"As an educator, it's important to know more than just the subject I teach," says digital communication professor Wioleta Kaminska. "I keep my mind open, and learn, especially from the younger generation, who will surpass me someday, because their talent is amazing. It's my job to keep them moving forward."

An artist of international renown, Kaminska brings two decades of academic experience to SCAD. In winter quarter 2020, she joined the digital communication department, a new frontier in foundation studies. Kaminska teaches DIGI 130, where students investigate the diverse applications of digital tools including Photoshop and Illustrator, and learn how to develop strategies for confident communication while navigating their personal and professional identities online.

"In each class I have 20 students, who come from different majors, and different countries," she explains. "I tell them to look around, because this could be the one time in your life you are surrounded by so many diverse, talented artists. Now is the time to work together, and to be kind to each other, because you may need each other someday. Then I encourage them to connect on LinkedIn."

Kaminska instills in students the daily practice of dedicating ten minutes to their visual diary, and once a week posting something from that diary to Instagram. "I had a student ask me, ‘What will my job title be when I graduate?' I explained that maybe there's a job that hasn't been created yet, and you will invent it. Artists often see the need for a job that didn't exist before. You don't have to know your style or what you're going to be for the rest of your life."

A conversation with Kaminska feels both focused and expansive. While discussing pedagogy, she extols the poetry of Wisława Szymborska, the virtues of gluten-free pizza, and the work of Italian composer Valerio Sannicandro. These are not disparate tangents, but expressions of a holistic worldview where, as she explains, "The best time to make art is now." But how to locate the impetus to create? "Meeting people and having conversations, that's where the muse lives."

It's fitting that after arriving in Savannah she launched her podcast CrazyBird, documenting discussions with artists about process and what it means to be human. "I invite guests whose work I admire, and who I admire as people," she says. "Sometimes we think of artists as inaccessible, but when we hear them talking and making jokes, it makes it all more relatable, and when we hear them share their own doubts, it makes it more hopeful. I tell my students that having doubts is not a problem, it's part of the process, and part of their artistic growth."

Kaminska's own childhood provides a connection with the significant international student body at SCAD. "When I was six, my mother brought me a UNICEF postcard with a drawing of children of different colors standing in a circle holding hands. At that time in Poland, we didn't see people of different colors. And I thought, I want to be in that circle holding hands with those kids. I'm doing that here now at SCAD."

Still from Wioleta Kaminska's short film Oculis Magnis (2018).

"My style is taking unexpected materials and transforming them," says Caroline Mae Heidenreich (B.F.A., fashion, 2009) as she tugs at the ripstop nylon wrap worn by student model Shiloh Smith (B.F.A., painting). Soon Smith is zipping on a moped down the corridors of Alexander Hall, gauzy garment billowing behind him to fabulous effect. The moment is part of a photo shoot documenting Mae's collection-in-progress FLY, the culmination of her work as SCAD Alumni Atelier Ambassador 2021. "Mae fills the room with light," says Smith. "As soon as she put me in the clothes, I felt uplifted."

While a SCAD undergraduate, Mae created a senior collection of gowns made from military parachutes, mosquito netting, and hand-painted canvas that earned her the Jeffrey Fashion Cares New Talent Award. From 2013-2021, she worked as creative and executive assistant for Madonna, creating costumes for the Madame X Tour. When Madonna posted a video of her son David Banda wearing a Mae Couture dress to Instagram earlier this year, it scored two million views. "Madonna is an idol of our lifetime who believed in me and helped me believe in myself," Mae says.

Mae is carrying that spirit forward. As a 2021 SCAD Alumni Atelier ambassador, she has mentored students, led virtual classroom workshops, and aligned with SCAD SERVE so that sales of her work will benefit the local community. During the new academic year, Mae's capsule collection will be exhibited at SCAD FASH in Atlanta, while her epic oil paintings — emphasizing themes of higher consciousness and "the self as light energy" — will be featured in Savannah at Alexander Hall.

