. These areas stimulate my visual senses to think about what is and what is not.”

SeungHun Lee, Bayside, New York #3, March 2010

Lee’s work seems to discuss the tension between inside and outside – the artist observes an emotional space from a detached distance and dispassionately removes all unnecessary detail to focus on that specific component at the core of the narrative. These works are formal and tenebrous, evoking some ominous, hushed, creeping sense of doom somehow with a mechanical hand - like a well-oiled machine trained keenly on making the viewer feel this dread without fanfare.

It seems these works, on one level, all discuss the meaning of belonging or social strata, essentially one of the many layers this work shares. Where Ms. Kim embeds herself into the family of the wolf, Lee observes the lives of others from afar, and Mr. Kim dissects the meaning of rank and social identity as determined by meaningless exterior trappings. “LAYERS” will be on view in the Fishbowl Gallery through December 3, 2010.

Artist websites:
JongHeon Kim http://kimjongheon.deluxe.livebooksedu.com/
June Kim http://www.june-kim.com/
SeungHun Lee http://seunghunlee.com/

DJ Perera, "ELIDARAWWA " at EASTONE Gallery

2010-11-30T12:24:00.002-05:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata

DJ Perera, Exhibition View of ELIDARAWWA.

The profusion of dynamic color and shape presently holding court in EastOne gallery is the creation of Pratt first year MFA painting candidate DJ Perera. These 5 pieces comprise the strongest selections (by the artist’s own appraisal) of nearly a dozen pieces Perera has completed in the shocking brevity of one semester, though the degree of compositional/formal involvement and ascertainable aesthetic intent would imply far longer than a few hurried months juggled in between other classes.

“They display what I believe to be the most conclusive discoveries in establishing a solid unity between the formal elements of painting. In these works I look at varying aesthetics, sizes, compositions, all of which exhibit strong harmoniously uniformed surfaces,” states the artist of his magnetic display of color and form.

Perera’s atypical artistic background perhaps lends an added degree of complexity to these somewhat intentionally uniform, thus impenetrable, works of art. Though he completed his BFA with honors at what sounds like the most Mom, apple pie, and American flag-waving of institutions, Texas Christian University, Perera is a Sri Lankan citizen who was raised in the Middle East, and states that he never acquired a truly comprehensive art education per se, something that so many emerging artists take for granted, especially those of us in a program at a vaunted American fine arts institution like Pratt.

“Since I'd never been exposed to the history of art in this country or in Europe prior to my arrival to America, I was never really influenced by artists when it came to producing my own aesthetic. I was truly painting for myself and no one else - what I felt, what I thought was honest,” says Perera. This is remarkable to consider when viewing the paintings on view in EastOne, that these pieces come essentially from years of instinct and a 5-year crash course in Western aesthetic practices. Perera admits to developing a deeper affinity for different aspects of several seminal abstract modern artists - Sean Scully, Jackson Pollack, Barnett Newman, and Ad Reinhardt.

DJ Perera, Siniduhaha, 2010

Reinhardt’s “boldness,” the facet to which Perera is most drawn, is a clear influence in this work. Perera’s color choices are decisive and unapologetic. There are clear formal parallels here to Newman, though that intangible quality that Perera finds peaceful in the abstract expressionist’s color fields, one might readily find dynamic and tense in Perera’s hand.

Perera speaks about his work as something of an ongoing exploration, aware that he is a student in spite of having exhibited numerous times before this, his 3rd solo show. The artist’s drive, both to improve his method of working and progress in a measured, logical fashion is as clear as the forms he paints.
“To ultimately create art work that is visually free of thought and effort yet contains energy, thoughtfulness and honesty is my ambition.” Perera is well on his way.

Career Coffee Break: Monica Lo & Caitlin-Marie Minor

2010-10-29T15:17:00.003-04:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Monica & Caitlin-Marie from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Pratt Institute Alumni, Bachelor of Fine Arts Advertising/Art Direction 2009

We met with Caitlin-Marie and Monica over brunch in Park Slope and talked about their experiences post Pratt. They discuss their work with the Ford Fiesta campaign and explain how they entered the industry so soon after graduation.

Interviewed by Jenny Elfanbaum & Angeline Ucci

Edited by Angeline Ucci

Will Hutnick, “These Monsters” at Fishbowl Gallery

2010-10-26T12:22:00.007-04:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata

Unless the viewer completely lacks the powers of visual observation (and this has somehow gone unnoticed and granted said viewer full access to the Pratt community regardless), he or she has quite likely witnessed those vaguely menacing, softly undulating, beige and black forms holding court along the walls of the Fishbowl Gallery. Are these living? Are these some type of strange wall-dwelling kelp? Are these… Made of... tape? Quite appropriately titled, what lurks in the lounge is in fact, “These Monsters,” an installation by Pratt second year MFA candidate Will Hutnick.

