The Cooper Union Alumni Association

06/05/2026

Congratulations to Ari Barash, a sophomore at The Cooper Union School of Art, as the winner of our second annual Student Art Competition. His four-painting series, LONGLIVEYUL: NOMADIC COSMOLOGY, will be installed in Astor Place Plaza and remain on view through the summer. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CbY5uDfFo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

⚠️Congrats to Ari Barash: sophomore and the winner of this year’s Student Art Competition⚡️

Barash’s work stood out amid fierce competition—the # of applications quadrupled over last year. We at Village Alliance HQ were truly humbled by the talent we saw.

Ari writes of his submission, titled LONGLIVEYUL: NOMADIC COSMOLOGY:

“This series emerged after the loss of Yul, my older brother, in 2024. It grapples with the fragility and unconditional love of siblinghood amid the uncertainty of migration and divergent spiritual journeys. Inspired by my lucid dreams, the works imagine multiverses in which bodies are inexplicably drawn toward one another, bound by forces that attract and resist contact.

At its core, the series reflects a trust in the persistence of connection despite the impossibility of resolving grief. It embraces flux as both destabilizing and generative, where longing, trust, and love remain in constant motion—unfixed, yet encompassing.‍“

💡Ari’s work will be displayed on electrical boxes in Astor Place Plaza beginning May 7.

🫟Link in bio for more

14/04/2026

NYC Alumni—join us for a weekend of connection and art!

Gallery Walk
Saturday, April 18, 2026 — 1:00 PM
Led by Alyssa Davis (BSE ’15), we’ll tour Cooper alumni exhibitions from Union Square to Tribeca. Perfect for anyone curious about the city’s gallery scene. Please RSVP through the link in bio.

Come reconnect with fellow alumni—we’d love to see you there!

Exhibition view of 'On the Swing of Norms: Brandon Ndife & Louis Osmosis,' Amanita, 1 Freeman Alley, New York. Courtesy the artist and Amanita.

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11/04/2026

Join alumna Ruth Pastine (Art ‘87) Saturday 4/11, 4–6 PM, for a reception celebrating her exhibition, Colorscape, at Scott Richards Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA. 

Rooted in West Coast Light and Space and Color Field traditions, Pastine transforms color into an immersive emotional field where chroma becomes both subject and atmosphere—an experience of color as a psychological and spatial encounter. Her spheric fields of color that unfold through subtle tonal transitions and layered pigment. 

The show coincides with an upcoming solo presentation at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art in Malibu opening May 2026.

09/04/2026

Join alumna Olivia Drusin for a walkthrough and artist talk as part of her exhibition “DUMMY”

Friday 4/10 · 7:30 PM
28 Warren St, Fl. 4

Olivia Drusin (Art ’16) makes paintings about thresholds, obscured views, and the uncanny. She’ll be in conversation with David Humphrey—artist, writer; Guggenheim Fellow & Rome Prize recipient.

🖼️ Olivia Drusin, “Untitled,” 2026, oil on canvas, 72 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist and Alyssa Davis Gallery.

26/03/2026

Where to watch the 2026 CUAA Alumni Awards

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

20/03/2026

One week to go! Join us to celebrate the honorees of the 71st annual Founder’s Day Awards. RSVP now via the link in bio.

Hall of Fame Inductees
Lou Manzione, ChE ’75 | The Gano Dunn Award
Ellen Lupton, Art ’85 | The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award
David Gersten, Arch ’91 | The John Q. Hejduk Award
Pamela Belyea, Arch ’85 | The Peter Cooper Public Service Award

Founder’s Day Award Recipients
Ron Vogel, ChE ’01 | Alumnus of the Year
Andrew Keane, CE ’17 & ME ’19 | Young Alumnus of the Year

Join us Thursday, March 26, 2026. Reception at 6:00 PM, program at 7:00 PM in the Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, Cooper Union, 41 Cooper Square, NYC.
Celebrate and honor these remarkable alumni!

Reserve your spot via the link in bio.

26/02/2026

We’re thrilled to announce the honorees of the 71st annual Founder’s Day Awards!

Hall of Fame Inductees
Lou Manzione, ChE ’75 | The Gano Dunn Award
Ellen Lupton, Art ’85 | The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award
David Gersten, Arch ’91 | The John Q. Hejduk Award
Pamela Belyea, Arch ’85 | The Peter Cooper Public Service Award

Founder’s Day Award Recipients
Ron Vogel, ChE ’01 | Alumnus of the Year
Andrew Keane, CE ’17 & ‘19 | Young Alumnus of the Year

Join us for the award ceremony, Cooper Union Hall of Fame induction, and celebration on Thursday, March 26, 2026. There is a a reception at 6:00 PM, followed by a program at 7:00 PM in the Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, Cooper Union, 41 Cooper Square, NYC.

Celebrate with us and honor these remarkable alumni.

26/02/2026

Alex Kwartler’s (A’02) exhibition "Off-Peak" closes Feb. 28 at Magenta Plains, New York. New York Times critic Will Heinrich calls the paintings “simple, forthright and unadorned” and full of “quiet surprise.” Small, playful, and unexpectedly poetic, these intimate works reward close looking. This is the final few days to experience the installation in person. 

1 – ‘Right (ii),’ 2025, Oil on linen, 14 x 11 in.
2 – ‘Sock-eye,’ 2025, Oil and acrylic on linen, 24 x 20 in.
3 – ‘Pots and Pans,’ 2025, Oil and acrylic on linen, 24 x 20 in.
4 – ‘Nicorette,’ 2024, Oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in.
5 – ‘Black plastic bag,’ 2025, Oil on linen, 20 x 16 in.
6 – Alex Kwartler, “Off Peak.” Installation view at Magenta Plains, New York, 2026.



13/02/2026

Join us in Tokyo for a Cooper Together 2026 meet-up organized by Fuji Toshio AR'89.

Cooper Together — Tokyo, Japan
Saturday, February 14 • 4:00 PM JST
Rocco's New York Style Pizza, 1-1-24 Oji-Honcho, Kita-Ku, Tokyo, 114-0022

Register via the link in bio. The organizer asks that if you are interested in attending, to please sign up as soon as possible, so that he may confirm the reservation with the restaurant. Last-minute sign-ups are welcome but may be seated at a different table.

Celebrate Peter Cooper’s birthday with alumni and friends. See you there!

12/02/2026

Sangamithra Iyer CE’99 published ‘Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed’ in November 2025 — a blend of family history, conservation, engineering insight, and animal-rights advocacy.

Join her this spring for events exploring those themes:

Monday, February 16 • 3:15–4:15 PM (Virtual), Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture, panel “Literary Mutations and Generative Partnerships”

Thursday, February 19 • 7:00 PM, Books That Changed My Life Festival, New York, NY

Sunday, March 29 • 3:00 PM EST (Virtual), VINE Book Club

Wednesday, April 1 • 12:30–1:30 PM, SUNY Stony Brook AAPI Celebration keynote “On Confluences and Connections”; PEN World Voices Festival (TBD), animal-themed panel

Saturday, March 2 • 2:30 PM, Open Secrets Live Summit, Symphony Space, NYC; May 14–16, 2026, More Than Human (MOTH) Festival of Ideas, NYU London.

Headshot by Jonathan Blanc, courtesy of Milkweed Editions.