For Danielle Elsener (B.F.A., fashion, 2013), a time of global tumult has been anything but idle. Since receiving the Evian Activate Movement Program grant in July 2020, the visionary designer was a featured exhibitor with the ZWDO collective at COP26 UN Climate Change Conference; collaborated with popular Portland, Oregon legacy brand Settlemier's Jackets; set up her zero-waste manufacturing facility DECODE MFG in Brooklyn Navy Yard; and headlined the ongoing exhibition "Design and Healing: Creative Responses to Epidemics" at the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt museum. 

She also found time to get hitched to her sweetheart and business partner, Clay. Way to go, Danielle!

Danielle Elsener:

In fall 2020, a SCAD graduate, Julia Blandford (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, 2020), asked if she could interview me for her podcast Seeking Sustainability. Stephen Campbell from Settlemier's Jackets heard it and got in touch. Settlemier's are a third-generation-owned company who were still working off of cardboard patterns. I digitized their patterns on a software called CLO3D, then we began the process of designing a zero-waste varsity jacket, which meant figuring out how to retain components like wool trim and snap fronts. We've been able to design a jacket with all the key details. It's led to significant interest and sizable orders.

Collaborating with Settlemier's was wonderful, and when I decided to move to New York, I wanted to keep working with them. Since we opened our DECODE manufacturing facility, we've been able to take some overflow work from them to fill orders for zero-waste varsity jackets. It was really the first backing we needed to make the decision that yes, opening our own facility is feasible.

Zero-waste design is a methodology that takes existing objects and reworks them in a manner that uses 100% of the material, without sacrificing design. In the world of manufacturing, it's hard to get people to change how they do things. Yet, with the current challenges in the global supply chain, right now there are a huge number of American companies looking for domestic manufacturers. I realized that to create this world that I want of zero-waste design, I needed to open a facility and do manufacturing myself.

At DECODE, we've been hiring skilled laborers—specifically production sewers who know how to use industrial sewing machines and understand techniques for efficiency. I've found great people. We are building up our zero-waste basics line: t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants. There are tons of companies out there looking for a t-shirt that's good to print on, but there isn't a zero-waste one that you can buy commercially. Once we have that solid foundation, I'll flex my design muscles and start making collections and capsules and collaborations with artists—all that fun stuff.

With Zero Waste Design Online (ZWDO), we are a collective of four women from around the world who all practice zero-waste design. For COP26, we worked with Sustainable Fashion Scotland to create a group exhibit called Generation of Waste that represented all the stages that take place in the typical fashion lifecycle. We were the only fashion-related exhibition in the delegate zone at COP26, which brings legitimacy in the minds of policy makers, who see that what we're presenting is actionable. This can bring about significant change.

DECODE is a sustainable business that makes sustainable products. We also need to be a self-sustaining business where we have enough orders coming in. There's so much need in manufacturing right now that I'm getting phone calls from people, like, "We need 200 skirts by next week!" I have to remember I opened DECODE MFG for a reason. I want to stick to that purpose, or else what's the point of becoming just another manufacturing facility? As a business owner, it's about keeping everyone here involved in the purpose of what we're doing. It's a really exciting time.

Visit Danielle and DECODE.

Learn more about this pattern master in our previous post from 2020.

Who better to do this work? Sauda Mitchell (B.A., visual communication, 2013) is an archivist, artist, and educator—indivisible facets of a unified identity, all on display in her solo exhibition Re-Cor-Dare, at the Jepson Center in Savannah.

"Having attended SCAD, having worked at the Georgia Historical Society, having archived and processed the W.W. Law Collection—all those experiences have shaped my view of history," Mitchell says. "It's my responsibility to share what I have had the privilege to engage with."

Re-Cor-Dare—impeccably installed in a light-filled upper wing of the Telfair's flagship museum—comprises a series of works in an array of tactile media: prints, paintings, artist books, textiles. The exhibition's title is an etymological extension of the act of recording, incorporating the Latin roots "cor" (heart) and "dare" (to give).

