Just Checking In

I’ve been a slacker of late – sorry for the lack of posts. Lots of things going on – lots of met and unmet deadlines flying by. Right now I’m writing a paper – well right now I’m at work blogging – right now in the gestalt I’m writing a paper on the ritual of pilgrimage in western and non-western culture with specific emphasis on architectural expression as manifested in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella in Spain and Ise Shrine in Japan. It’s a fascinating topic – but it’s taking a long time to write.

In other news – referring to my last post on Pratt Foundry, there was an article is yesterday’s NYTimes about the foundries in India who make NYC manholes. Not surprisingly, it’s cheaper to do this is in India than it is here. Our foundry workers get $25 an hour whereas the factory workers in India get paid a few dollars a day.

Read more

Pratt’s Foundry

Here are some photos from the bronze casting session at Pratt last week. The first is a photo of Professor Isolani, the second shows the pot(?) where the bronze is being melted – pieces of bronze are being added slowly to build up temperature – the green you see is copper being burned off. The last image is of the bronze being poured by students in the senior level 3D class.

It was a great way to spend the day, art historians, chemists, studio artists all coming together to watch one of the nexuses of where art and function meet. Learn more about lost wax process here

Lecture: Design for the Other 90%

Tonight Cynthia Smith, curator at the Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum will be speaking at Pratt’s Brooklyn Campus.

Thursday, November 15 2007

6:30 PM

Main Building (Brooklyn) Room 230

Pratt Intern Fair -Nov. 13th

The 4th Annual Internship will be taking place on Tuesday, November 13th from 12-2 p.m. in the Student Union on the Brooklyn Campus and is open to all current students. 66 Companies attending and you can see the full list by clicking

http://www.pratt.edu/cs_internships/annual_internship_fair/list_of_companies_for_2007

Bronze Casting at Pratt

On Tuesday November 13 from 10am to 5pm Prof. Licio Isolani’s class will be casting bronze, in the Pratt’s Metal Shop. Art conservators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including Ancient Metal conservator Debora Schorsch and her class from NYU Conservation Center will be attending as well as several other conservation scientists. I will be also bringing my Chemistry and Art students to observe the class.

The process of bronze casting has not changed much since the ancient Greek times and for that reason it is interesting from an art conservation perspective. Please feel free to go see the process it is very interesting.
If you need directions, please e-mail edelfede@pratt.edu and/or Prof. Isolani : lisolani@pratt.edu

Art History Requirements

Required

(3) Art History Theory & Methodology

(3) Materials, Techniques & Conservation

(3) Thesis

Distribution Electives

(2/3) Film/Design

(3) Architecture

(3) Non- Western

(3) Pre-Renaissance

(3) Renaissance/Baroque

(2/3) 19th or 20th century

French or German language requirements

CUNY Language Reading Program

Deutsches Haus

Not sure about this one – but they have interesting programs

French Institute Alliance Francais