Adjunct Assistant Professor of Foundation and SCPS Lecturer Melissa Staiger took her Visualization/Representation class to the Stephen Friedman Gallery, where they were encouraged to draw from their latest exhibition by painter Claire Woods. They also visited Ericka Beckman’s exhibition at The Drawing Center. Institutions like the Stephen Friedman Gallery and The Drawing Center welcome Pratt students to engage with and learn from their resources.

“We sketched directly from contemporary artworks, building not just drawing skills, but confidence and comfort in gallery spaces,” said Staiger. “The project became more than an exercise; it was a bridge—linking Pratt students with the vibrant world of contemporary art encouraged my students to visit The Drawing Center so they could experience firsthand what a powerful and versatile medium drawing can be. It’s a space filled with unexpected, thought-provoking, and visually striking works that go far beyond the traditional definition of drawing.”

The Drawing Center exhibit became “a jumping-off point for rich dialogue about visual language, intention, and technique,” added Staiger. “More importantly, it helped students see that these questions are not just academic—they’re deeply relevant to the decisions they’ll make in their own Capstone Projects later this semester.”