The formal evolution of Re-Cor-Dare dates to 2017 and Mitchell's SCAD Alumni Atelier residency when, she explains, "I met board members from Friends of the African American Arts, which led to crossing paths with Erin [Dunn, Telfair associate curator], who scheduled a visit to my studio. I showed her my sketches for Voyage, and she asked if I'd be the next #art912 artist"—the Telfair initiative dedicated to exhibiting artists living and working in Savannah.

Displayed in the gallery's hull-like big room, Voyage Windsails No. 1-5 are hand-painted acrylic, cotton fabric, and hand-dyed indigo textile pieces depicting a journey in the Atlantic slave trade. The sails— mounted in windows, not on walls—render the gallery pelagic. Iconography reappears. "The star is significant because it references the journey enslaved people made," Mitchell says. Speakers in a half-baffled corner swell with Robert Glasper's 2004 rendition of Herbie Hancock's 1965 composition Maiden Voyage. The immersive presentation suits the work.

Sauda Mitchell (American, b. 1981); Voyage No. 3, 2020; linoleum on paper; courtesy of the artist.

"Inspiration came from a poem I wrote as a SCAD student, titled Voyage, about the Middle Passage," Mitchell explains. "The poem had been tucked away for years. Then, when I heard Glasper's Maiden Voyage, it was as if I was transported into a ship in the Middle Passage, I could hear moans, bees buzzing, water—all elements that were very much part of my poem. I revisited my sketchbook and reread that poem, and it was timed perfectly to the music. From that experience I decide to create a series called Voyage."

On an adjacent wall, sense memories manifest in a lively collaboration between the artist and her father, wood carver Alfonzo Mitchell.

"As a child, I'd go downtown and smell the tobacco and see it going out of the silos," says Sauda, a Winston-Salem, NC native. Finding Grandma Judie comprise two pieces whose flue-cured whole tobacco leaves hang from walking sticks carved by the elder Mitchell. Viewers peer through the long leaves to see portraits of ancestors.

"I'd conducted genealogy for other patrons at the Georgia Historical Society, but never provided myself that service," Mitchell says. "When I started digging, I discovered that my grandmother's maiden name was Hairston. That's how I made the connection to the Hairston family, and found the book by Henry Wiencek." As documented in The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White (St. Martin's Press, 1999), the Hairstons owned several plantations and thousands of people—including Mitchell's great-great grandmother. "This is the first time that I am incorporating my own family history and how it unveiled itself into my work."

Re-Cor-Dare exemplifies Mitchell's mastery at using archival research to facilitate creation in the resonant present, an ability that makes her invaluable as the much-beloved archives and special collections librarian at SCAD. "It's an energetic collaboration with SCAD faculty, always," Mitchell says, of connecting students to proper collection items, and supporting their ideal learning outcomes. "In order to curate and bring together a collection of resources for students to engage with, you have to understand what they're learning, and what is going to propel them and inspire them." And who better to do that work?

Portrait of Sauda Mitchell by Labeeb Abdullah (B.F.A., motion media, 2004).

Re-Cor-Dare is on view at the Jepson Center in Savannah through Feb. 27, 2022.

Speaking with alumni about their professional accomplishments illuminates the value and diversity of the SCAD experience. With over 40,000 degree-holding Bees worldwide, career success is woven into every fiber of the university. Here are ten memorable posts from 2021 that focused on work by our stellar alumni.

SCADpro Fund backs Angela Benton's Streamlytics: After her previous startups garnered praise from CNN, this design superstar's newest venture is changing the monetization of personal data.

Hanna Allen: the perfect twist: This Atlanta-based sculptor's work is strong enough to support climbing and swinging. Her choice of material is surprising.

Anna Haldewang brings almonds joy: Since this post back in April, this agripreneur's latest innovation has been named a Top-10 New Product Winner at the World AG Expo 2022.

AnimationFest presents ‘The Ocean Duck': This short film by animation alumni Huda Razak and My Anh Ngo lit up this year's signature festival with its unique take on the illuminated manuscript.