SCAD students Shiloh Smith and Emma Calverley model Mae, with assitance by Beckham Lin (far left) and Ann-Hammond Gift (far right).

Caroline Mae Heidenreich:

I'd always wanted to be an Alumni Atelier ambassador, but working full-time meant my schedule didn't allow it. I stayed in touch with President Wallace, sending her updates about my work, and she connected me with Alumni Atelier director Tiffani Taylor. Then there was an opportunity for me to become one of the first digital Alumni Atelier ambassadors during winter quarter 2020-2021. Now I'm here in Savannah, completing my work in person. I had so many transformational experiences as a student at SCAD that being back in Savannah, a place where I learned so much, feels so right.

The ability to connect with students and classrooms virtually was eye-opening. I began mentoring a student who is now one of my assistants, Ann-Hammond Gift. Ann-Hammond was a fashion major who switched to a painting major, and I was a fashion major who now paints on garments, and I love the energy that's come from that connection, and from working with talented, hardworking students, including Beckham Lin (B.F.A., fashion) who has also been an invaluable assistant to me.

For my Atelier, I found a massive, 66-foot parachute and realized, I can paint on this, this can be my canvas. Some of the garments are silk. The aim with the reversible pieces is for them to be black and white on one side and really colorful on the reverse. The language you see on the garments, like the word FLY, is about spreading your wings. That's symbolic in Andean shamanism, where you travel above the tree tops and truly see from a higher perspective. I paint it and flip it, so the mantras face the body. The repetition of the word LIGHT means the collection recognizes my light within myself and the light within others.

I love the feeling of one-of-a-kind work. Big corporate designers are what everybody is trained to think fashion is. As an artist, I want to make things that can't be mass produced. Even when we make a pattern and cut it out a hundred different ways, it's never going to be the same. Let art be art.

SHOP MAE COUTURE

"Dirk Standen is a highly regarded fashion writer, editor, and industry mover," says dean Michael Fink, SCAD school of fashion. "He has incredible connections throughout the fashion industry and will be an advocate for our students as they embark on their careers."

Standen will begin teaching at SCAD in fall 2021 as professor of fashion marketing and management. Prior to joining SCAD, Standen served for a decade as editor-in-chief of Style.com, growing the media portal into the leading global destination for fashion news and runway reporting. As Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci said: "Dirk created the gold standard for fashion journalism in the digital age with his work on Style.com."

At Condé Nast, Standen became founding editor of creative agency 23 Stories, where he had his first encounter with SCAD. "I was working on a creative campaign for Cadillac, highlighting 25 innovative leaders, and Paula Wallace was an honoree," Standen says.

That profile piqued Standen's interest in the university and he began hearing "SCAD" everywhere he went. "Nicholas Dine [professor, industrial design], one of my very good friends from New York, kept telling me how much he enjoys living in Savannah," Standen says. "SCAD was very much on my radar and when this opportunity came up, I jumped at it."

SCAD is committed to hiring faculty who bring a lifetime of industry experience to the classroom, helping students achieve success in their own creative careers. "I know I can I can bring my knowledge and insights into the classroom and help my students pursue their dreams," Standen says. 

Standen is looking forward to his first quarter as a professor. He will teach Contemporary Issues in Fashion Merchandising (FASM 400) and The Future of Shopping: Retail Innovation for Customer Empowerment (FASM 415). Standen's students will learn first-hand how fashion houses work, how to identify emerging trends, and how to connect with and engage leaders in the industry. "Along with understanding how to launch and sustain a fashion brand, I have extensive knowledge on how to start your own business," Standen says.

Standen, who has worked with industry leaders from Virgil Abloh to Julie Gilhart to Kanye West, joins a fashion marketing and management program that places students at the nexus of fashion, business, and marketing.

The new professor is excited to connect with SCAD students who will enter the global workforce influencing every link of the fashion chain and driving innovation. "Today's students are at the forefront of huge changes in our industry," Standen says. "They have more opportunities than ever before and they are going to lead us in ways we have never even imagined."

Standen with creative director Virgil Abloh.