Monsters rarely emerge randomly from within a vacuum; these, for example, evolved gradually from Hutnick’s own artistic background in painting, specifically in abstract expressionist painting. In his own words, “I will always be heavily indebted to Pollock and his drip paintings for their monumentality, expressiveness and abandonment of a traditional field of space. What really interests me is this accumulation of materials that is not ashamed to be utterly ridiculous and absurd, and the use of a common household object such as tape only seems to reinforce this absurdity.”

Where Hutnick steps past simply transgressing traditional conventions of painting or sculpture by selecting materials that would seem far from precious or even, say, expected (outside of the context of perhaps a crazed cubicle-dweller seeking sudden artistic solace in all that happens to be on hand), is in the inclusion of the irreversible gesture, the spontaneous moment made permanent by the very nature of the medium. Tape fused to tape is not easily altered if the form displeases the artist, and it is in the actual celebration of this process that the artist makes even more abstract his expression. Much of Hutnick’s recent work involves a discussion of the honest, immediate, immutable action, and one element that gives his work its compelling nature is the obvious amount of detailed mental and physical work involved in the lead up to that actual vaunted, breathless moment – the degree of consideration of materials and their potential collision within an environment (like gravity on tape-monsters, or unsupervised students on boredom meeting the aforementioned creation) is as plainly evident as the amount of labor leading to the final piece. Where the ultimate result appears quite organic and gestural, the forethought is undeniable.

This contrast, of the well-planned impulse, is merely one of many. Hutnick carefully frames the dichotomies presented by his monsters: they are simultaneously playful in form and title yet ominous in their looming, leering presence and irrefutably wasteful materiality; clearly referring the organic in shape but undeniably manufactured both in construct and medium; both sensuous and unspectacular all at once as each form clearly states its nature as a massive construction of undeniably humble constitution, each an improbably sexy tape-beast, in fact.

Hutnick tends to think of his work in general (and process as a whole), most of which are abstract acrylic paintings, as, “living, breathing entities to a certain extent: whether or not they are creatures, universes, beings, movements, or simply moments.” This installation humbly and unassumingly began life as drawings, extending into space with tape, at which point Hutnick noticed that quality of LIFE - “Pretty quickly I stopped drawing with tape because the material began to dictate its own form.” The tape, in essence, had decided it was a monster, and Hutnick was curious as to what it would do next if he would allow it to choose its own form.

As pieces inextricably imbued with his brand of curious, carefully thought-out spontaneity, “These Monsters” loom above the students lounging beneath them, and demand interaction, which, to an artist less interested in permanent-impermanence and impulse could be upsetting, if not frankly infuriating. Is it possible that which was made to devour will ultimately be devoured? This work seems at some level like an open-ended question begging for infinite answers.

If “These Monsters” chose not to devour you whole in the Fishbowl Gallery, other works can be found online at http://willhutnick.com/.

Career Coffee Break: Tiffany Burnette

2010-10-20T11:38:00.026-04:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Tiffany Burnette from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Pratt Institute Alumnus, Master of Fine Arts, Industrial Design 2008

We met with Tiffany over coffee in Park Slope and talked about her current projects and company, Design Hype. Tiffany is still hard at work in the world of ID, a field which she has proclaimed a sincere love for. One of her latest works is the Metro-Cuff. It's a bracelet that actually has a major metropolitan transit map inscribed into it. The bracelet combines function with sleek style, creating a modern ready-made.

.

Interviewed by Jenny Elfanbaum, Raymond Miller, and L.J. McNearney
Edited and Posted by Raymond Miller and Angeline Ucci

Caitlin Peluffo, Nailed

2010-10-08T16:25:00.008-04:00

Review by Gail Victoria Braddock Quagliata


Caitlin Peluffo, Nailed (Video Still)

Currently on view in EastOne Gallery is recent work by second year Pratt MFA candidate Caitlin Peluffo. Peluffo’s work at Pratt falls predominantly under the vague label of New Forms, which doesn’t serve to explain the thoughtful collision of photography, performance, and video that comprises Nailed, the featured piece in this solo exhibition.

Nailed, 2010, duration 10:56, consists of a single channel video in which a nude Peluffo performs grueling repetitions of pushups atop a literal bed of nails. The viewer is forced into a tight, static viewpoint from the level of the nail’s heads, waiting for the artist’s vulnerable body to repeatedly intervene with the setup. The rhythmic audio, of Peluffo’s breathing and the ambient sound of physical exertion, provides a claustrophobic soundtrack for a claustrophobic interaction.