Joel Ax named one of 100 Greatest Men's Swimmers and Divers: The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of American named this furniture design alumnus to a list that includes iconic Olympians Caleb Dressel and Mark Spitz.

Maren Krings' vision: As our planet experiences a cataclysmic climate crisis, this widely traveled photographer promotes an actionable solution.

Sierra Lawson tells her story: Following an internship with Blumhouse Productions, this dramatic writer is parlaying her family-focused scripts into an inspiring phenomenon.

Anthony TungNing Huang: dancing in ink: An exquisite poster design for The Royal Ballet was the result of this accomplished illustrator's investigation of a new technique.

Johnathan Hayden flies high: New York Fashion Week 2021 attendees sang the praises of this designer's stunning debut collection, a conceptual collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid.

Catalog alchemist Alaina Colleen: The 2021-2022 SCAD course catalog creator transformed classic inspirations into a stunning set of SCAD-style symbols. Fit for an art car too!

Thank you for following SCADworks this year. See you in 2022!

As a graduate student, Shreya Dhawan (M.F.A., service design, 2018) contributed to two transformational SCADpro projects: Delta Air Lines’ "Envisioning the Future of Air Travel," and Philips Healthcare’s "Redefining Patient Care Services." Solving significant challenges for major corporate clients was an experience she achieved before graduation.

"Our students learn how to make sense of complex business systems and design effective solutions to enhance the value at the heart of rendering and using a service," says service design professor Xenia Viladas.

As Shreya puts it: "To be able to learn what clients are looking for was a valuable experience."

Shreya (center) maps design solutions for Philips during a 2016 SCADpro project.

Shreya Dhawan:

My journey to SCAD began in India. I had earned my bachelor's degree in industrial and product design, was working for a company called Tata Elxsi, and went to work with a medical startup designing hand sanitizers for the hospital environment. It felt like we were missing something by not talking to the actors in that setting. I wasn't even sure what that research approach was called. I went online and saw that SCAD offered a degree in service design. I reached out to a student from Delhi named Jagriti Kumar (M.F.A., service design, 2016) and asked about the program. She had only positive things to say: "You should definitely give it a shot!"

Being able to participate in two SCADpro projects was a significant part of my professional development. It's important to understand the ecosystem of the client. You might be working on a single piece, but how does that piece affect the entire system? Professor Viladas taught us how to see a system as a whole. I learned how to work at a concept level, then zoom out and work at a strategy level. Learning how different concepts tie together in a bigger strategy is fascinating.

I currently live in Atlanta and work as a service designer at Harmonic Design. Our CEO Patrick Quattlebaum co-wrote the book Orchestrating Experiences: Collaborative Design for Complexity (Rosenfeld Media, 2018). Patrick was interested in my SCADpro projects—that meant I already had experience working with clients in real time. He understood how that fit into what Harmonic does.

At Harmonic, we have clients in industries including telecommunications, retail, insurance, and banking. I worked on a project with a major public library system, mapping the digital fluency of different citizens who are coming into the library, so that assistance can be more effectively provided to them, while designing a superior physical space for a better service environment.

There are very few opportunities for a student to be a service design intern and really learn on a real client project. I wanted to push for students to get those opportunities. At Harmonic, I’ve been able to create our internship program. Our first year, 2019, we had a student intern from SCAD, Matias Rey (B.F.A., service design, 2019), who is now a full-time associate service designer at Harmonic. In the third year of our internship program, we received almost 100 applications.

I have seen tremendous growth in people's understanding of what service designers do. With our client base, it's about showing our many beneficial skill sets. As we keep evolving our practice of service design, our value proposition increases. We are focused more than ever on figuring out how we are contributing to sustainability, and how can we bring it into our practice, and bring it to our clients. It’s not just an industry trend—it's important for us as humans.

All smiles: Shreya Dhawan and her colleagues at Harmonic Design.

Sterling Jones (B.F.A., art history, 2021; B.F.A., business of beauty and fragrance, 2021) double-majored in degree programs that, at first, may not seem complementary.

