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By Rachel Ellner, March 12, 2013 2:39 pm

In today’s media we often hear about the raging fire, but little about the aftermath. The story of the fire that destroyed the top two floors of Pratt Institute’s main building on February 15 has faded from the news, but the fallout, the destruction of art studios and student work still looms large. In an effort to help alleviate the hardship, FIT set up an art supply drop-off.

Response was immediate: Three boxes of art supplies were picked days after the fire. Three larger boxes are ready for pick-up. Now two more boxes “are waiting for your gently used or new art supplies to go to students at Pratt,” says Deborah Payton-Jones, volunteer coordinator of Student Life and organizer of the art supply drive.  

Art supplies destined for Pratt

A peek insides the boxes show stretched canvases, large sketch pads, mini wooden table easels, pocket sketch journals, oils and water colors and loads of paint brushes.

“It means a great deal to our students to know their peers are taking time to help them,” says Dina Weiss, the acting assistant chair of Pratt’s fine arts department.

art supplies piling up for Pratt

The bond of cooperation underlines the connection of art students throughout New York City.

“Whether it is Haiti, Japan, or our brothers and sisters in Brooklyn at Pratt Institute, our students demonstrate compassion, philanthropy and civility for those in need. Here at FIT, we’re fashion and so much more.”

 - Deborah Payton-Jones

Art supply donations for Pratt Institute are being accepted at Student Life through this Friday, during the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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By Rachel Ellner, December 13, 2012 6:51 pm

There are two garish babes bursting with vanity and a gloating cross-legged, primed prima dona. There are the furious fat spider, a he-man who boasts, and a lecherous pair of wide-open mouths sporting minks’ teeth. An ominous, famished figure sits eerily among them while a lazy daydreamer lies pathetic and inert.

 Jealousy, vanity, famine, greed and rage are on display in terrifying, cartoonish proportions on the 3rd floor of the Pomerantz center. These creatures originated in Professor Dan Shefelman’s contemporary media class.

Lauren French

A group of very self-absorbed, miserable louts share space together.

Brittany Falussy

Pandora’s original box came with a heavy lock. These evils are contained in a plexiglass covered display case.

Adam Bohemond

Danielle Fee

The dysfunctional contents of Pandora’s Box.

photos: Dan Shefelman

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By Rachel Ellner, June 14, 2012 4:13 pm

Once a high school senior has her date for the prom, she focuses next on her gown, shoes and accessories.  “I rejoice in seeing young people get dolled up to go to the prom. I didn’t go to mine,” says Shaniqua Matthews-McClam, Coordinator of the Interior Design Department.

Kira Marie Britt shows off her new prom dress to Shaniqua Matthews-McClam.

Gowns donated to L.A.C.E. Leading Ladies for the prom dress giveaway

But what happens when a fashion indulgence for the Big Dance isn’t affordable? Matthews-McClam tends to that inevitability. On May 5, her organization, L.A.C.E. Leading Ladies, oversaw the giveaway of over 1,340 prom and graduation dresses along with shoes and accessories at C.S.21 in Brooklyn (making it a four-fold increase from last year’s prom dress giveaway.) It meant a lot of dolling up and a lot of rejoicing.

Shaniqua Matthews-McClam

High school student looking at accessories

Prom dress giveaways are not new, says Matthews-McClam, but are rarer in less affluent neighborhoods.  She’s quick to give a shout-out to all the stores and individuals who supplied the Leading Ladies with many top brand gowns and accessories. “There was Macy’s, Forever Yours, Open Ceremony, family, friends, neighborhood stores.” A raffle was held for a custom-designed gown donated by designer Gwen Beloti who attended the event.

Shoes are a new addition to L.A.C.E.’s prom dress give-away

Whether a rite of passage, a lavish indulgence, or just an outrageous night out, the prom has special resonance for teenagers and their families.  Proms were the subject of two recent guest lectures at FIT.  Mary Ellen Mark’s presentation of a four-year project photographing proms across the country was followed by the film “Prom” made by her husband, the filmmaker Martin Bell.  In October, photojournalist Gillian Laub (see previous post) discussed her New York Times photo essay of the until recently segregated proms at Montgomery County High School in Georgia.

Prom prep

The first girl on line get lots of frills

Matthews-McClam’s event was an artistic success as well. And the press took notice. Brooklyn New York 12, New York Daily News and BCAT television station have all done features on the prom dress giveaway. This year students from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism produced the video “Prom, Cinderella Style“ about the Leading Ladies work for their publication Brooklyn Inc. The video features Kira Marie Britt (shown in first photo above).