The piece continues in the interior space of the gallery with a series of oversized digital photographic prints of the artist’s body. Each successive image depicts the effect of the nails on her skin, and what could easily be perceived as small, inconsequential indentations in her chest from the pressure of her bodyweight falling on the nails ready clearly as deepening wounds as the series progresses. The images are larger than life, looming over the viewer, and Peluffo has posed herself mockingly as any given classical sculpture praising the silent, impotent female form – arms inactive, hip cocked coyly in some, headless, and all lovely and demure in contrast with the brutal display of force, power, and pain the viewer knows has occurred prior to this sarcastic display of naïve feminine beauty.

Peluffo clearly draws inspiration from feminist performance art from the 1970s, using her body as a medium with which to discuss and subvert the archetypes of femininity and socially dictated gender specifics. The artist names two projects as particularly related to her process in Nailed: Hannah Wilke’s Starification Object Series, 1974, and Eleanor Antin’s CARVING: A Traditional Sculpture, 1972. Wilke’s piece involved the artist placing sculptural pieces of gum, some chewed by audience members, as both an odd nod to tribal scarification and a questioning of American ideals of female beauty and glamour. Antin’s piece discussed feminine beauty concepts by photographically documenting a drastic weight loss process over 36 days.

Where Peluffo’s work expands on these concepts is through the introduction of athleticism, and what it means to be a physically powerful woman in a society that continues to define female beauty in an extremely narrow way. In an era when prominent female media figures are borderline anorexic and surgically enhanced, Peluffo seems to be stating that she is a woman who exists, yet is denied its rightful place in the scope of female beauty. Nailed discusses, like much of Peluffo’s work on display, an “anomaly” whose positive traits our society could easily view as too dangerously male or strong and dismiss altogether as outside of femininity.

Caitlin Peluffo, Nailed (Photographs)

Peluffo stated that her work questions whether a physically strong woman, the matured rendering of the “tomboy” figure, is allowed to be both feminine and athletically potent, or if she must choose between being strong and being desired. This dilemma is on view in EastOne through October 29.

Online Spotlight: Arielle Scarcella

2010-09-27T16:58:00.006-04:00

Pratt Talent
Website

Ariella Scarcella recently graduated Pratt in May 2008 with a BFA in Art Direction. She's now a YouTube partner and also works in advertising in San Antonio, TX. Arielle's work is pretty eye-catching with its quirky imagery and sarcastic, humorous undertones. Her concepts are original, and her subject matter is extremely accessible--but from here I'll let her work speak for itself!

Arielle shared that the most beneficial classes she took while here at Pratt were Josh Tretin and Joel Tavlin’s interactiv

e advertising classes. She also added that she thought the Art Direction department needed new directions in terms of developing more classes and hiring more faculty who are well-versed in interactive and online video media. Arielle was so adamant about this point because that is exactly the type of work she is currently doing: she works on websites, banner ads, and social networking ideas.

When I asked Arielle if she had any advice regarding the Advertising industry, she said this:

"The industry is getting so big; I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make it in advertising. Advertising is no joke. While you are still in school, bust your ass. Make friends with the teachers you really love, and make all the connections that you can. Keep especially focused on mobile and online media."

Thanks Arielle! You provided some really valuable feedback.

Posted by Christee Curran

Internship Success: Real Art Ways

2010-09-20T13:28:00.022-04:00

Angeline Ucci, Advertising/ Art Direction 2012

Place of Internship: Real Art Ways, Hartford, Connecticut summer 2010

New Englanders tend to reserve the few months of hot summer weather for beach trips and barbecues, and normally I would be one of them, but this year I wanted to spend some time in an artistic environment outside of the Pratt gates. I knew I still wanted to go home for the summer so I started looking for internships in Connecticut at the beginning of the Spring semester. I applied to a couple museums in Hartford and New Britain, but really had my heart set on a more alternative, interactive venue.

And thus I found my way to Real Art W ays, one of the leading multidisciplinary non-profit arts organizations in the country - and by far the coolest in my book. RAW houses contemporary new artists, offers first-run independent films in their cinema, and gets involved with everything else from parties and events, to live art and public art projects throughout Hartford.

I joined the Real Art Ways team as a Communications intern, and the small staff (usually around 10 in the office) really allowed me to get involved. I spent most of my time designing posters and flyers for upcoming events and openings. And although I had the occasional filing task or Staples run, I was never asked to get coffee for anyone other than myself (they have an amazing cafe in the lobby).

Real Art Ways also provides their interns with the chance to execute an independent project. The then Communication Coordinator Abby Ohlheiser, who's now getting her masters at NYU, and I really wanted to get a RAW blog up and running, but it never exactly came to a reality. However, I ended up creating a series of headers for their E-News , which have been taken on by the new Coordinator and any upcoming interns.

Bottom line, I spent a lot of time using InDesign and talking with some really amazing Real Art Ways staff members.

My advice to any aspiring interns: Don't overlook small organizations, they can do some incredible things and give you the opportunity to actually do something and get to know the artists and designers who work there.