In 2018, Jones was an art history major studying at SCAD Lacoste, developing her focus on French language and cultural studies when "I saw on Instagram that SCAD announced a new major, business of beauty and fragrance." She returned to Savannah the following quarter and added BEAU as her second major.

While completing her BEAU capstone—a luxury body care line for men called Peak—she concurrently composed her art history thesis on the cultural conversations of artist Barbara Kruger. As Jones says: "SCAD inspired my creativity to new levels."

Sterling Jones:

My SCAD experience was eye-opening, magnetic, and immersive. I began at SCAD in 2016 as an art history major. By my second quarter, I immersed myself in different projects and groups outside of art history. I did it by going to student conferences, being a student ambassador, and becoming a student model for fashion, photography, and beauty projects.

In professor Meloney Moore's course Beauty and Fragrance New Product Launch (BEAU 330), I co-created a project with my team members, Brittany Heath (B.F.A., business of beauty and fragrance, 2021) and Iris Kang (B.F.A., business of beauty and fragrance). Our project was developing a new 360 brand campaign and extension focused on the Korean brand, CosRX.

The whole idea of creating a new skincare line for men was utterly foreign to me. The project challenged me to step out of my comfort zone as an art history major—it's still one of my favorite projects I've ever worked on. I was asked to present it in front of Estée Lauder Companies when they visited SCAD for the first time. That gave me my jump start at ELC as a summer intern and then a full-time associate.

In 2017, I started my blog, and it grew to an amazing beauty media platform called The Beauté Study. During the pandemic, I began to teach about the power of fragrance online to over 100 students from six different countries worldwide live. Now, the classes are available as a permanent option to watch at any time in The Beauté Study's Beauté Vault.

The creativity of my blog gave me a fantastic experience working with brands like Merit Beauty, Cocokind Skincare, Follian, and Mejuri. In 2019, I spoke at The Beauté Culture Conference on my experience as an influencer and digital marketer in the beauty space.

When it came to Peak—the capstone project for my BEAU major—my goal was to build a product experience for men that soothes and hydrates the skin with premium ingredients, while personalizing it with a unique, desirable fragrance. I was inspired to create custom technology to allow my customers to add a customized scent to their product. To create the proper packaging fit for the vision for Peak, I collaborated with Charlie Vazquez (B.F.A., industrial design, 2021).

Currently, I work as a CEO Global Presidential Associate at Estee Lauder Companies. The Presidential Associate Program is an 18-month rotational program offering three consecutive assignments specially designed for undergraduates. It's a fast-paced program, where I change roles every six months. Right now, I am working with the makeup brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics on the Global Go To Market team. I call it the mothership—I work with product marketing, country regional teams, online, and creative to make products come to life for our customers and their beauty rituals.

I'm grateful SCAD allowed me to cultivate the creative, public speaking, and marketing skills that I use today!

Follow Sterling J. at The Beauté Study on IG!

photo of Sterling Jones: Keno Y (Kevlar Rose Agency)

The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has named Joel Ax (B.F.A., furniture design, 2017) one of the 100 Greatest Men's Swimmers & Divers of the past century. The most dominant freestyler in NAIA history, Ax is named to a list that includes legendary Olympic champions Caleb Dressel, Ryan Lochte, and Mark Spitz. When SCADworks sent Ax a note of congratulations, his response exceeded all expectations. This exemplary artist-athlete from Idstein, Germany detailed his personal journey with honesty and humility. What follows is an edited version of Joel's written reply.

Joel Ax:

I feel honored to be named among the "100 Greatest" alongside some of the most famous and successful college swimmers ever, many of whom I looked up to during my swimming career. The number of messages of congratulations from fellow swimmers, coaches, and former teammates I've received has made me proud. I am a ‘small fish', and there are others who should be on the list. This allows me to put my experience in perspective.

When I finished high school in 2012, I didn't really know what to do. I'd been part of the German junior national team since I was 16. I was one of the most decorated swimmers in Germany, and maybe also one of the most promising ones too. But what began as a joyful hobby felt like it was slowly eating me up. I needed a change. I went through a tough phase after I didn't qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. I took a year off and started working in a retirement home as a social worker and housekeeper for disabled people.