“Every time I am interviewed people ask me ‘Why dresses? Why fashion through philantropy?’ I love fashion. Any time I have felt down or needed a change in life, I went and purchased a new item. It made me feel better. I am not promoting shopaholics. I truly believe people are at their best when they are looking good and confident. To look good is too feel good.” It’s a statement that bodes well for another fashion windfall for next year’s prom.

A princess and her girlfriends

To learn more about L.A.C.E. Leading Ladies go to their website: www.laceleadingladies.org or facebook page.

Photos courtesy of L.A.C.E. Leading Ladies

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By Rachel Ellner, December 19, 2011 4:53 pm

For Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design Professor Veronica Romano, “presentation and packaging is everything.”   Except that Romano has a discernible palate, and an herb garden in her backyard, so what’s inside has to taste great too.

The excellently packaged and deliciously tasting Temptress Truffle Popcorn is a product right out of Professor Romano’s kitchen and garden.

“Just making popcorn one night for friends, loving truffle oil, and wanting to create a popcorn that was healthy and not full of fat,” is how Romano describes the origins of Temptress Truffle Popcorn.

Temptress Truffling

“I brought it to the PAVE board meeting and we served it with Godiva truffles. We had a truffle party!” says Romano who also treats her students and the Art & Design staff to her gourmet popcorn.

“I get inspired by materials I have around,” says the wonderfully obsessed Romano describing her cone-shaped, snowflake-designed, parchment paper packaging. Romano put to use a snowflake stamp she and her students received at the Martha Stewart Show as well as her corporate holiday gift stamp. “I like working with available resources that I have at hand, and things from nature. There’s so much around us that we can use.”

photos by Rachel Ellner w/ photo styling help from Anne Kong

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By Rachel Ellner, December 8, 2011 5:36 pm

Artist, collaborator, and educator, Tim Rollins, and two members of Kids of Survival (K.O.S.) talked about the history and philosophy of K.O.S at FIT last week. In 1982, Rollins first launched a workshop called Art and Knowledge workshop in the South Bronx. There at- risk youth created art work based on great works of literature. Numerous biennials and museum shows followed. Their latest exhibition in 2009, was a group retrospective at Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College.

Fine Arts department instructors had this to say:

“Their creative path, one in which the core of the art practice involves teaching, working with, and motivating kids to pursue excellence in what they do and how they think of themselves was inspiring,” said  Professor Jean Feinberg.

Tim Rollins is flanked by K.O.S. members Carlos Guevara and Angel Abreu. Photo by: Daniel Carlson

“When Tim talked about taking Bronx students who had never been below 125 Street on a whirlwind tour of MoMA and asking what they remembered, and one them asked about ‘the black painting about God’; when Carlos’ face lit up when he recalled seeing the work of Robert Ryman the first time; when Tim said he believed he would achieve more not by meeting his students on their level–graffiti–but on his of art history–those were special moments that spoke to me about the educational importance of exposure to culture and maintaining high expectations,” said John Allen.

“Listening to Tim Rollins tell his story of K.O.S. brought to mind some
lines of a poem by Rilke: ‘I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world.’ Tim does just this…He has a widening impact on peoples’ lives,” said Professor Joel Werring.

For more about Tim Rollins and K.O.S. go to the website of the Lehmann Maupin Gallery.

This visiting artist talk was part of the ARTSpeak series at FIT, in which artists discuss diversity and artistic practice, and is sponsored by the Fine Arts Department, the President’s Diversity Council, and the Dean’s Office.

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By Rachel Ellner, November 17, 2011 12:58 pm

Jane Gennaro has long been observing, speaking about, and creating works of art based on underfed fashion models.  Her  work “Feed the Models: The Scissor Drawings of Jane Gennaro,” includes  images cut from fashion magazines, sculptural variations with bones and science glass, and large scale prints on metallic surfaces.

“When does it go from all the fun of dress up and playing with make-up and making your own doll clothes and your own outfits to ‘I hate my body?’” questions Gennaro.

"O. The Battle," by Jane Gennaro

Gennaro has provided commentary for National Public Radio’s (NPR) All Things Considered in 2002. In addition to creating art, Gennaro is a writer, performer, cartoonist, voice-over artist, and illustrator. Her body of work includes  storytelling and poetry, and addresses issues of femininity, media representations of the physical body  and the fashion industry’s use of extremely thin models.

“When I cut out these models I’m manipulating the media, instead of it manipulating me. It’s like ‘You want skinny–I’ll show you skinny!’ So it leaves this DNA strip — as in Definitely Not Anorexic!” jokes Gennaro about her artistic process.