Career Coffee Break - Jamie Hankin

2010-05-07T12:06:00.001-04:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Jamie Hankin from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Pratt Institute Alumnus, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography, 1981.
www.jamiehankin.net

We met with Jamie Hankin and chatted about his past experiences as a photographer and his current job with Saks Fifth Avenue.

Interviewed by Micah Bozeman and Raymond Miller
Edited by L.J. McNerney
Posted by Angeline Ucci

Pratt Show 2010: Jewelry

2010-05-03T16:34:00.001-04:00

We have another Pratt Show preview for you, this time from the jewelry seniors. And can we just say, wow, we've never seen jewelry this cool! The
concept behind this complicated, unique, and perfectly constructed piece by Danielle Hills is very impressive!

"The Executioner" is a representation of the way in which we fundamentally uphold societal structure. Even in the smallest groups, people quickly establish social norms and subsequently a means of enforcing those guidelines. I choose to represent the character as an extreme, but it symbolizes a variety of severe human behavior that can include not only judicial execution, but defamation as a means of social and professional execution as well."

The Executioner is made from copper, palladium, paint, brass, bronze, and human hair. We thought the piece covering the face (Executioner's Mask) looked like dreads!

Another beautiful piece comes from Ah-Young Oh, who credits her inspiration for this ring to portraits of Renaissance nobles, especially the powered wigs and braided hairstyles of women from the time.

Materials include plated sterling silver, gypsy set cubic zirconia, and silk. Gorgeous! We want one of our own!

See more cutting-edge work from Pratt's 2010 graduating seniors in all areas of design at this years Pratt Show. VIP champagne reception for Industry Professionals: May 11, 6 to 9 pm. For tickets and more information visit www.pratt.edu/show

The Pratt Show

May 11 - May 14

311 West 34 Street

New York, New York

Public Show Hours:

Tuesday, May 11- 9 am to 5 pm

Wednesday, May 12- 9 am to 9 pm

Thursday, May 13- 9 am to 9 pm

Friday, May 14- 9 am to 1 pm

Post: Angeline Ucci

Pratt Show 2010: Max Diamond

2010-05-03T15:53:00.001-04:00

Moving Coffee Table. from Max Diamond on Vimeo.

How can a table be fun and interactive, yet still purposeful? Pratt Institute senior Max Diamond has ventured beyond the hard confines of the traditional coffee table to create a playful, moving tabletop.

Inspired to experiment with balloons, water and fans, Max has captured a wave-like sensation by breaking the surface of the table into smaller squares, which tilt just enough so as not to knock over anything sitting on the table. The result is as mesmerizing as waterbeds were in the 1970s, and it's fascinating to see the same kind of fluid movement brought to a hard, wooden coffee table.

Take a look at the video and see just how this amusing piece of prototypical furniture works!

Check out more cutting-edge work from Pratt’s 2010 graduating seniors in all areas of design at this year’s Pratt Show. VIP champagne Reception for Industry Professionals: May 11, 6 to 9 pm. For tickets and more information visit www.pratt.edu/show.

The Pratt Show

May 11 – May 14

311 West 34 Street

New York, New York

Public Show Hours:

Tuesday, May 11- 9 am to 5 pm

Wednesday, May 12- 9 am to 9 pm

Thursday, May 13- 9 am to 9 pm

Friday, May 14- 9 am to 1 pm

Posted by: Annie Ericsson

Pratt Show 2010: Amyel Oliveros

2010-04-08T11:08:00.007-04:00

For those of you who hate clutter and the conventional desks and shelves that control it, this new shelf design will be a breath of fresh air. Amyel Oliveros, an Industrial Design senior at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, created this flexible solution to organizing the detritus of life.

“After a survey of homes, I found that there are many objects like keys, wallets and important notebooks that tend to get lost because they come in and out of peoples lives in a daily basis. The Grasp Shelf addresses this need by acting as a functional shelf that one: conforms to different shapes and sizes of objects and two: displays them on the wall. Not only does the shelf give these things a place in the home, they also showcase the kind of objects that we live with and tell a story of who we are.”

Even without Amyel’s description, we think the work speaks for itself, and should be a useful addition to every New Yorker’s cluttered apartment!

See more cutting-edge work from Pratt’s 2010 graduating seniors in all areas of design at this year’s Pratt Show. VIP champagne Reception for Industry Professionals: May 11, 6 to 9 pm. For tickets and more information visit www.pratt.edu/show.

