Results tagged “pratt”

Artist Stephen Wiltshire has been hard at work this week drawing the Manhattan skyline from memory over at Pratt. He only took a 20 minute helicopter ride prior to getting started, "during which time he impressed on his mind thousands of landmarks, great and small." He told the Brooklyn Paper: “My arm starts to hurt sometimes, but I push on.”

Amazing. 34-year-old British artist, Stephen Wiltshire, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age, is currently taking residence at Pratt to do what he does best: draw. But not just draw; the artist is creating a detailed panorama of New York's skyline from memory, after only briefly visiting the city and taking it all in from a helicopter. He has done this around the world, 8 times in total, and says this is his finale.

There was much rancor recently when Pratt announced it would restrict its campus to students and faculty. The university has long described the grounds as an "urban oasis" for the community, so locals are surprised about the sudden change. Some speculated that Pratt couldn't legally restrict access, because city streets were absorbed by the campus in the '50s. Well, The Local did some digging and learns that there is in fact no such requirement. Pratt can and will exclude you.

For at least a decade, Pratt's made a big deal about how its 25-acre grassy campus doubles as a much-needed public oasis for the Clinton Hill community. But the gates to Eden are closing. In June the campus was shut to the public to accommodate a major "beautification" construction project, and when it reopens again in a month only authorized visitors and those with Pratt ID cards will be welcome. Well, outsiders will be allowed to cut through the campus to get from DeKalb to Willoughby, but they're no longer invited to linger. Some wonder whether the change is in response to a perceived crime spike in the neighborhood; last month a Pratt architecture student wound up in a coma after a violent mugging near campus. Whatever the motivation, neighbors are already up in arms, and there's even talk of a petition! But one Pratt student, commenting on The Local, wants the neighbors to know they're not alone—"there are a lot of rules for Pratt students on campus, too. For example, we’re no longer allowed to skateboard." Which reminds us; student sit-in season is almost upon us!

That 22-year-old Pratt architecture student who was savagely beaten during a mugging in Clinton Hill on August 4th is in the early stages of recovery after coming out of a coma. To observe the one month mark, community members, students, and Pratt faculty held a candlelight vigil last night at the site of the attack at Grand and Lexington Avenues, where Eduardo Sanchez was violently robbed by four or more teens. It's being reported that Sanchez, who was beaten with a crowbar, is showing signs of recovery, and is now breathing on his own. His mother tells The Local, "One day at a time he is getting better. The medical and living expenses, I haven’t even thought about." On August 12th, police arrested 16-year-old Eugene Adams, but have not made any further arrests in the case. Also attending last night's vigil was City Councilwoman Letitia James, who told NY1 she thinks the attack was an isolated incident, but reminded New Yorkers to be aware of their surroundings and avoid flashing expensive iPods and cell phones on the street.

Detectives from the 88th Precinct have arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with last week’s assault on Eddy Sanchez, a 22-year-old Pratt architecture student who is still in critical condition in a medically induced coma at Kings County Hospital Center. The suspect, Eugene Adams, is charged with assault, robbery and criminal possession of stolen property. A police source tells The Local Adams resides at 1100 Bedford Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, three long blocks east from the site of the August 4th attack at Grand and Lexington Avenues in Clinton Hill. After releasing surveillance footage of teens attempting to use Sanchez's ATM card at a bodega, police tracked down Adams through a tip called in to the Crime-Stoppers hot line, (800) 577-TIPS. According to ABC News, as many as four other teens may have been involved in the attack, but no other arrests were immediately made. It's being reported that the suspects beat Sanchez after he refused to give them money, and one of the assailants used a crowbar.

Last week, a 22-year-old Pratt student was robbed and brutally beaten at Grand and Lexington Avenues in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill section. Eddy Sanchez had been walking towards to the Pratt campus around 10 p.m. last Tuesday night when, WCBS 2 reports, five teens surrounded him—"They demanded money, and when Sanchez initially refused, the suspects punched and kicked him into submission, and took what they wanted." The Daily News adds that one teen used a crowbar to beat him when he tried to fight back. Now Sanchez is in a coma at Kings County Hospital.

     

Photographer Andrew Hinderaker, whose work you may have seen on Gothamist in the past, recently spent some time with the firefighters of Rescue Company 2 in Bed-Stuy, accompanying them on calls to fires, car accidents, building collapses and training exercises. His collection of photos will be exhibited at the Pratt Institute Media Arts Gallery, with an opening reception tonight from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Details here.

Williamsburg isn't the only Brooklyn nabe with a rash of violent assaults; Brownstoner reports that last Friday Pratt Institute students and faculty received a warning about an increase of violent activity near the Clinton Hill campus, as reported by the 88th Precinct.