"When my students graduate, they will have made important connections in the industry and they'll be ready to enter the workforce as prepared professionals," says John Hobbie, SCAD chair of production design and themed entertainment design.

Hobbie understands what employers and production companies are looking for in rising talent. Before joining SCAD in March, 2020, he was a show production designer and field art director for Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative team at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "I joined SCAD because of the SCAD students I encountered at Disney," Hobbie explains. "Every time I got to work with them during the Imaginations competitions, they impressed me greatly."

Hobbie first worked with SCAD students in 2013 at Hong Kong Disneyland, where he was show production designer for a property called Grizzly Gulch, and SCAD students had submitted a concept for a new food cart. "SCAD students came in knowing how to do the job. They were professional, well-spoken, and understood the importance of telling a cohesive story."

"Those first students I met were able to produce professional level work and talk about it in front of a group comfortably. They blew away the competition." Two students, Alfred Lee (B.F.A., illustration, 2014) and Katrina Teh (B.A., illustration, 2013), were subsequently hired upon graduation to join the Imagineering team. "The two of them together were a powerhouse," Hobbie says.

Over the years, SCAD students have achieved success at Imaginations, winning the competition in 2018 and 2019. This is in large part due to SCAD's first-of-its-kind M.F.A. program in themed entertainment design. The program leverages a curriculum that explores architecture, new media, film, live theater, and augmented and virtual reality that allows students to design attractions from the ground up.

Before coming to SCAD, and prior to his role as a Disney Imagineer, Hobbie worked in New York City as a set designer with United Scenic Artists Local 829. He relished the creative freedom. "As a set designer, you read a script and then get to create a world for everyone to play in. I had the freedom to explore my creative ideas and let go of my ego and be a part of something magical, again and again."

As chair at SCAD, Hobbie is ready to help students forge their own paths. "Themed entertainment and production design are huge industries," he says. "Our students will be working on projects from theme parks to Broadway shows to casinos to dressing Macy's window displays. The options are endless and the jobs are going to be there."

Hobbie is adamant that SCAD's programs will continue to set the mark for all other programs globally. He has the industry expertise and the vision to see the unfolding landscape. "I am working towards programs that that speak directly to industry. SCAD students will be known for the value they bring with them on day one and the creativity to tell stories that resonate."

Disney delight: Hobbie cuddles rooster Heihei with Moana's approval.

"Usman represents the best of what a creative thinker and maker should be," says SCAD associate chair of graphic design Michael Mikulec of his student Usman Ibrahim. "Usman finds idiosyncratic ways into projects, creating with an exciting sense of agency and command of subject matter. He follows through on his ambition with his outcomes."

Professor Mikulec's praise is manifest in Ibrahim's vision. In recent months, anyone walking around the perimeter of the basketball courts in Savannah's Forsyth Park has seen a striking message stitched in yellow in its perimeter fencing: "Keep it busy." There, in the bucolic heart of the city, a place where locals, tourists, fitness enthusiasts, and socializing students all gather, Ibrahim's public art thrives.

"The initial prompt from professor Mikulec was to go on a dérive, an unplanned journey through an urban landscape," explains Ibrahim (M.F.A., graphic design). "The purpose of the dérive was to find a location in Savannah for creating an environmental poster that spoke to my experience. On my walk, I came across the fence and it felt natural to use that as a grid for creating blackletter typography. The words 'keep it busy' came from a freewriting exercise. Although they were written in a specific personal context, I picked them out so that anyone who came across the piece could make it their own, and find some inspiration and motivation to keep doing what they're doing."

Ibrahim's project was spurred by professor Mikulec's class User-centered Strategy and Process (GDVX 770). It took approximately 15 hours for Ibrahim to complete the installation, working by hand in the hot sun and fielding intrigued questions about his purpose from passersby.

In addition to the Forsyth installation, Ibrahim deconstructed that environmental iteration to create a motion poster and a digital print edition, to explore how an idea can be applied in different media. "Those posters were inspired by my process and the painstaking time and effort it took to weave the ropes into the fence," explains the native of Karachi, Pakistan. "It was about becoming more comfortable with creative freedom—something we as designers both dread and crave—and converging on what works and feels right."