What-When-Where: “Feed the Models” will be on view:  Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, Seventh Avenue at 27^th Street.  11/2 – 1/26;  Performance and discussion: Thursday, 11/ 1/11.

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By Rachel Ellner, October 26, 2011 3:29 pm

On October 20, Gillian Laub showed work from her NY Times photo essay on segregated proms at Montgomery County High School. The lecture, sponsored by the Photography Department, is part of the Photo Talks lecture series. Although the south-Central Georgia high school was integrated in 1971, the prom had remained a “separate but equal” type affair long after that.

photo by Gillian Laub from "A Prom Divided"

The school did finally integrate its prom into one dance. But Laub’s equipment has not yet been returned. It was grabbed from her by a sheriff who demanded to know the newspaper she was working for.

Laub also showed photos from other work, including a series of portraits that reflect the physical harm caused by the violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

photo used with permission

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By Rachel Ellner, October 11, 2011 11:09 am

On October 6th, representatives from the School’s baccalaureate programs, Admissions, Registrar, and the School of Liberal Arts were on hand to great prospective students at the BFA Fair in the Great Hall.

Packaging Design, Chair Marianne Klimchuk & Assoc. Prof. Sandra Krasovec

“Design firms uniquely tackle how to garner the attention of myriad audiences who are, quite simply, distracted,” noted Asst. Dean Erika Massaquoi. “Hence, there is a premium on information and experience-oriented design that can grab audiences, communicate effectively, and service clients.”

Associate Profs. of Communication Design Federun Scholz & Elvin Kince

“The AIGA has identified this as  a trend towards an ‘attention economy,’” said Massaquoi. “Thus it is not surprising that this year we saw a further spike of interest in Graphic Design—I believe the velocity of media has garnered this student interest.”

Asst. Chair Prof. Kam Mak with prospective Illustration students

Fashion Design Apparel Prof. Eileen Karp welcoming interested students

Photos by  Dr. Erika Massaquoi

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By Rachel Ellner, September 9, 2011 5:40 pm

Jusil Carroll,  newly minted FIT fashion design grad, won the Supima Design Competition yesterday with a collection the department’s Assistant Chair Steven Stipelman called “simply breathtaking.”

Supima, an organization that promotes American Prima cotton, teamed up the leading design schools, which in turn nominated graduating seniors to be finalists in the competition.

Jusil Carroll and Rachel Zoe, photo: Giovanni Giannoni, WWD

“This was my first fashion show, I can’t believe it. This was an amazing experience,” says Carroll quoted in Women’s Wear Daily. The event was covered widely by fashion publications, blogs and news organizations.

Upon return from the competition professors Stipelman and Christopher Uvenio related that FIT finalist Amy Bittner opened the show for Supima  and Jusil closed it. “They did an outstanding collection–superb,” said Stipelman, of Fashion Design Art. “These are names to watch for in the future.”

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By Rachel Ellner, April 8, 2011 5:33 pm

Andrea Linett, Liza Deyrmenjian, Joe Zee & Joshua Williams

On April 5th, three creative directors and proud FIT grads, spoke to a packed  house.  “What Makes a Good Creative Director?” was a School of Art & Design Town Hall Event moderated by Prof. Joshua Williams.

Topics ranged from what to accept (an entry level job) to what not to accept (“No” for an answer!) Issues of technology, editing content, working in teams, and creative expression were also addressed.

Liza Deyrmenjian, Prof. Joshua Williams, Andrea Linett & Joe Zee

Breaking into the magazine field with no prior experience, Joe Zee from El magazine said the “nos” along the way were opportunities to “figure out why” and try again.

The impact of technology has changed the role of the creative director, panelists agreed–but not so fast–good editing is still key.  With technology comes more content. The need for a strong vision and an editing eye are critical.

“There’s so much more information out there that you have to know what meets your vision,” said Prof. Joshua Williams in summarizing panalists’ comments.

Joe Zee with FIT student

Being at FIT said panelists, was a place to try test run ideas.  “Try a photo shoot, work on the school paper, help a student market their line,” were specific suggestions from Prof. Williams.  The more things you try and even fail at, the better. “And good to do it early, than when you have a job in the real world. Take advantage of learning,” said Prof. Williams.

Liza Deyrmenjian with FIT student

“Are magazines going to die?” was an anticipated question by Zee. Online should be different information, and a different interaction or experience, he said. But an online magazine should go hand-in-hand with the hard copy. “One should not be a pdf of the other, but its own entity,” said Zee.

Andrea Linett with FIT students

It’s important for a creative director to know different mediums, said Audrey Linett.  “My job is to tell a story. The more they know the more they can push their vision online.”

photos by:  Smiljana Peros