SCAD festivities continued across the globe with the joyous 2018 SCAD Hong Kong commencement, a week following the Savannah and Atlanta editions. The sun shone for the celebration, held in the glimmering Diamond Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong on June 9.

SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace opened the ceremony touting the class of 2018's achievements: "Thank you for contributing your infinite gifts to SCAD. To earn this moment, you have had to call on your whole being—hand, head and heart—and we are so very proud of you!"

SCAD Hong Kong graduates, majoring in disciplines including animation, motion media design and fashion, study in the former North Kowloon Magistracy building in the dynamic Sham Shui Po district. Revitalized by SCAD to include technology amenities like digital labs and a green screen studio, the building welcomes students and visitors with vibrant art, created by students, faculty and alumni.

The 2018 SCAD Hong Kong commencement ceremony suffused students, friends and family with delight.

Here are five highlights from the festivities:

1. SCAD alumna Nikki Louise Palomaria (B.F.A., graphic design, 2015):

"During your studies, you’ve been surrounded by some of the most incredible people you’re going to meet. And as you continue from this point forward, you still have them. Stay in touch, show each other your work, make use of the SCAD family network to enrich your professional and personal life, to keep you creating and craving new knowledge and experience."

2. Valedictorian Michelle Claase (B.F.A., painting, 2018):

"At SCAD, I explored newfound interests in film and took a screenwriting class, opening up something inside me that I didn't know existed. It led me to minor in film and television and changed the course of my future."

3. Excelsus Laureate Jonathan Lau (B.F.A., photography, 2012; M.A., photography, 2018):

"As a child, I visited the North Kowloon Magistracy Building on a school field trip. When I returned years later as a SCAD student I felt a sense of déjà vu as the wood paneling and large podium in the main courtroom had transformed into SCAD Hong Kong. The regional emblem of Hong Kong remained, but the building has become a celebration of art, a place where my old and new stories meet."

4. SCAD Hong Kong vice president David Pugh, awarding SCAD Honorary Doctorate of Arts and Sciences to William Lim, founder and managing director of CL3 Architects Ltd.:

"His eye for the extraordinary permeates the objects he acquires for his pleasure, and the art he creates for ours."

5. Wen Zhou, CEO, 3.1 Phillip Lim, SCAD Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters recipient:

"I am so impressed that 100% of SCAD Hong Kong graduates are employed or seeking higher education within the first ten months of graduation. As you seek your first job, on your first interview, ask not only about salary, benefits, and technicalities, but think about the company’s values and culture. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are our next generation of thinkers, of leaders. It is my honor and privilege to welcome you with open arms."

Friends, family, and fans of the SCAD Atlanta Class of 2018 convened at the Georgia World Congress Center on Saturday, June 2 for the university's commencement ceremony. Along with a global audience following online, they watched as each of the graduates filed across a stage that glowed under a backdrop created by SCAD alumna Lauren Clay (B.F.A., painting, 2004).

SCAD also presented an honorary doctorate of humane letters to Juliet Blake, head of TV and curator of special projects at TED, and later presented the same honor to Oprah Winfrey, media and performing arts magnate.

Diplomas in hand, graduates returned to their seats for the conferment of degrees and a final, joyous expression to mark their initiation as SCAD alumni.

The Bees, the dynamo SCAD student vocal ensemble, took to the stage with an emotional cover of "Stand By Me." As video screens overhead played congratulatory messages from luminous honorees and guests at the year's signature events, performers from the SCAD Drumline, the SCAD Performance Ensemble and iLuminate LED dancers entered the arena.

As performers belted out "Come Alive" from "The Greatest Showman," graduates rose from their seats and waved colorful LED light sticks with abandon. The moment punctuated an afternoon elevated by the remarks of speakers including outstanding graduates, honorary degree recipients, and an accomplished SCAD alumnus.

1. SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace:
"I imagined SCAD would be a new kind of higher education — with the audacity to put the words ‘professional careers' in our SCAD mission statement! … At SCAD, we teach our fashion students to design the clothes they want to wear, and we teach developers to design the game they want to play. And so I set out to create the kind of arts university that I wished I had attended."

2. Juliet Blake, honorary degree recipient:
"Stay connected. In the words of another TED Speaker, the brilliant Brene Brown: ‘Connection is why we are all here, it's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.' This community extends well past commencement, and you still have a lot to share with each other."

3. Valedictorian Alexis Houpt (B.F.A., fashion, 2018):
"We've worked hard to arrive at this stage, ready to take the next leap in our careers. I, for one, know that when I was stretched to my limit this past fall, this day felt so far away. And yet, that's exactly when I interviewed and landed a position I'd dreamed of. The high expectations we set for ourselves — and were held to by our classmates, professors, and advisors — that's what led us to SCAD."

4. Excelsus Laureate Alexandra Badiu (M.F.A., illustration, 2018):
"The collaborative nature of these CLC projects resulted in friendships and partnerships that led me to more enjoyable work — creating backgrounds for senior films, working as a multimedia editor of SCAD Connector and SCAN magazine. The cover illustration I made for SCAN's 2017 spring issue won first place in Columbia Scholastic Press Gold Circle Awards, but to see the excitement in the eyes of my peers when they saw the cover, and feel the way we empower each other through our art was the best reward."

5. SCAD alumnus José Reyes (B.F.A., graphic design, 1995), founder, principal and creative director, Metaleap Creative:
"Your friends, siblings, parents, your elementary and high school art teachers — these people believed in you before you took your first drawing class. Take a moment to remember the people in this room and in your life who spoke into that decision. Remember all the ‘well dones' you heard from them, because each kind word was a step toward this moment."

The SCAD Savannah Class of 2018, the largest in the university's history, convened at the Savannah Civic Center for dual commencement celebrations on the morning and afternoon of Friday, June 1.

"You're sitting here today because you had a dream, and you chose to pursue it," said Hilary Swank, SCAD honorary degree recipient. The two-time Oscar-winning actor, producer and fashion entrepreneur spoke of the extensive preparation behind her career success and commended graduates on their achievements.

"You worked incredibly hard, applied your unique creativity to everything you touched, and did not stop until you crossed the finish line. So congratulations on successfully graduating from such a prestigious university. Given the elite education offered by this university, you couldn't have done a better job positioning yourself for whatever your next step in life may be."

After degrees were conferred, all formalities were dispensed with and the jubilation flowed forth in earnest with a musical medley led by the dynamo SCAD performance ensemble, The Bees. Once the confetti cannons erupted in a final exclamation, the Class of 2018 processed from the auditorium to the sun-lit streets of Savannah as SCAD alumni, carrying with them the words of the illustrious commencement speakers:

1. SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace:
"Today, you are actors, architects, animators, designers, writers, filmmakers. And yet one day, as your dream unfurls like a proud banner across your life, you will find yourself playing surprising new roles: You will become parents, creative directors, studio founders, company presidents. What some call wishful thinking in you today will be hailed as fearlessness in the years to come."

2. SCAD alumnus An Le (B.F.A., photography, 2012), owner An Le Studio:
"The people who sit next to you, the friendships that you've made here at SCAD, and the valuable skills your professors have taught you will be all you need to succeed and achieve your dreams. I believe, as artists, we can make something out of nothing, create the extraordinary out of the ordinary. We can turn blank canvases into beautiful paintings, rolls of fabric into stunning creations."

3. Valedictorian Nicolas Barrera Castañeda (B.F.A., architecture, 2018):
"I know you'd all agree — reaching this stage has taken a tremendous amount of work, years of diligent effort. And now, as we move to the next stage of our SCAD careers — as graduates — I know that my first impressions of SCAD were spot on. This university is exactly what I sought."