Lest a temporary public art project confine perceptions, Usman's other projects are as varied as the depth of his talent. He is founder and creative director of Pin'd (billed as "Pakistan's first enamel pin company"), brand producer for TEDxLUMS, and an illustrator whose work has been featured on adda ("The online magazine of new writing from around the globe").

Ibrahim will return to SCAD Savannah in fall 2021 to begin work on his master's thesis, using graphic design to address the history of Pakistan and how external influences from colonialism through globalization affect his home nation's identity. "I want to address our visual identity as a community. We cannot lose the idea of having something to add to the discourse of the world."

Visit Usman Ibrahim.

"La Bayadère is one of the greatest ballets in the world," says Anthony TungNing Huang (M.F.A., illustration, 2021) of the subject of his graduate thesis project, a speculative poster design for The Royal Ballet. "It's about love, it's about revenge, it's about forgiveness, and it's about closure."

The creative process that led Huang to his thesis began in Contemporary Art (ARTH 701) class with SCAD art history professor Dr. Rachel Hooper.

"Dr. Hooper introduced examples of artists who had opened up their worlds by using different materials," remembers Huang. "As an illustrator I thought, how can I use different materials to find myself and grow as an artist? I started off using watercolors, then tried acrylic — both were fun, but not it."

Then, in the winter of 2020, Huang signed up for Graduate Printmaking Processes (PRMK 602) with professor Curtis Bartone. That experience proved transformative. The first assignment was woodcut relief, and as Huang says, "The moment I touched the gouge, I knew."

"Printmaking taught me to slow down. I learned how to be more sensitive to values and textures. Becoming a printmaker changed me as an illustrator."

Huang had the opportunity to work alongside students majoring in a wide range of disciplines, including interior design, painting, and fibers. "It was fascinating to see how everyone's background manifested in their work, even when we were all working with the same materials." When winter quarter concluded and the world went into lockdown, Huang began to work on his thesis project largely from his apartment, without full access to studio tools.

"La Bayadère, also known as The Temple Dancer, is adapted from the Indian poetry drama by Kalidasa," explains the Taiwanese-American Huang. Under the guidance of his thesis chair, professor Arden von Haeger, Huang combined traditional media and new media to create the poster. "I tried to mimic some textures from printmaking. I used monochromatic tones to create a classic feel. I used the form of a ballet dancer to express the grace and sadness of the whole show. I used a sans serif font to echo the logo of the theater itself. And I used environmental elements, symbolic flowers like the lotus."

Huang's horizontal design can be cropped to create a billboard, flyers, or other promotional collateral. "I challenged myself by creating a huge image, with more information inside, and a sense of movement by using dancers' bodies."

Intriguingly, years before he came to SCAD, Huang was on a path to become a professional ballroom dancer in Shanghai before being waylaid by injury and turning towards visual arts. His sensitivity to movement is apparent in his work. (This physicality is evident in the film on his website that conveys the rhythms of his artistic process and his seriousness of purpose.)

"One reason I chose La Bayadère is because of the history of the story, which goes back to Asia. The more I grow, especially with globalization and the internet, I assume a world citizenship. I want to connect ancient cultures through my work, and make it modern."

Huang acknowledges another SCAD class, Business and Professional Practices in Illustration (ILLU 774), as influencing his thesis: "As an artist, it's important to show who you are. But as an illustrator you also need to work with the client. Trying to make your client see what's interesting about your work and who you are, and how that will make their product more successful, that's something I learned at SCAD."

Visit Anthony TungNing Huang.

"Curious, passionate and hard-working, Changran Du is the ideal SCAD graduate student," says professor Melissa Kuperminc, Du's thesis chair. "Her empathetic spirit is a hallmark of her work, and her innovative projects are gaining notice in the greater design community."