The only options for me to combine an education with a swimming career in Germany were to become a firefighter, a police officer, or join the military. So, I pursued a scholarship in the United States, where I could choose more freely what I wanted to study. I was looking into powerhouses like Michigan, California, and Florida and soon got offers from Princeton, Yale, UCLA and others. I finally chose Arizona State University since rumors were spreading that Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman would be there. I didn't want to let that chance pass by.

A few months before I was supposed to start in Arizona, I received a call from their athletic department that there was a problem. There is a rule that you can't have more than six months between high school and college and still be eligible to compete in the NCAA. Since I'd taken a year off, this meant I was not able to swim for Arizona my first year and a 90% scholarship offer turned into a 40% offer and no guarantee to make the team the following year.

I was on the edge of turning down all offers and becoming a police officer in Germany. Then SCAD swimming head coach Chris Conlon contacted me. I'd never heard of SCAD, and only knew Savannah from the movie Forrest Gump. Coach Conlon told me SCAD had great interior design program and a swim team that was part of the NAIA, where the six-month rule didn't apply. He made sure I understood that he really wanted me to come to SCAD and offered me a full ride. Fast forward four years, and I graduated summa cum laude with a 3.96 GPA and a degree in furniture design.

Coach Bill Pilczuk took over from Coach Conlon in 2016, and he taught me that small changes can have a huge impact on the way you perform, both inside and outside the pool. My final year at SCAD was my most fun year swimming-wise since the beginning of my career.

Looking back, I'm so happy that I chose an education at SCAD. The change of perspective, the connection with other cultures, the challenge of balancing swimming and my position as a team leader with pursuing a design career — it all helped me see that I am a small link in the chain, but my actions impact a greater whole.

Since returning to live in Germany, I have worked as a carpenter, teacher, bike mechanic, and graphic designer. I've leaned into the building side of design to improve my work skills and learned to weld. Now I feel confident enough to finally open my own studio. The knowledge I gained as a swimmer is something I can use in my creative life and professional pursuits.

Some say swimming is an individual sport. At SCAD I learned that when you can count on the support of your team, a win is not an individual victory, but a victory for the whole team. The way we improved every year, peaking my senior year, still gives me goosebumps. When you help others improve, you become a better swimmer automatically — and a better person too!

Joel Ax (top row, third from left) and the SCAD swimming and diving team 2016-2017.

Learn more about SCAD swimming, and come support the Bees this Dec. 3-4 as they host the SCAD Invite at the Chatham County Aquatic Center!

For Akshay Manjunath, "pressure cooker" is not a pejorative.

At SCAD, Akshay (M.A., industrial design, 2019; M.A., design management, 2019) pursued two master's degrees simultaneously. Among his crucial collaborations, he worked on a SCADpro project, conducting research and data analysis, and providing recommendations for the design of a low-cost modular firepit for Walmart.

"As I observed the excellence of my fellow students, I came to understand that intense challenges are part of life, and you can deal with them instead of getting stressed," he says.

The Walmart connection was key. Akshay is currently a design researcher for the global giant ("When they hired me, they saw the SCADpro project on my resume"), part of a team responsible for creating a better work experience for Walmart's 2.3 million employees.

A native of Bangalore, India, who also holds a bachelor's degree from Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Akshay currently works from his home office near Logan Square in Chicago.

Akshay Manjunath:

I joined Walmart in August of this year. My role as design researcher is to work with other researchers to identify challenges in the system, so that employees have a better work experience from point of hiring to retaining their talent. This also means creating a standardized approach for all Walmart employees globally. We use both quantitative and qualitative analysis to help build refined data sets to better understand the experience of the people who work at Walmart. It's been a wonderful experience so far.

I came to SCAD in 2017 with the intention of doing an M.F.A. in industrial design. My first research project in industrial design was The Avocado, a self-tracking device prototype that improves your life by helping you manage your mood. It does this using chromotherapy, aromatherapy, and music therapy, all by recognizing your mood via touch and facial recognition technology. Through that project, we explored what research can do in design, and I realized I wanted to pursue another mastsers, in design management, at SCAD.

