Speaker, Honorees Announced for 2013 Commencement

(L–R) Kurt Andersen, Lee Friedlander, Françoise Mouly, and Daniel Pink

On Tuesday, May 14, Pratt degree candidates will gather in their caps and gowns on the bustling sidewalks of Manhattan outside the famed Radio City Music Hall. Celebrated novelist, radio host of Studio 360, and Pratt Trustee Kurt Andersen will deliver the commencement address. The Institute will award honorary degrees to photographer Lee Friedlander, art editor Françoise Mouly, and author Daniel Pink.

Andersen is the author of three novels, most recently True Believers, and is also a regular contributor to Vanity Fair, Time, New York, and the New York Times. Previously, he was a columnist for The New Yorker and New York, as well as the design and architecture critic for Time, and has won numerous awards for his journalism. A graduate of Harvard College, Andersen sits on the board of Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in addition to being a Pratt Trustee.

Friedlander's doctor of fine arts degree will be conferred in recognition of numerous achievements in the field of photography as a chronicler of the American social landscape. Mouly's doctor of fine arts degree will be conferred in recognition of her achievements in fostering new creative talent through her art book publishing and work at The New Yorker, where she has served as art editor since 1993. Author Daniel Pink's doctor of humane letters degree will be conferred in recognition of his innovative work exploring creativity, talent, and economic transformation.

This is the fourth time in Pratt's commencement history that graduates will receive their diplomas on stage at Radio City. The procession begins at 2 PM when the students will file into the main hall, where the Institute will celebrate their achievements and present their degrees.

For more information, please visit Pratt's commencement page.

Text: Bay Brown
Photos: Thomas Hart Shelby; Lee Friedlander, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery; Sarah Shatz; Jerry Bauer