4. Excelsus Laureate Shannon Vanderhill (M.F.A., design management, 2018; M.A., jewelry, 2018):
"My passion for jewelry led me here, to the nation's largest jewelry program, with its amazing studios and thoughtful faculty, where we create works of design and art that interact with people — as experiential, conversational, and sometimes sentimental objects. And SCAD led me to my work today. I found my stride as a designer in another program that matched my interests perfectly. In design management, I worked to research, synthesize and communicate insights — to facilitate conversations, experiences, and the design process from end-to-end."

5. SCAD alumnus Deron Bennett (B.F.A., sequential art, 2002), owner AndWorld Design:
"SCAD has prepared you in more ways than you know. It's because of my professors' and classmates' critiques that I can distinguish between design that works, and design that needs more work. Today, know that you chose the right path. After you walk across this stage and through those doors, more doors of opportunity await you. SCAD has given you the keys, and you have to open them."

Congratulations to the winners of the 2017-2018 Larry W. Forrest Competition for outstanding undergraduate work in art history.

Paige Ganzel (B.F.A., art history) is the 2017-2018 undergraduate Larry W. Forrest Memorial Scholar for her paper "Elucidating Virtue: Vision and Experience in Maerten van Heemskerck's The Twelve Patriarchs." Honorable mention has been awarded to Sophia Wright (B.F.A., art history), secretary of the SCAD Art History Society, for her paper "The New Masses: Uncovering Ideological Attitudes through Visual Literature."

Ganzel and Wright presented their notable papers at a symposium May 16 in the Arnold Hall auditorium. Following prefatory remarks by art history professor Dr. Arthur J. DiFuria, Ganzel and Wright were introduced by SCAD art history professors Dr. Rebecca Turner and Dr. Lisa Jaye Young, respectively.

The SCAD Department of Art History continues its two-decade tradition with the Larry W. Forrest Writing Competition, highlighting original research and exceptional writing skills. The competition is named in honor of Forrest, a distinguished former SCAD faculty member, to recognize his numerous contributions to the university, the department and students.

Ganzel and Wright are pictured here with Dr. Arthur J. DiFuria, whose 400 level class "Image, Text and Print" provided the forum for the composition of their papers.

Her pool-tousled hair draping the nape of her sleek Speedo sweatshirt, Anne Weber Callahan (B.F.A., furniture design) sits in Bradley Hall in a moment of rare repose. The backstroke and freestyle specialist, a member of the national champion SCAD women’s swimming and diving team under coach Bill Pilzcuk, is the newly named 2018-19 head chairperson of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Association of Student-Athletes. Weber Callahan is the first female head chair representing the approximately 65,000 student-athletes who compete under the NAIA banner.

This weekend, Weber Callahan travels to New York City, where her hand-shaped steel lamp painted champagne pink appears in the SCAD exhibit at the 2018 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Always willing to make time for excellence: that's Anne.

SCAD: Family first, Anne: You're a bona fide SCAD super sibling!

Anne Weber Callahan: My brother Dylan (B.F.A, architecture, 2015) graduated from SCAD and played lacrosse. He currently lives in New York City and works at HOK, the design firm. My sister Laine (M.A., accessory design) also goes to SCAD, and we have a younger brother Sam back in Lake Placid, Florida, where we're from. Laine claims she found SCAD and Dylan and I copied her. But we got here first! I came to SCAD for academics, specifically building arts, and swimming is key. I love SCAD.

SCAD: What are your duties as chair of the NAIA Association of Student-Athletes?

AWC: The mission of the ASA is to serve as the voice of all NAIA student-athletes. We have an hour-long phone conference meeting one Sunday every month, then we meet in person at the annual NAIA convention each spring. Next year it'll be held in Palm Beach, Florida. The convention is four days and we learn about a wide range of issues, from paying referees to changes in Title IX. I enjoy the governance aspects and public speaking, so it's a great fit.