This year, the International Design Awards (IDA) honored Du (M.F.A., graphic design) with the IDA Gold Award for her speculative exhibition catalog, 'When Dada Meets…' created in Kuperminc's graduate level class Design Research, Analysis, and Discourse (GDVX 701). Du's award-winning catalog is comprised of three books, held together with a belly band, that explore how Dada principles influenced Surrealism, Constructivism and DeStijl. "The innovative format for an exhibition catalog, along with Changran's attention to design and detail, make this project stand out," says Kuperminc.

The GDVX 701 assignment was to create an exhibition catalog and design accompanying collateral including posters, banners, and badges, and write a research paper examining visual communication theories from 1900 to present.

Du explains her process: "While doing research, I was fascinated by how Dada was influencing and being influenced by Constructivism and Surrealism and De Stijl. They all have their own language, yet are in dialogue with Dada. The title 'When Dada Meets…' came to me naturally, because Dada is for me like a person—you meet someone, you should shake hands."

An interior spread of 'When Dada Meets…' reveals type bleeding past edges of pages. "I wanted to make it very loud," Du says. "I went to the SCAD library and scanned in typefaces from 1920s art books, then transited them into my computer, traced them, created a vector, and made my own interpretive typography. That page says WHEN CHAOS MEETS HARMONY, which is my central theme."

The catalog also contains hidden design details: "The cover is actually two pages folded over, so you can open the space slightly, and when you open it up you see the solid red color inside." Du used matte, 10% gray paper to "create a feeling like back in the day" and avoid bright white gloss.

In her superb essay in her process book, Du analyzes the collaboration between Dadaist Kurt Schwitters and De Stijl artist/designer Theo van Doesburg. "To think about those artists actually hanging around together and having these revolutionary ideas is just amazing," she says. "I'm following in their footsteps and going through a similar process collaborating at SCAD."

Originally from Xiamen, China ("a pretty fishing city") Du attended Sichuan Fine Art Institute in Chongqing before coming to SCAD Atlanta "when I knew I needed to keep improving."
 
"At SCAD, even though my major is graphic design, I've leaned into the digital world, embracing motion media and UX design," Du explains. "Professor Kuperminc has taught me fundamentals and theory-based knowledge, the history of layout design and branding. Professor Holly Quarzo taught me the digital base, and with SCAD providing resources, I'm integrating those two together."

Du also acknowledges professor Peter Wong for pushing her to submit her own work into competitions. (She won an IDA Bronz award in 2019, and was named a 2019 AdobeEDU Top Talent.) This summer she is a design intern at the Atlanta headquarters of Rooms To Go. She will graduate from SCAD at the end of 2021, having completed her graduate thesis on how innovation in graphic design can support dementia patients emotionally and psychologically.

In addition to her conscientious work, Du is not averse to fun.

"As soon as I found out I won the IDA award, I grabbed my roommates and friends and we went to Hot Melody on Buford Highway to celebrate."

Visit Changran Du!

Rebonjour! SCAD is pleased to announce the re-opening of SCAD Lacoste, an imaginative center for the study of art and design sited in the beautifully preserved medieval village of Lacoste in the Provence region of France. In 2002, SCAD acquired the site and meticulously revitalized more than 30 historic structures. This summer, SCAD will host dynamic activations throughout SCAD Lacoste, inspiring students, alumni, and visitors to the region.

The exhibition Notre Ami, Pierre Cardin, the university's latest ode and homage to the indomitable designer, is now open to the public. The exhibition features exceptional garments and two films produced by the university — including I Am Thinking of Pierre Cardin, awarded Best Fashion Documentary at the London Film Festival — celebrating Cardin's remarkable life story. The exhibition is set in an installation reminiscent of Cardin's famous Palais Bulles, his dream residence near Cannes and a future-forward architectural marvel that rivaled his greatest fashion creations.

Notre Ami, Pierre Cardin highlights the designer's long and treasured friendship with the university that began with the establishment of SCAD Lacoste in the historic village, which Cardin, a longtime resident, knew would serve as an endless source of inspiration for young artists. For nearly two decades, Cardin embraced the role of mentor, engaging hundreds of SCAD students across the university's top-ranked degree programs, from fashion to architecture and beyond.