The Pratt Show

May 11 – May 14

311 West 34 Street

New York, New York

Public Show Hours:

Tuesday, May 11- 9 am to 5 pm

Wednesday, May 12- 9 am to 9 pm

Thursday, May 13- 9 am to 9 pm

Friday, May 14- 9 am to 1 pm

Post: Angeline Ucci

Students @Pratt

2010-03-12T15:17:00.005-05:00

Name: Annie Beth Ericsson
Major: Communications Design, Illustration
Year of graduation: May 2010
Current date: 3/12/2010

1. We asked you for this interview because of your recent books that were published. Can you tell us more about it?
Last year, I illustrated two board books and designed one middle-grade non-fiction book, which were all published with Star Bright Books. The board books, What's In My Garden? and What's In My Toybox?, are for babies and toddlers, with bright, graphic digital illustrations and interactive lift-the-flaps. The book that I designed, That's Like Me! by Jill Lauren, is a collection of short biographies of real children and adults who have overcome learning differences, such as dyslexia, and gone on to pursue their passions successfully.

2. How did it come about?

The opportunity to make the books stemmed from my internship with Star Bright Books, an independent publisher based in Long Island City, New York. During the course of the internship, I gained a lot of experience with in-house design and the overall process of taking a picture book from start to finish. When the original artwork came in for a board book, it wasn't what the publishers were looking for. My employers asked if I could do any better, and I jumped at the chance to showcase my skills. The rest of the books stemmed from there!

3. How did Pratt play a role in allowing you to get this opportunity?

When it comes to being self-motivated about my career, working in Pratt's Career Services office has had a huge influence on me. By interacting with the Career Counselors, other Peer Counselors and guests at our many events, I learned that you have to be proactive in order to get the professional opportunities that you deserve. Secondly, I wouldn't have had the tools I needed to complete the process without the Communications Design department. When I took the internship and began the board books, I was only a sophomore illustration student, but I already had basic graphic design skills that allowed me to be fulfill the internship and complete the board books in Adobe Illustrator.

4. What is the best thing you took away from your experience?

The best thing I learned from making the books, particularly That's Like Me!, is that creating a book is a team effort. In publishing, a book is equally the product of the editor's, art director's and designer's effort as it is the author/illustrator's. It takes all of those people working together and communicating in order to pull off a shared vision and make a book the best that it can be.

5. What would you suggest to other students looking to jump start their career?

I can't say this enough: immerse yourself in your field and get yourself work BEFORE you graduate (and before 2nd semester senior year)!! It's hard to pull away from classes and homework, but there's nothing more valuable that you could be doing than pursuing your career outside of Pratt. Get an internship (or a few!). Talk with professionals in your field. Build a website and a portfolio. Get critiqued. Promote yourself. Get freelance work. Go to a workshop/lecture/field trip. There are plenty of people and resources out there to help you do this, but no one is going to knock on your door. As with anything in life, you have to make it happen for yourself.

Posted by: L.J. McNerney

Career Coffee Break: Laura Blereau

2010-03-03T11:06:00.012-05:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Laura Blereau from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

www.bitforms.com

Pratt Institute Alumnus, Master of Fine Arts in New Forms, 2002.

We met with Laura Blereau at Bitforms Gallery in Chelsea, where she has worked as Director for the past five years. She talked to us about how she went from a graduate student in the New Forms program at Pratt to Director at a successful gallery. She also offers valuable advice for any artist seeking an active role in the art industry.

http://vimeo.com/9884538

Interviewed by: Micah Bozeman and Angeline Ucci

Edited and posted by: Angeline Ucci

Career Coffee Break - Zachary Feltoon

2010-02-02T11:46:00.002-05:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Zachary Feltoon from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

www.davidzachary.net
Pratt Institute Alumnus, Bachelors of Industrial Design, 2008

We met with Zachary at his studio in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He gave us an overview of his life now, and how Pratt has contributed thus far. Starting his own design firm with a friend from Pratt, David Wright, he gave us insight as to what it was like starting a business young, and working with a partner. Successful and driven, he continues to make furniture and products that reflect the environment in which they reside in.

http://www.vimeo.com/9048073

Interviewed by L.J. McNerney and Micah Bozeman
Edited by L.J. McNerney

Posted by L.J. McNerney

Career Coffee Break: Megan Thomas-Melly

2010-01-22T10:22:00.003-05:00

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Megan Thomas-Melly from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

http://meganthomas-mellyfineart.blogspot.com/
Pratt Institute Alumnus, Bachelors of Fine Arts, Sculpture.

We sat down with fine artist Megan Thomas-Melly to talk about getting out of town and exploring the art world beyond New York City past graduation. During her time away, Megan was employed with the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia doing installation work and The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, as well as many other outlets. Her current work ranges from video installation to folk-art-inspired mixed media, sketches and collaborative projects.

Interview by Annie Ericsson and Raymond Miller
Edited by Micah Bozeman
Posted by Annie Ericsson

Career Coffee Break - Steve Spavento

2009-12-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

http://www.spottedegg.com/
Pratt Institute Alumnus, Bachelors of Fine Arts, 2007.