In simple terms, design management is the management of the design process through well-informed decisions that define the direction of the outcome. I saw the potential in design management for how it can be used to develop strategies in problem-solving.

The power of SCAD and the importance of its emphasis on collaboration means that as a design management student, I worked with textile designers, themed entertainment designers, actors, UX designers, and animators all together on a single project. To reflect on my projects at SCAD says a lot about the work I do professionally today.

All my SCAD professors were phenomenal. Eduardo Milrud was, at the time, the chair of industrial design, and wonderful to work with. Professor Kwela Sabine Hermanns taught me the basics of research, while professor Hari Nair, who took me deeper to show me the real-world impact made by quality research.

I also had the opportunity at SCAD to meet a number of living legends of design. In 2018, SCAD hosted an event called Crosswalks, featuring Don Norman, considered the founder of UX design; Vijay Kumar, the author of 101 Design Methods; Phil Gilbert, general manager of design at IBM, and others. They came for a panel discussion, and afterwards, I spoke with Don Norman, who told me, "It's good to have empathy, but you as a designer need to control your emotions so you can create solutions." That's always stuck with me.

For students from India who are considering SCAD, I would say: Whether you are new to design or an experienced designer, if you get an opportunity to attend SCAD, go for it. As long as you put in the effort, there is every opportunity to shine. SCAD offers all the resources you need. Even after graduation when you enter the job market, SCAD offers essential assistance and support. SCAD is more like a family — always there to help.

Visit Akshay.

With the unveiling of a brilliant large-scale mural enlivening the basketball courts at Arthur Langford, Jr. Park in southeast Atlanta, SCAD is proud to announce the "Paint Our Parks" SCAD SERVE public art initiative. In this inaugural SCAD SERVE POP project, SCAD SERVE Alumni Ambassador and acclaimed artist Emily Eldridge (B.F.A., illustration, 2004), led a team of over 40 SCAD students, alumni, faculty and staff, Joyland community volunteers, and family members of the late Arthur Langford, Jr. in the creation of a vibrant 100 x 100 feet mural.

SCAD's public arts beautification project was developed in partnership with the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Parks and Recreation. The university contributed significant funds for the restoration of the park's court surface, and towards the creation of a larger-than-life mural to enrich and inspire the local neighborhood community.

Envisioned by SCAD President Paula Wallace, SCAD SERVE is a university initiative that brings together the SCAD community to address neighborhood needs, listen to local leaders, and create meaningful design solutions that improve quality of life. Through SCAD SERVE, the newly launched "Paint Our Parks" (POP) initiative focuses on serving the citizens of Atlanta through the creativity, expertise, and altruism of the university's supremely talented network of students and alumni.

"Our parks are where we find our best selves — and SCAD SERVE's new Paint Our Parks public art initiative, debuting with Atlanta's Arthur Langford, Jr. Park, invites our neighbors and friends to enjoy the work of accomplished SCAD artists," said President Wallace. "SCAD SERVE Alumni Ambassador Emily Eldridge — whose murals enliven streetscapes worldwide, from Berlin to Barcelona, Córdoba, Hong Kong, and beyond — leads the Paint Our Parks public art initiative to realize shared visions of positivity, wellness, and joy, and uplift neighborhoods from Atlanta to Savannah."

"It's been an absolute honor to work together with SCAD SERVE to create artwork for the basketball courts at Arthur Langford, Jr. Park here in Atlanta," said Eldridge. "I've had the incredible opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise in the design field with current SCAD students, the up-and-coming leaders in the art world. I hope that through this experience working together, they have not only gained insight into the mural process, but have also been inspired to create change in their own communities through art. We are so excited to see this project come together and to share our work with the neighborhood!"

The creation of this special collaborative SCAD SERVE POP mural took place during the city of Atlanta's Elevate public arts festival, further illustrating SCAD as a champion of the greater Atlanta community and the university's collective commitment to advancing the arts and education in Atlanta. SCAD is honored to present this showpiece for the Joyland community and everyone in Atlanta to enjoy.

