Design Competition Call for Entries: Engraved Brick Celebration of Brotherhood and Sisterhood

At Pratt Institute, a lineage of students, going as far back as 1898, continuously contributed  to an enduring legacy of building and cementing life-long friendships while enriching their experience of student life and learning during their college years. Today's living members recall with fondness their fun-filled experiences as members of Delta Gamma Theta during the 1950's, Tau Delta Phi during the 1960s, 1970s and part of the 1980s, Delta Gamma Theta from 1988 through 2006, and Gallery House/Delta Gamma Theta honorees since 2015.

To date, $2,400 in donations from members have been received for the purchase of one or more engraved brick in their own name, or in memory or acknowledgement of another, to support the continuation of DGT's program and to celebrate what has come out of more than a century of friendship-building. A ritual of installing these engraved bricks, celebrating members who are no longer with us, our own experiences and contributions, and that of many to come, is about to begin on Saturday, July 29, 2017. with the selection of a winning design for continuously and indefinitely installing engraved bricks in the rear patio of 272 Clinton Ave., our home since 1964, and to ceremonially begin the initial construction phase of the project. 

The Board of DGT Alumni Association, Inc. has commissioned a design competition, open to all members (active/current on their dues and inactive/not current on their dues), for a continuously expanding 'engraved brick construction' in the rear patio. The intent is to accommodate engraved bricks bearing the name and initiation/induction year of members from the past, as they are identified and verified, the present, and the future as they become part of the DGT lineage. The Board has not determined that the design is for paving or some other form of construction, but only that it should anticipate (not necessarily incorporate) replacement of the wooden fence at some point, by a wall or a newer wooden fence, and that the whole property itself will at some point in time undergo renovations that will incorporate the already installed winning design.  The design submissions should consider what an initial installation of 25 engraved bricks will look like, and how, additional, new engraved bricks will be periodically installed, at least once every year. Consideration should also be given to project feasibility based on ease of installation by DGT volunteers, and low cost based on keeping contracting and permitting  at minimum to none.  Although the donation amount will likely increase over time, DGT envisions $20 (20%) for the brick and installation and $80 (80%) of the donation by each member for each brick going to programs and activities.  As illustrated, the design is for an area, 20' wide by 18' ft deep, at the rear of the property, and currently enclosed on three sides by a dilapidated wooden fence. the area is slightly raised (two steps) as you approach it from the ground floor of the building, and serves as a landing for an existing stairway from the first floor. Nothing currently within this 20' wide and 18' deep area is sacred, and can be removed. Again, the fence will at some point, when financially feasible, be replaced. The costs of improvements such as a new fence at some point, is not a consideration at this time. 

Award: The designer of the winning entry will have an engraved brick acknowledging him or her as the designer. Additionally, the winner will be credited one year of payment on their dues. The winning design will be announced during a pot luck BBQ gathering on July, 29 2017, following a Quarterly Meeting of the membership.  All members within driving distance, or visiting New York at the time, as well as their family members are invited and encouraged to participate in the gathering. 

Submission: Contestants must submit their entry electronically, or on paper media, ANSI size D, Maximum (22" x 34") so that it can be converted to electronic format. File format shall be either PDF or JPG. The name of the contestant shall not appear on the drawings illustrating the design, and instead, this information shall be in the cover email or correspondence, or on the back of the drawing.  Submissions and questions shall be emailed to twong@dgtaa.org, or mailed to the attention of Tom Wong, DGT Alumni Association, 272 Clinton, Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205.

Deadline: The deadline is September 15, 2017.

Judging: All entries will be posted at the DGT website, and an announcement inviting all members in the DGT database, for which DGT has contact information, to submit a vote for their favorite entry. In the case of a tie, the DGT Board of Directors will select a jury panel of non-contestants to break the tie.