We met up with Steve Spavento in November to see what he had been up to since graduating in 2007. In the interview, Steve talks about his time at Pratt and how it helped him continue developing his work after graduation. He has developed an online store on Etsy called The Spotted Egg Lab (http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpottedEgg), where he sells his plush creatures. He has also developed a blog dedicated to Spotted Egg (http://www.spottedegg.blogspot.com/).

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Steven Spavento from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.
Career Coffee Break- Steve Spavento from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Interview by Zamie Casazola, Raymond Miller
Edited by Zamie Casazola

Posted by Micah Bozeman

Career Coffee Break- Michael A. Rippens

2009-12-14T13:30:00.002-05:00

http://www.rippens.com/

Pratt Institute Alumnus, Bachelors of Fine Arts, 2000.

We met up with Michael Rippens in September to see what he had been up to since graduating in 2000. He was back in Brooklyn from LA for an exhibition called Brooklyn Utopias at the Brooklyn Historical Society. In the interview, Michael talks about the exhibition and his piece Civil Rides: Brooklyn (2009) which is on view from 10/02/09- 01/03/10.

CAREER COFFEE BREAK: Micahel A. Rippens from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Career Coffee Break- Michael A. Rippens from Peer to Peer on Vimeo.

Interview by Micah Bozeman, Brynna Tucker

Edited by Micah Bozeman

Posted by Micah Bozeman

Paranoid...

2009-12-11T09:16:00.006-05:00

Folds of Light, 1.5 x 3.5, Ceramic, 2007

On view currently in Pratt Institute's Fishbowl Gallery is Dakota Sica’s solo show entitled, Paranoid. An interesting title from an artist who seems anything but paranoid when eloquently discussing his work, processes and inspirations.

Sica focuses much of his attention on personal experiences with friends, family and encounters which take the form of his muse. These experiences formulate through a process Sica describes as solutions to a sickness that he refers to as “The Social Nutshell” which is, to “eat, procreate, urinate and defecate.” Sica spoke to me of his relationships with people battling various addictions or struggles and his own process of making art or “solutions” speaking to these issues.

One piece in particular addresses the disease of alcoholism, entitled Folds of Light. Three figures stand side by side representing the first three lines of The Serenity Prayer, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Spirituality abounds in this show. Playing with conflicts of lightness and dark, beauty and ugliness and the hidden or evident, Sica aims to encourage the viewer to have an emotional experience of their own. With his sophisticated handling of materials, exploration of form and deeply emotive sentiment, Sica has successfully succeeded in what he set out to do.

Dakota Sica is a freshman in the Fine Arts Program at The Pratt Institute. For more information on Sica please visit his website: www.dakotasica.com.

Review by Ryan Turley

Oliver Vranesh

2009-12-09T15:09:00.014-05:00

Oliver Vranesh, Industrial Design

On Coroflot

A recent alumnus of the Pratt Institute, Oliver Vranesh graduated in May 2009 majoring in Industrial Design. After acceptance, and participation in the annual Pratt Show, Oliver has done work with LG Mobile, INI marketing, and designed a Coleman 10th anniversary grill with Paul Jr. Teutul from American Chopper. Currently Oliver works as a Story Board Specialist for a Video Production Firm in Washington DC. Although originally intending to attend graduate school Oliver recently had a change of plans and is currently preparing to go overseas to work for FILA as a Junior Product Designer.

Online Spotlight: Natasha Saipradist

2009-12-09T14:10:00.006-05:00

Natasha Saipradist, Communication Design

On Pratt Talent

Website

On Coroflot

email: natasha@saipradist.com

Natasha Saipradist is a recent alumnus, 2009, of the Pratt Institute. Majoring in Graphic Design, in her senior year she was accepted into the annual Pratt show. A very talented designer, Natasha’s work is highly conceptual, incorporating pop culture associations while considering human emotions. The appeal of her work is playful and colorful, designing a variety of products, conveying a unique versatility in her style. Her ability to infuse her work with feeling gives them a depth and meaning that surpasses their useful application.

She also says she enjoyed her experience at the Pratt show and found it was a great networking opportunity. Currently she is working as a freelance designer, though she is very open to obtaining a regular design position.

Posted by Raymond Miller

ONLINE SPOTLIGHT: Ken Marshall

2009-12-07T11:07:00.014-05:00

Ken Marshall, Industrial Design

On Pratt Talent

Website

Ken Marshall left Pratt with a degree in Industrial Design, but has found his way into the world of graphics.He currently lives and works in Busan, Korea mainly as a t-shirt designer. Ken has worked on band tees, which can be found in Hot Topic stores for bands Cute is What We Aim For,Cobra Starship,All Time Low, and The Maine, among many others. His other projects include designing skateboard decks and t-shirts for Shirt.Woot.com, DesignbyHumans.com, and threadless.com .

Ken's amazing graphic work can be seen and purchased on his website.

