Storefront Art Tour with Pratt Institute + The Village West

Tour Highlights:

• Explore Pratt Institute x The Village West: Windows on 14th Street, a public art installation turning empty storefronts into a street-level gallery featuring
• See work from more than 30 Pratt students across art, architecture, fashion, film, design, and creative technologies
• Learn how Pratt Institute partnered with neighborhood organizations like the Union Square Partnership and Meatpacking District, civic leaders like the Department of Transportation initiative to transform 14th Street with public planning, and The Village West developers to activate the 14th Street corridor and demonstrate how art can revitalize underutilized urban spaces
• Enjoy a guided tour of the Pratt Manhattan Gallery exhibition Beyond Digital: Living Systems & Distributed Intelligence, featuring contemporary works that examine the relationships between technology, ecology, cosmology, and human systems.
• Hear the stories behind select artworks from Pratt leaders and gain insight into the artistic forms emerging artists are exploring
• Discover how cultural institutions like Pratt are serving as both a creative hub and a catalyst for reimagining the public realm, connecting education, culture, and urban design in the heart of New York City

About this Tour:

Explore how Pratt Institute is transforming one of Manhattan's busiest corridors into an art and cultural destination for the summer on this exclusive Untapped New York Insiders tour!

Beginning at the Pratt Institute x The Village West: Windows on 14th Street installation, guests will walk along the 14th Street corridor between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, using the installation as a starting point to explore how vacant storefronts can be reimagined as vibrant spaces for creativity and community. The installation features the work of 36 emerging artists, designers, architects, filmmakers, and creative technologists.

The tour then moves down 14th Street to the Pratt Manhattan Gallery for a guided visit to Beyond Digital: Living Systems & Distributed Intelligence, a new exhibition featuring work by seven artists from Pratt Institute’s Digital Arts alumni community that explores the increasingly complex intersections of art, ecology, engineering, and technology and the environments we inhabit.

Along the way, participants will gain an insider's perspective on how cultural institutions, artists, developers, and community organizations are collaborating to bring art to the forefront of some of New York City's most popular public spaces.

About Your Guides:

David Burney: David Burney is co-founder and Director of the Urban Placemaking and Management program at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture. The graduate MS program is the first in the country to focus on the emerging field of “placemaking” as an approach to urban and community design.

Mr. Burney is on the board of Project for Public Spaces (PPS). PPS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build strong communities.

Mr. Burney served as a member of the New York City Planning Commission from 2019 t0 2022, as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (“DDC”), from 2004 to 2014, and as Chief Architect of the New York City Housing Authority from 1990 to 2004

Ted Holland: Edward “Ted” Holland is an artist and arts professional based in New York City. With over twenty years experience in the art world, Holland is currently the Interim Director of Exhibitions at Pratt Institute in New York. Previously he worked with Hirschl & Adler Modern, ZieherSmith, and 80swe Galleries at New York University, among others. 

Along with his work in commercial galleries and higher education, Holland is a practicing artist, whose work has been shown in galleries and institutions nationwide, including Hollis Taggart Gallery (New York, NY); Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (Brattleboro, VT); Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO); URBN (Philadelphia, PA); and Gerald Peters Gallery (Santa Fe, NM). His work has been discussed in Artnet News, Tussle Magazine, and The Huffington Post, among others. Edward Holland is represented by Hollis Taggart Gallery (New York, NY). He received a B.F.A. in Painting from Syracuse University and a M.A. in Studio Art from New York University. 

Jolene Travis:  Jolene Travis is an award-winning communications professional dedicated to elevating the public profile of forward-thinking cultural and academic institutions. She is Assistant Vice President for Communications at Pratt Institute, where she leads integrated communications strategies that expand visibility and engage diverse audiences. She is also a member of the 14th Street Local Working Group, representing Pratt Institute Manhattan on 14th Street.

Prior to joining Pratt, Jolene served as Assistant Director of Public Affairs at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, where she led media relations during a period of heightened visibility, including the opening of 41 Cooper Square by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Thom Mayne. She previously worked at PR and marketing agencies across sectors and began her career in fashion public relations, working at European design houses.