In 2008, the university honored Cardin with the SCAD Étoile for his contributions to the fields of fashion and design as well as his role in the historic restoration and cultural life of Lacoste. In 2018, the university's SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta originated the exhibition Pierre Cardin: Pursuit of the Future, a major retrospective presented in partnership with the Pierre Cardin Museum in Paris that included iconic looks from the 1950s held in the SCAD Permanent Collection. Notre Ami, Pierre Cardin is curated by Rafael Gomes, head of fashion exhibitions at SCAD, in collaboration with Pierre Cardin Paris and Rodrigo Basilicati.

Visitors to Lacoste can also experience the creative process firsthand as they observe working artists selected for the prestigious SCAD Alumni Atelier, an elite artist residency conceptualized and endowed by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. Originated in 2015, the SCAD Alumni Atelier offers visionary graduates the time, space, resources, and business education to thrive creatively and professionally. As ambassadors or associates, alumni advance their careers, strengthen their connection to the university, and join a select cohort of emerging and established entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and scholars. Now in its sixth year, the SCAD Alumni Atelier has disbursed more than $1 million in support of new or expanded alumni ventures including fashion brands, jewelry collections, screenplays, feature films, exhibitions, and more — a testament to the university's lifelong commitment to the SCAD community.

Launched in 2021, the SCAD Alumni Atelier associateship encourages graduates to pursue their creative practice with a focus on engagement with the SCAD community. While creating, ideating, or brand building, associates reconnect with faculty, serve as student mentors, and engage with staff in admission, communications, and career and alumni success. SCAD Alumni Atelier associates Melinda Borysevicz (B.F.A., painting, 2011), Masako Maupu Masukawa (M.F.A., illustration, 1995; B.F.A., illustration, 1992), Liz Robb (M.F.A., fibers, 2014), Serge Ruffato (B.F.A., sculpture, 2012), and William M. Ruller (M.F.A., painting, 2013) will create new work in personal studios within the university's enchanting medieval caves and share their artistic practice with students and the public throughout the summer.

The university will also reopen shopSCAD in Lacoste. Nested on the Rue Saint-Trophime, the boutique retail space and gallery features an ever-changing melange of original jewelry, accessories, apparel, stationery, home décor, and unique gifts by SCAD students, alumni, and faculty.

"Summer sunshine bathes France's Luberon Valley in lavender hues and beckons adventurers to SCAD Lacoste, where enthralling exhibitions and explorations await," says President Wallace. "À bientôt!"

Visit SCAD Lacoste!

"Entrepreneurship is all about understand the problem you are solving and who you are solving it for" says SCAD professor Jeanne McPhillips. "I tell my students that developing relationships and collaborating in teams are key to any business, and that in start-ups, where less is more, teams are even more powerful."

McPhillips, an industry expert and founder of coaching consultancy SuperGirlls LLC, started at SCAD in September, 2020. Her business management and entrepreneurship curriculum is rooted in her 30-plus year career as private sector executive at Macy's, General Mills, Limited Group, and The Walt Disney Company. Her experiences range from focusing on merchandising and product development on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan to overseeing the overhaul of a $75 million dress division spanning seven hundred stores, with trips overseas to ensure sourcing needs were met.

"I worked with amazing talent and amazing brands, traveling the world learning the fashion business first hand," McPhillips says, her hands punctuating each sentence as though she were still competing with the sounds of New York City. "As I moved up, I got to start coaching teams. I loved it and I got the teaching bug."

She considers one key career moment to be her pivot into digital commerce—"from fashion to digital fashion," as she puts it—leading to her time as an executive at Overstock.com, Inc. and Ascena Retail Group, Inc.

The shift provided McPhillips with insights about how to retain relevance in the marketplace, which informs her SCAD classroom instruction, where she focuses on real world scenarios and entrepreneurial problem-solving. Assignments are often structured around group work and the need to form collaborative connections with peers.