ONLINE SPOTLIGHT: Sam Wohl

2009-11-23T10:31:00.007-05:00

Sam Wohl, Fine Arts

On Pratt Talent

Website

Sam Wohl graduated Pratt in 2007 and currently works and lives in Shanghai, China. His energetic paintings and drawings were featured in a group show in 2008, Vivid Wild, at Fort Gallery in Oakland, California; as well as a solo show in 2005 at Nuez Bar in NYC. Sam's work ranges from illustrations to public projects.

The most interesting project is Nuclear Squirrel Nuclear Winter. The project involves hiding caches in plain sight disguised as forms of urban public plumming or electrical work. Contents may be simple necessities, day to day valuables, or useless, superficial objects. These time capsules are locked and hidden throughout Brooklyn.

Visit Sam's website to learn more about Nuclear Squirrel Nuclear Winter and discover where these caches are hidden.

Post: Angel Ucci

INTERSHIP FAIR!

2009-11-16T11:38:00.013-05:00

This Friday, November 20th, Career Services will be hosting the sixth annual Internship Fair. Representatives from over sixty companies in the New York City area who are seeking interns in all majors will attend.

Come to The Student Union from 12-2 if you are searching for an internship this spring or summer, or to just check out what's available for the future!

For the complete listing of attending companies and more information visit the internship fair website.

Post: Angeline Ucci

GET LINKED!

2009-11-11T16:54:00.007-05:00

November 13, 2009 Pratt Institute's Career Services Department will host The Professional Arts Organizations Fair. The objective of this fair is to boost student enthusiasm regarding professional networking, and the importance of starting this before graduating. Students will be able to speak to representatives from the various organizations and get information about what being a part of these organizations might entail. Moreover students will be able to take advantage of student membership rates.

Currently there will be information available on fifty five different organizations at the fair as well as selected representatives in attendance. The fair takes place Friday November 13, 2009 in Pratt’s Main Building’s Pie Shop.

Organizations include: American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS Pratt Chapter), The Architectural League of NY, National Organization of Minority Architects, College Art Association, Academy of Certified Archivists, AIGA Pratt Student Chapter, Society of illustrators, Society of Publication Designers, Type Directors Club, Graphic Artists Guild, NYC ACM SIGGRAPH, American Society of Interior Designers, International Furnishings and Design Association, National Kitchen and Bath Association. For a full listing visit this LINK!

Posted by Raymond Miller

ONLINE SPOTLIGHT: Jashar Awan

2009-11-09T11:49:00.003-05:00

Jashar Awan, Illustration

On Pratt Talent

Website

Since graduating Pratt in 2004, Brooklyn based Illustrator Jashar Awan has been published and interviewed for his innovative, graphic work. At PEP Gallery he curated a show featuring work by forty artists called “Downright,” where his own work was also shown. The Society of Illustrators also featured his work, and he was included in Taschen’s “Illustration Now Volume 2.” In 2008 Jashar received the gold award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for a work entitled “The Elusive Patient.” Jashar’s client list includes, among many others, Dark Horse Comics, L Magazine, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vibe.

On November 17, 2009 you can hear Jashar speak about how Pratt has impacted his work today and how he plans to keep moving forward in the Illustration industry. For more information visit, http://www.pratt.edu/calendar/view/life_after_pratt/

Post: Angel Ucci

ONLINE SPOTLIGHT: Brian Dempsey

2009-10-30T10:46:00.008-04:00

Brain Dempsey, Graphic Design
On Pratt talent: http://pratt-talent.com/browse.php/portfolio/473/3361/0/s
Website: www.theblankpage.com

Five years after graduating Pratt in 1989 Brian Dempsey founded The Blank Page, an award-winning graphic design firm. He acts as President and creative director for the five person team located on the west side of NYC. Past clients of the firm include Alzheimer’s Association, The Cathedral School, Chase Vista, Greenwich Hospital, Suffield Academy, Xavier High School, and York Prep. The Blank Page offers innovative, unique solutions to typography and graphic design work.

Previous to founding The Blank Page in 1994, Brian designed for Corporate Graphics Inc. and Welchsler Ross and Partners, as well as taught sophomore level designers at Pratt.

Post: Angel Ucci

ONLINE SPOTLIGHT: Darcy Vorhees

2009-10-30T10:16:00.005-04:00

Darcy Vorhees, Media Arts

On Pratt talent: http://pratt-talent.com/browse.php/portfolio/225/12981/8/

Website: http://www.darcyv.com/

After graduating Pratt in 2001 Darcy spent nine years working in the city. During that time she worked on numerous animated productions such as the MTV show “Friday, the Animated Series” and Disney’s “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.” She was also the storyboard artist for a quarter of 4Kids Productions’ “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Anniversary Movie Part One.”

Recently Darcy moved to Ohio and built DarcyVDesign, where she uses her talent and skills learned at Pratt to provide varied forms of artwork, including animation, graphics, and illustration, to clients nationwide. Projects include the creation of an animation for a children’s pilot, “Private School!” created by David Engle, and the creation of a logo, business card, and envelope for an insurance company.

