Through a combination of interdisciplinary coursework, independent research, and oral histories we have begun examining historical movements for social change that brought Pratt affiliates together with local community residents, documenting the history of social activism within and outside the school.

A number of time periods are currently under study: the late 19th-century founding of the school to provide pathways to self-sufficiency for immigrants; the early 20th-century advocacy work of female professors and students in the departments of Domestic Science and Education; the activism of the Black Student Union during the 1960s–1980s; the school’s involvement in the City’s 1950s Urban Renewal plan for the campus and its surrounding blocks; and the actions of progressive planning and architecture faculty to support Black students and community leadership during this turbulent time. Our research has revealed and deepened our understanding of the school’s involvement in the struggle for social, racial, and economic equity as both an ally and, at times, an obstacle to the social justice movement. Pratt’s history is complex and can inform current demands for racial and economic justice.

The project’s interdisciplinary research and coordinating group comes from the School of Architecture, the School of Art, the School of Design, and the Pratt Library. The following faculty and students have worked together on Preserving Activism at different stages of project development from 2020 to the present. 

Faculty & Staff

• Cristina Fontánez Rodríguez, Virginia Thoren and Institute Archivist, Pratt Institute Libraries, Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Information
• Rebecca Krucoff, Visiting Assistant Professor, Art & Design Education and Historic Preservation
• Heather Lewis, Professor, Art & Design Education
• Chris Neville, Adjunct Associate Professor, Historic Preservation
• Keena Suh, Associate Professor, Interior Design
• Nicholas Dease, User Experience Librarian, Assistant Professor
• Vicki Weiner, Academic Director and Adjunct Associate Professor, Historic Preservation

Research Fellows, 2020-22

• Anisha Kar, M.S. Historic Preservation; Research Fellow
• Amber Colón, B.F.A. Communications Design; Research Fellow
• Trevor Mark, M.S. Historic Preservation; Research Fellow
• Ana Codorean, M.S. Art and Design Education; Research Fellow
• Tara Hopp, M.S. Historic Preservation; Research Fellow

Special Thanks

The Preserving Activism team is grateful to the following individuals and organizations for their participation, guidance, and support of this project:

• The Office of the Provost, Strategic Initiatives Fund, Pratt Institute
• Jelani Bandele, Alumni Engagement Manager, The Black Alumni of Pratt
• Jessica Tallman, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Pratt Institute
• Pat Cummings, Pratt Alumna
• Cecily Dyer, Special Collections and Outreach Librarian, Center for Brooklyn History
• Marcia Ely, Director of Public Programs, Center for Brooklyn History 
• Ain Gordon, Co-Founder, Pick Up Performance Co.
• Connie Harold, Pratt Alumna
• Sarah Kanu, B.F.A. ‘21, Communications Design
• Natalie Milbrodt, Director, Queens Memory Project
• Obden Mondesir, Associate Director of the Barnard Archives and Special Collections
• Larry Provette, Pratt Alum
• Ronald Shiffman, Professor Emeritus, Pratt Institute, Pratt Alum
• Rudy Bryant, Pratt Center for Community and Environmental Development 
• Peter Spellane, Associate Professor, NYC College of Technology, CUNY
• Christopher Sula, Associate Professor, School of Information, Pratt Institute
• Anita Cooney, Dean, School of Design, Pratt Institute
• Donna Gorsline, Assistant to the Dean, School of Design, Pratt Institute