Currently, we're working on legislation which mandates a day off each week for students and coaches. This means a day without practice or a game or meeting with your coach or watching film. Everyone needs a break. It's something SCAD already does. We're perfecting the legislation and will vote on it at the next NAIA conference.

SCAD: What additional innovations are you developing?

AWC: I'm working on a tracking tool for NAIA student-athletes after graduation. If you look at successful companies, the leaders are often people who were student-athletes. I'm creating a way so student-athletes can stay in touch with the NAIA after they graduate and enter the professional world. It's important that we see that success.

SCAD: What are you working on this summer, Anne?

AWC: Training, swimming, staying in shape. And I have a new job at Savannah Millworks as a marketing graphic designer. It was an interior design job I applied for, so over the summer I'm starting cabinetry design and interior design at the Millworks too. To me, furniture and interior design are similar. One makes, the other places. It all ties in with my SCAD work as a furniture designer. This weekend I'll be in New York with SCAD for the ICFF, showing a lamp I made in a solid works class with professor Sheila Edwards. I'll be staying with my brother when I'm in New York. Family rules!

Image courtesy: Anne Weber Callahan

How do special effects professionals use prostheses to create otherworldly looks? Sophomore Ethan Ho (B.F.A., sculpture) offers a glimpse into his process, his spectacular Grimm creation and the new cosplay course at SCAD Atlanta.

SCAD: How did you wind up taking "Body as Concept: Prosthetics to Cosplay"?

ETHAN HO: Associate Chair of Sculpture Susan Krause recommended the class to me. Once she explained the course, I had to sign up. I started working on ideas and concepts before the class even started. For me, this class represents much of what I want to do professionally. 

SCAD: How does your interest in the film industry affect the way you approach assignments?

HO: I go into every class and every faculty interaction with the mentality that they're the client. I have to get their input. A lot of times, I'll hear what professors want out of a particular assignment, create my interpretation, then ask them for feedback. I approach a project thinking "What would the client like?" and typically the end resulting is satisfying for everyone.

SCAD: You created an incredible cosplay creature for this course. What's the story there?

HO: This creature that I made is based on a group of monsters called Grimm from the animated series "RWBY" by Rooster Teeth. These Grimm usually roam the wilderness or ruins of the human world, a place called Remnant.

SCAD: What was your process creating the Grimm?

HO: I was inspired by a suit made by the special effects company Spectral Motion for the film "Attack the Block." To execute that look, I created stilts for my arms so I would be able to walk on all fours and change my silhouette. I used ZBrush, a 3D model program, to create a digital maquette so I could build the form around my body. From there, I made a cardboard mockup of the headpiece. I cut out the main piece of foam and began forming it with heat, using a die grinder to smooth out any hard edges. I cut out eye holes to give a more believable idea of how the creature could see.

The muscle suit I made from upholstery foam and nylon webbing. I created a coil neck mechanism that I deconstructed from watching the behind-the-scenes of the "Jurassic Park" raptor suit. I made headgear so I would be able to attach my head to the creature's head for control. With the eyes, I used plastic Christmas ornaments and covered them with a gloss resin to give them shine and durability. I painted the inside for the glowing fire effect that the Grimm creatures have. Finally, I covered all of the foam pieces with white Plasti Dip and designed red markings with acrylics so that the Grimm was ready to roam the world.

SCAD: What keeps you motivated, Ethan?

HO: The challenge of a new project drives me. My assignments at SCAD are things I haven't tried before. All of the professors in the sculpture department push you beyond what you think you can do. It's been an incredible learning environment.

The ACA Sculpture Studio of SCAD Atlanta is one of the finest studios in American higher education. SCAD students are recruited by top employers including A&E, Disney and HBO. SCAD offers the most art and design degrees of any university in the U.S., with more than 100 degree programs in 43 majors, and minors in more than 75 disciplines.

For a video clip of Ethan in Grimm action, visit his Instagram, and see more of his work here.