Her colorful, electric designs are all available for viewing on her website.

Post: Angel Ucci

Humorous Modernism with Vashaya (Win) Mukdamanee

2009-10-30T10:01:00.024-04:00

Vashaya (Win) Mukdamanee is currently a second-year MFA student specializing in Painting at The Pratt Institute and is funded by a Fulbright Scholarship.

Win currently has a solo show, Embedded on view in the East One Gallery as well as two works in a group show, Speaking to a Kitchen Mouse in Steuben Gallery. Both shows present recent work by the artist which is part of a larger series entitled Industrial Reflection.

Reconfigured filing cabinets amid humorous views on the consumerism of monster chain stores like IKEA take center stage in the works from Industrial Reflection. The reconfigurations and manipulations of objects such as a chest of drawers thrusting its interiors outward, (Reconfiguration of a Wood Cabinet 2009) and a filing cabinet unfolding itself in an almost domino effect (Tilted Black Cabinet 2009) create a playful sentiment to otherwise utilitarian furnishings. Humor has been an exciting new development in Win’s body of work. He merits his experiences of living in New York and studying at Pratt with his new found clarity and direction in making pieces that he describes as “planned and humorous” and less “relying on pure intuition and chance outcomes.” Win believes that this new way of working will allow him to avoid repetition in his outcomes and allow him to continue to create a diverse and successful body of work.

Win’s work plays with manipulation, reconfiguration and re-presentation of found objects. These found objects are reminiscent of a lost modernist era of industrial materials and purely functional design that Win believes is no longer prevalent in the United States, but is very much alive in his hometown, Bangkok, Thailand. Win aims to show objects that often are overlooked by most in an innovative way, enlightening their significance and relevance that was once a part of the object’s existence.

Win spoke to me about his earlier work including his assemblage pieces as well as his installations and how they relied more heavily on “chance and intuition” in regards to finding the “right” objects to create the pieces. This process was more akin to happenstance rather than planning a sculpture or installation. Win relied on a “gut feeling,” or an attraction to certain objects and the form of the piece followed this initial discovery. “It is always difficult to find the right object,” Win explains, and you must always be in search of the appropriate pieces for the work.

As he continues to develop as an artist so has his process of navigating the search for material in which to create from. Win realized that if he focused his search for the “right” materials he was able to create a more clear and precise outcome that would “speak not only to himself but also to a broader audience.” He feels that with this more focused search for objects he would be able to communicate in a more direct and apparent manner.

Win speaks about how he was “attracted to these” old objects,” because he was feeling some sort of a link between these objects and his former home in Thailand, where these objects are still commonplace and well utilized. Win’s goal is to “breathe new life” into these objects and materials in order to “challenge, the common belief that Modernism has disappeared from Contemporary Society.”

In addition to the two shows currently on view, Win has a show opening on November 13^th at SMILE Gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For further information on Win, please visit his website: www.winmukdamanee.com

Review by Ryan Turley

Chance Encounters with Dmitry Gubin

2009-10-30T10:00:00.007-04:00

American Boy, 2007

Dmitry Gubin is a first-year Masters student studying in Art and Design Education at The Pratt Institute.

Gubin’s show entitled 2007-2009, is currently on view at the Fishbowl Gallery at The Pratt Institute.

2007-2009, presents a collection of various paintings from Gubin’s archives of the past two years. As a professional commercial photographer, printmaker and painter, Gubin has an expansive range of skill-sets from which to cull imagery for his work. Gubin is interested in “learning about all new mediums,” as he feels it will enhance his current research and studies in Art Education.

Gubin’s sweeping interests in materials are evident in his current work shown from 2007-2009. Gubin mixes acrylic, spray paint, marker, and numerous other materials and techniques in order to present his imagery. A culmination of these materials and mediums create a graffiti type of experience in his more abstract pieces such as Imposter, 2008 or The Scream, 2008. These pieces are busy with abstracted content and emerging figures intertwined with text and line. The overall feeling of these works is of a somewhat forceful nature, almost aggressive in their own gestures.

Gubin juxtaposes these more abstract pieces with his portraiture pieces. A Self Portrait on Red Armchair, 2009, American Boy, 2007 and W. Timothy Ryan, 2009 seem oddly at home amongst the more abstract works they share the space with. A commonality these works all share is Gubin’s dedication to experimentation in mark making, mixing of materials and mediums and how in doing this he is open to chance outcomes. Gubin is accommodating and welcoming to chance outcomes in that he allows for the materials and mediums he combines to surprise him. An immediacy of working and this allowance for chance outcomes Gubin describes as “an exciting way of working.”

For further information on Dmitry Gubin please visit his website: www.gubinpaint.com

Review by Ryan Turley