Pratt Institute Diversity Forum
April 30, 2014
Pratt Institute Diversity Definition (developed by 2012-2013 Diversity Committee)
At Pratt Institute, diversity is represented by a mosaic of unique individuals from a variety of racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexuality, geographic, cultural, age, physical ability, and socioeconomic groups. Each individual brings his or her own unique intellectual, artistic, and creative gifts to create a richness of differences in our community. As a leading college of art and design devoted to a creative learning community, Pratt recognizes the strength that stems from a diversity of perspectives, values, ideas, backgrounds, styles, approaches, experience and beliefs. We aspire to continue to grow as a place that always welcomes and encourages individuals of all backgrounds to contribute to and be part of the Pratt culture.
Panelists:
YoumnaChlala is a writer and an artist born in Beirut and currently based in New York. Her work investigates the relationship between fate and architecture through prose, poetry, drawing, video and performance. She is the Founding Editor of Eleven Eleven {1111} Journal of Literature and Art and the recipient of a Joseph Henry Jackson Award for her manuscript, The Paper Camera. Her writing appears in Urban Hopes Made in China by Steven Holl and in publications such as Guernica, Bespoke, CURA, MIT Journal for Middle Eastern Studies and XCP: Journal of Cross Cultural Poetics. Chlala is a 2014-16 Open Sessions artist at The Drawing Center and a 2014 resident artist at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center’s Process Space. She participated in the 2011 Performa Biennial and has exhibited widely including the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Dubai Art Projects, Camera Austria and Art In General. At Pratt Institute she is an Associate Professor in the Humanities and Media Studies Department and co-coordinates the Language-Making program with HMS and the School of Architecture.
Lana DiCostanzois a senior in the Writing Programwithin Pratt’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Born in the Bronx from an Italian-American father and black mother, she and her family moved to Savannah, Georgia where she attended junior high and high school. She later returned to New York to attend Pace University where she was an active member of the Black Student Union Organization. It was here that she began channeling her experiences (both positive and negative) as a biracial young woman into her writing. She transferred to Pratt last year and is set to graduate in Fall 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing. She is now conducting academic research on the need for increasing diversity in art and design colleges.
Debera Johnson is Pratt’s Academic Director of Sustainability and has been working across the institute to implement Pratt’s strategic commitment to link the greening of its campus with greening of its academic programs. Deb is leading the vision for Pratt’s Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research (CSDS) – an open source regional resource center for educators and designers and is also the founder and Executive Director of the Pratt Design Incubator which is moving on campus this summer. Deb was the chair of the Industrial Design Program at Pratt from 1998 to 2005 and serve as chair of the NYC chapter of the IDSA, the education director for IDSA Northeast region. She founded PALS (Partnership for Academic Leadership in Sustainability) an award winning international group of educators that are changing art and design education.Her latest initiative is Pratt’s new Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator a 20,000 square foot space which will surround start-up design companies with the resources they need to grow into sustainable businesses.
Adrienne Jones is a painter, photographer, and fashion designer, specializing in leather and suede for private clientele. Professor Jones has taught in the Fashion Design department of Pratt Institute for over 25 years, and in the School of Professional Studies, where she developed both the adult education and pre-college programs in fashion. She just concluded her landmark exhibit, Black Dress, which honored Black designers and addressed the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. She has also served as faculty advisor for Pratt’s Fashion Society for 20 years, and recently received the Outstanding Organization Advisor award for her work and dedication with the club. Professor Jones holds the honor of being the first Black woman to achieve the status of tenured professor at Pratt. She holds a Masters of Science in Art Therapy and Bachelor of Science in Art Education from the College of New Rochelle and an Associate Degree in Fashion Design from Fashion Institute of Technology.
Maria Romani de Goesis a licensed creative art therapist in private practice and Visiting Instructor in the Creative Arts Therapy Department at Pratt Institute. In 2008 she co-foundedArt of Parenting, providing therapeutic services in the early stages of family development through the integration of art. A native of Brazil, she has experience leading groups in different settings and working with families and individuals from diverse backgrounds, with a special interest in migration and acculturation as well as parenting. She received a Masters in Professional Studies in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute and completed training in family therapy at the Roberto Clemente Center and postgraduate training in group psychotherapy at the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society.
Brynna Tucker has worked in the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) since 2004where she has produced seminar series, workshops, and other educational programming that focuses on the varying and complex needs of artists, educators, administrators, and entrepreneurs. She has also taught courses in the Fine Arts and Art and Design Education Departments. Brynna is actively invested in creating dialogue and collaboration and does so through her involvement with many on campus groups and committees In 2009 she won the Outstanding Organization Advisor Award for her work with this program and was recently named Outstanding Staff Member at the 2014 Student Leadership Awards. She holds a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, a MFA/MS in New Forms and History of Art and Design from Pratt Institute, and a Certificate in Small Business and Entrepreneurship from Hunter College.