The Savannah College of Art and Design is pleased to announce that the university has received a grant from the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation (WJSFF) in support of the SCAD Rising Star initiative. The grant will provide scholarships for students participating in the five-week summer program, which awards college credit to rising high school seniors in pursuit of creative careers. SCAD Rising Star offers an unparalleled academic experience at the university’s global locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and through the award-winning SCAD eLearning program.

“Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are generous philanthropists and radiant entertainers,” says SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. “Thank you, Will and Jada, for helping young storytellers ignite their careers at SCAD, a global university at the heart of Georgia’s preeminent creative professions. Together, WJSFF and SCAD transform lives through star power at its brightest!”

The gift is part of a collaborative effort among SCAD and WJSFF to identify, educate and support talented youth entering, during and beyond their school years. Rising Star students enroll in two of SCAD’s accredited degree program courses, including top-ranked programs such as film & television, architecture, interior design, fashion, and advertising, for access to professional-caliber resources and one-on-one guidance from renowned faculty. Scholarship recipients will also be enrolled into WJSFF’s Careers in Entertainment (CIE) Network, giving them additional access and guidance to build and enhance their portfolios.

“Broadening the scope of the entertainment industry is central to the vision of our founders, and begins with providing access to today’s creative youth,” said WJSFF President Jana Babatunde-Bey. “Through our work with SCAD, we will give more emerging storytellers a pathway to a globally-minded, innovative arts education, allowing them to use their gifts to create a more inclusive entertainment industry and society.”

Since 1996, the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation has invested millions of dollars to accelerate the growth of initiatives that focus on deepening individual and collective empowerment. Through impactful giving, WJSFF provides funds to organizations and ventures in support of their meaningful and lasting impact in the areas of arts education, social empowerment and environmental sustainability. In 2016, the foundation launched CIE, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to transform the industry by building a diverse and inclusive pipeline of young talent. CIE enrolls high school and college students into WJSFF’s network and helps them achieve their career goals through access to industry leaders, mentors and internship opportunities across the nation.

This partnership spotlights the tremendous impact of SCAD entertainment arts degree programs in Georgia’s flourishing television and film industry. SCAD has graduated nearly 12,000 alumni from programs related to film, television and the entertainment arts. The university’s unique project-based curriculum prepares students for professional workplaces, and 2,800 alumni already work in Georgia's entertainment industry at prestigious companies, including Turner, CNN, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Georgia Public Broadcasting and more.

With nearly one million square feet dedicated to the production of film, television and digital entertainment, SCAD offers leading-edge technology and studio resources for SCAD students, as well as professional production companies and corporations. SCAD is also home to the only full-time, in-house university casting office in the nation. The SCAD Casting Office has placed more than 250 roles to date for productions by Netflix, HBO and Hulu, among others.

To apply to SCAD Rising Star, visit the Rising Star application page. The scholarship deadline for Summer 2018 is May 1, 2018.

The Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation (WJSFF) is a non-profit organization that sits at the convergence of philanthropy, media and social impact. We are an incubator and accelerator that ignites the next generation of big ideas, cutting-edge artists, thought leaders, change-makers and social innovators. Together with grantees and partners, we invest in organizations and initiatives that empower traditionally overlooked communities and affect real change.

The swirling Buckeye burl of the handle complements the hamon-patterned Damascus steel as the blade lacerates the pomegranate. In the hands of creator Lotti Zeiler (B.F.A., industrial design, 2018), the hand-hewn knife is both work of art and superlative kitchen tool. Hailing from Reichertsheim, Germany, Zeiler is an elite SCAD artist-athlete, the Sun Conference "Runner of the Year" in 2014. Although recurring injuries forced Zeiler to stop running competitively, her indefatigable work ethic cannot be stopped.

SCAD: How did your knifemaking skills develop?

