CIA and Pratt Collaborate on Food & Design Course

Students from the CIA and Pratt Institute are teaming up this fall to put the “art” in culinary arts. They are taking a class together that calls upon the special talents of these students from both colleges.

The collaboration—Food and Design: Hudson River—is a semester-long, three-credit class. The Hudson River was selected as the theme for this exploration of food and design as it has been vital to the region’s food, art, and commerce for centuries. During the semester, students will visit art museums and food producers as well as agricultural, artistic, and historic sites.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Pratt Institute to create an experiential learning experience inspired by the history, culture, geography, ecology, and beauty of the Hudson River,” says Dr. Denise Bauer, dean of the CIA’s School of Liberal Arts and Food Studies. “Coming from specialized colleges, CIA and Pratt students share the same kind of focus and passion for their chosen fields; bringing them together to create a collaborative food design project promises a unique outcome.”

During the semester, students will visit each other’s college in addition to meeting weekly on their own campus and connecting via video conference. The course wraps up with a culminating event in which teams of students from both colleges work together to create a project for public exhibit inspired by the culture of the Hudson River.

At the CIA, the course is a bachelor’s-level elective open to juniors and seniors majoring in Applied Food Studies or Food Business Management.