McPhillips is currently working alongside the SCADpro innovation studio and professor Oscar Betancur to develop a pilot course called Brand Studio. The course will pair SCAD students with entrepreneurial alumni who are developing their own ventures. McPhillips and her students will be working with SCADpro Fund recipients including Angela Benton (M.F.A., graphic design, 2007) of Streamlytics, Austin Webster (B.F.A., industrial design, 2006) of Deepr, and The Big Favorite's Eleanor Turner (B.F.A., fashion, 2008).

"We are pairing SCAD dream teams with SCADpro funded startups," McPhillips said. "Our students are going to test marketing strategies, design social media campaigns, and conduct customer research to help our SCAD grads succeed. It will be a powerful way to help these companies achieve their objectives."

"I am here to help SCAD students flourish," she emphasizes. "Study what you want to study, have fun being true to yourself, and make sure you are always addressing a problem that someone will pay you to solve."

Strengthen your core at SCAD!

"Key light" is a photography term describing the most important light source used in creating the form of a subject. The "key" idea also references problem-solving, unlocking, and deciphering.


The SCAD Key Light Alumni Photography Challenge 2021 was created by President Paula Wallace to provide a platform for alumni of the university's award-winning photography program. President Wallace asked a select group of graduates — each recognized for their unique gifts of design and execution — to take inspiration from the current SCAD FASH exhibition Albert Watson: The Light Behind the Lens. (When discussing his work, Watson often speaks about the importance of positioning the key light.) A team of judges, including professors, curators, and Watson himself, evaluated the photographs, providing feedback and awarding standout works.

"With this challenge, I can see the creative energy in the photographs," said Albert Watson. "It was clear the students set out to make a statement."

This presidential initiative challenged the graduates to consider Watson's work and expert use of light as a point of departure to achieve their own visions. Nineteen SCAD photography alumni participated in the Key Light challenge.

Through in-person and virtual tours of Watson's exhibition at SCAD FASH, these alumni engaged the museum as an educational and archival resource for projects that paid homage to Watson's keen eye and mesmerizing work. The challenge provided a unique opportunity for these accomplished alums to interact with the prolific master of photography. Each artist received an honorarium upon completion of their work. Key Light is representative of President Wallace's ongoing dedication to engaging alumni through providing creative opportunities, exposure and recognition.

Three honorees were selected as outstanding submissions in recognition of their interpretation of the iconic photographer's distinctive style, use of shadow and light, and creative vision.

The honorees are: Emily Earl (B.F.A, photography, 2007) for "Moonbather"; Sequoyah Wildwyn-Dechter (B.F.A. photography, 2019) for "Untitled"; and Shine Huang (M.F.A, photography, 2017) for "Tinker, Chef, Fish." As recognition for their work and selection, each artist was awarded an additional $2,000 honorarium. All photography submissions from the "Key Light" challenge, including video of the alumni master class interaction with Watson will be showcased on scadfash.org/key-light-challenge.

Michael James O'Brien, associate chair, SCAD photography: "All the artists who submitted were winners. We were so thrilled to see such creative and beautiful work from these talented artists from SCAD's top ranked photography program, and who I have also had the privilege of mentoring. Albert's in-depth commentary and his recognition of the accomplished SCAD alumni work made this challenge especially successful."

"I appreciate the premise of this challenge; create like one of the greats, but make it your own," said honoree Sequoyah Wildwyn-Dechter. "Having my work in front of Albert Watson's eyes is still a little surreal to me, but it's one of the reasons I'm so grateful to SCAD for providing these types of opportunities. You won't get them anywhere else."

"Moonbather," Emily Earl (B.F.A., photography, 2007, Savannah, GA), 2021.

"Untitled," Sequoyah Wildwyn-Dechter (B.F.A., photography, 2019, Atlanta, GA), 2021.

"Tinker, Chef, Fish," Shine Huang (M.F.A, photography, 2017, Shanghai, China), 2021.

See more work from the SCAD Key Light Alumni Photography Challenge 2021.