LOTTI ZEILER: I took a class called "Advance Model Shop" with professor Aaron Heisler. He taught me how to work with metal, how to weld and grind, how to clean metal up. He gave me the base I needed. From there it’s been a lot of trial and error. I began working with O1 steel, now I’m working more with Damascus steel. All my knives are custom. I only make knives to order.

Every day when I have spare time, I work on my knives. I’ll be in Gulfstream Center working on my senior project and if I’m waiting on my laser cut file to be cut or waiting for glue to dry I’ll go in the shop and work on my knives.

As I make the knives, at all times I check the balance and see if the handle is ergonomic. I sharpen it and do test cuts. Buy a chef knife for five dollars, use it and tell me how it compares to a handmade knife. It’s nice to have a unique, high-quality handmade knife. I'm currently fundraising for a knifemaking business I'll devote myself to after graduation.

SCAD: How is your senior project as an industrial designer coming along?

ZEILER: Originally, I planned on creating an aquaponic ecosystem where fish and plants work together. I went to aquaponic centers and got feedback from experts. Then I started prototyping and changed it up so now the project is aquaponic, aeroponic and vermiponic.

An aeroponic system is better for the environment; it needs less water. Vermiponics is a composting system where worms break down nutrients in the compost and filter the water. The combination between those three makes up my project. I want it to be an eye-catching centerpiece that you have in your backyard or in convention centers or hotels. It will be about six feet tall and four feet in diameter.

SCAD: Your career as a SCAD artist-athlete has not been without setbacks, specifically as a runner. How have you responded?

ZEILER: I first found out about SCAD through running. When I competed at German Nationals, there was an organization there called Scholarbook. They find German high school athletes who have a chance to get a scholarship to a university in the United States. They connected me with Coach Patrick Reagan, the SCAD running coach. When I learned of the creative opportunities here, I came to Savannah to run for SCAD, really successfully for two years. Then my injuries started. So last year I switched to cycling with Coach Ben Van Winkle. I’ve grown really close with my cycling team, I’m so happy they adopted me. I’m feeling really strong on the bike heading to Nationals in two weeks. The best is yet to come!

Lotti Zeiler and the SCAD cycling team head to Grand Junction, Colorado, May 5-6 for the 2018 USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships.

A documentary film "Sharp" about Lotti Zeiler, knifemaker, is in production and will screen later this spring. The film is a collaboration between SCAD film and television students Diana Gorin (director), Conrad Laga (director of photography), Spencer Hehl and Erin Bartomioli (assistant camera), Grey Gowder (producer), Susan McCormick (editor) and Matt Wilson and Reuben LaMons (sound).

Above still from "Sharp": Conrad Laga.

Savannah College of Art and Design is pleased to announce SCAD ForwardFest, April 19-21 in Atlanta, a groundbreaking festival of visual effects and mixed reality. ForwardFest invites emergent content creators and forward-thinking professionals to explore the future of digital arts and immersive storytelling.

"What is mixed reality, this curious new way of life? At SCAD ForwardFest, we explore how real and virtual worlds merge in tech and content to bring us new dimensions of experience and understanding," said SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. "SCAD degree programs lead the way in this brave new world, and SCAD ForwardFest invites everyone into the future of immersive media."

Digital media at SCAD intersects with degree programs across the university, including animation, interactive game design and development, visual effects, film and television, and themed entertainment design. SCAD's pioneering developments in mixed reality include using VR goggles to provide newly accepted students an immersive introduction to SCAD. SCAD is the first university to integrate AR design into its course catalog.

ForwardFest will be presented at SCAD's state-of-the-art Digital Media Center and SCADshow theater. ForwardFest features a VR Experience for guests to directly engage with work by celebrated mixed reality content creators and original content produced by SCAD students for HTV Vive, Oculus, and Samsung Gear devices. Planned demonstrations include "Milo, the motion-capture robot" and professional virtual painter and Google artist-in-residence, Estella Tse. Visual effects masters Chris LeDoux and Drew Sawyer of films "La La Land" and "Hidden Figures" take guests through the unseen magic of visual effects in some of the most popular films and television series.

