This year, three individuals will be honored at Lavan Midtown in Manhattan—internationally renowned packaging designer Marc Rosen, celebrated architect Toshiko Mori, and award-winning filmmaker Charles Burnett.
This event serves as a crucial fundraiser for scholarships and will take place on Thursday, October 10. The gala begins at 6 PM with a cocktail reception, followed by a 7 PM dinner and awards ceremony.
Pratt President Frances Bronet said,
“We are thrilled to celebrate Legends 2024 and honor the extraordinary contributions of Charles Burnett, Toshiko Mori, and Marc Rosen. Their groundbreaking work in film, architecture, and packaging design has set new standards and inspired countless individuals. This event not only recognizes their achievements but also raises essential funds to support our students’ education, ensuring the next generation of creative leaders can thrive and make a significant impact in the world.”
Meet the Honorees
Marc Rosen
Rosen is an award-winning designer, professor, philanthropist, and author who began his career as a cosmetics packaging designer under the guidance of Charles Revson, founder of Revlon.
He established Marc Rosen Associates in 1989 and has worked with such famous names as Karl Lagerfeld, Coty, Chloe, Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, Perry Ellis, Nina Ricci, Burberry, and more.
He is the recipient of seven FiFi Awards, the “Academy Award” of the fragrance industry. Rosen has created three full-tuition scholarships for graduate students studying package design as well as an education fund, as a trustee emeritus at Pratt Institute. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2003.
Rosen is also a long-time member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors.
Toshiko Mori
Mori is the founder and principal of Toshiko Mori Architect. Her firm’s work includes libraries, museums, universities, workspaces, master planning, and residences.
Mori has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2016 and the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 2020, where she is currently vice president of architecture.
She has participated in symposia at MoMA, The Guggenheim, and the G1 Summit, and most recently was the Royal Academy’s inaugural speaker for “Introducing Architecture,” an architecture summer youth program.
As a member and former chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Design, Mori addresses scarcity-driven design, the future of cities and urban information systems, and the role of the arts in improving communities.
Mori has received numerous awards, including the Asia Society Asia Arts Game Changer Award (2024), the Philip Hanson Hiss Award (2023), the Isamu Noguchi Award (2021), and the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education (2019), among others.
Architectural Digest has featured Mori in its annual AD100 list since 2014 and named Mori to the AD100 Hall of Fame in 2023; she was also named an Elle Decor A-List Titan. Mori was a guest editor of Domus magazine for 2023.
Charles Burnett
Burnett is an honorary Oscar recipient and a filmmaker.
His filmography includes Killer of Sheep (declared a “national treasure” by the Library of Congress, it was among the first 50 films placed in the National Film Registry, and a winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s Critics Prize and a first-place honor at Sundance), My Brother’s Wedding, To Sleep with Anger (winner of three Independent Spirit Awards, the National Society of Film Critics Best Screenplay Award), and The Glass Shield.
Burnett made his television directorial debut with Nightjohn (Disney Channel), which received the National Society of Film Critics’ Special Citation Award.
Burnett’s other projects include Finding Buck McHenry (Showtime); Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding (ABC); The Annihilation of Fish; Selma, Lord, Selma (ABC); The Blues (PBS); An American Family: Journey of Dreams (PBS); Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (PBS); Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation; Relative Stranger (Hallmark Channel); and Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.
Burnett has received the Horton Foote Award for Screenwriting and the Paul Robeson Award from Howard University. He received a United States Artists Fellowship and was named to Paste Magazine’s list of 50 Best Living Directors.
Among the many honors he has received, the pinnacle was being recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with an honorary Academy Award in 2017.
Legends 2024 will celebrate the achievements of these remarkable honorees and raise vital funds to provide scholarships that foster diversity within the Pratt community. Through the Legends scholarship program, Pratt can support and foster the inclusion of diverse artists, designers, architects, and creative thinkers.