Special film screenings each day of the festival include the 2018 Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects, "Bladerunner 2049" and an experimental film presentation by the Black Maria Festival, known for preserving and celebrating the diversity, invention and vitality of the short film. Industry experts from Magic Leap Interaction Labs, Moxie, WETA Digital, 42Entertainment, Microsoft HoloLens, Atlanta-based You Are Here Immersive Labs and more present the latest technologies that propel the industry, and alumni teams from SCAD's business development enterprise SCAD+ demonstrate how the university launches the careers of SCAD graduates and assures the future of gaming in Georgia.

About SCADFILM
SCADFILM is the leading program for professional engagement in film, entertainment and the digital arts — offering exclusive access to industry influencers, leading resources and private masterclasses. SCADFILM's preeminent programming includes an annual series of signature festivals in Atlanta: SCAD aTVfest, SCAD ForwardFest, SCAD AnimationFest and SCAD GamingFest. For more information, visit scadfilm.com.

About Digital Media at SCAD
The SCAD School of Digital Media combines artistry and technology within a framework that reflects the highest standards of entertainment production. Digital media students earn degrees in animation, interactive design and game development, motion media design, television producing and visual effects, and gain the technical mastery to launch their careers. Through the production-ready SCAD Digital Media Center, state-of-the-art resources, hands-on opportunities and career-building connections, SCAD students are prepared to rise to pinnacle of their professions.

Lindsay Pike (M.A., business design and arts leadership) is associate artistic director of Commonwealth Theatre Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Committed to the development of "community through excellence in comprehensive theatre education and performance," Pike was selected this April as one of the inaugural recipients of the Louisville Young Leaders award.

For Commonwealth, Pike created a tool to track skills in students and thereby demonstrate a culture of assessment. At SCAD, Pike assisted performing arts professor Sharon Ott in 2017 in directing two plays by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker at Mondanaro Theater. Known professionally by her union name Julane Havens ("Everybody knows me as Julane in Louisville"), Pike is an accomplished director and actor working to evolve the role theater can play in uniting communities. She walks the walk, onstage and off.

SCAD: Congratulations on the award, Lindsay. How did the honor come about?

LINDSAY PIKE: Last fall, the artistic director of Commonwealth Theatre Center, Charlie Sexton, nominated me for the Young Leaders award, a new initiative from Louisville Business First and Young Professionals Association of Louisville. This January I found out I was one of 20 honorees chosen from over 250 nominees. I was the only arts professional to receive the award. The arts have an economic impact, so it was an honor for me to represent the sector.

SCAD: How is your work at Commonwealth connected to your studies at SCAD?

PIKE: I started working at Commonwealth Theatre Center in 2009 and slowly worked my way up. In a theater, the artistic office and the business office often work in silos, so I wanted to bridge that gap and make things more cohesive across the entire organization. I came to SCAD to study business design and arts leadership because I didn't find another program like it in the country. I want to be an artistic director of a theater someday.

SCAD: Which SCAD class have you found most challenging?

PIKE: My favorite class was Professor Patrick Kelsey's class, BDAL 739 "Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Initiatives." We had to create a fundraising plan for a local arts organization, in my case Savannah Children's Choir. I learned a lot about the organization and created something they can actually implement. It's real hands-on work.

SCAD: What's next for you, Lindsay?

PIKE: I'm here in Louisville managing a fundraiser for Commonwealth Theater. To be an artistic director these days you have to have fundraising experience. And I'm excited to say that in June I'll be speaking at Americans for the Arts annual convention in Denver, and at Theatre Communications Group's annual conference in St. Louis. Had I not come to SCAD, I would be nowhere as near prepared to do those presentations and put that data together. I trained to be an actress and director, but my studies in the SCAD business design program allow me to articulate my work to people both within and outside the arts field. That's really important.