SCAD SERVE will continue to work in partnership with civic leaders in the university's home communities of Atlanta and Savannah to identify deserving public spaces for this unique SCAD SERVE Paint Our Parks mural initiative. For more information visit SCAD SERVE.

Holding court: SCAD SERVE alumni ambassador Emily Eldridge.

Whether she's antiquing, embroidering, or listening to Peggy Lee, Alaina Colleen (B.F.A., fashion, 2019) brings classic inspirations into the present. A freelance graphic designer based in Kansas City, Alaina created the vivid visual identity for the 2021-2022 SCAD course catalog. In the process, she supplied a set of symbols seen across an array of digital and physical materials — from SCAD admissions brochures and artist notebooks to the Volkswagen Bug “art car” often seen zipping precious cargo safely around Savannah.

Alaina Colleen:

SCAD has such a giant network of talented alumni, and I'm honored to be approached to create artwork for the catalog so early in my career. I was given creative freedom and asked to represent SCAD in a beautiful light, which is easy to do. I wanted to communicate the way SCAD felt to me with prospective students.

In previous years with the catalog, the alumni artist has always created a finished artwork for the front and back covers. I wanted to provide SCAD's creative team with assets they could mix and match. I landed on developing different symbols that can be set to different backgrounds. The deliverables were patterns, textures, borders, a color palette, and a clutch of symbols they could use however they wanted.

Wings are uplifting, and a key represents knowledge, a way of unlocking and discovering yourself and your value. Even if you don't contemplate the meaning of the symbols, you innately understand what they signify.

I'm drawn to warm, sun-kissed colors. There's something that feels really right about primary colors, they're strong and beautiful and in some way nostalgic, I like pairing them with jewel tones and pastels to balance things out. I love small accents of neon around edges of things. I favor metallic color in my work too, because of its talismanic resonance. All this went into what I created for the catalog.

At SCAD, I realized I was and am passionate about many things. I'm happy that I ended up in the fashion program because there are many skillsets folded into it — textiles, sculpture, graphic design, and learning to make gifs and videos too. Coming up with concepts, conducting research, and mood boarding — that all carries over into any medium, and I've been able to transition seamlessly into my work as a graphic designer.

As a fashion major, I took all my apparel classes with professor Sachiko Honda. She's a hawk with an eagle eye. I drew a portrait of her in fashion illustration class. She emphasized attention to detail, and she zoomed in on technique and manipulating fabric and thread in a beautiful way. Her expectations were always very high, and when you get high expectations from a professor you respect, you come to have high expectations of yourself in a healthy way.

In the modern world with all these screens around us, we're exposed to so much input, it's amazing and overwhelming. Working as a graphic designer, I work digitally to get ideas out quickly. I crave working with my hands, and want to make physical things that fill a space and can last longer. Creating embroidery feels meaningful and powerful. To focus on thread going in and out, to make a big picture with tiny threads, there's really nothing like it. When you embroider a garment, it feels special.

I am a multi-disciplinary artist and designer. I struggle with titling myself. It changes. And that's good, right? I mean, how do you apply your skills to the real world? I never want to close the door on different mediums.

Alaina and Louie, gloriously. (Photo: Kendall Eager, B.F.A., photography, 2018)

SCAD presents the fall installment of the university’s much anticipated Open Studio, this Thursday-Saturday, November 5-7 via both a virtual showcase and an in-person viewing experience. Curated by SCAD Art Sales, SCAD’s premiere curatorial platform and in-house art consultancy, Open Studio will offer discerning collectors and patrons from around the globe exclusive access to works by the university’s supremely talented network of students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Excitement returns with limited in-person Open Studio showcases. Guests can visit Alexander Hall in Savannah on Friday, November 5, and 1600 Peachtree at SCAD Atlanta on Friday and Saturday, November 5-6 to peruse an expertly curated selection of artist work. The entire Open Studio curation will be available for purchase online November 5-7, allowing worldwide access to this limited-run event that has become a go-to destination for art enthusiasts, collectors, and interior decorators to discover “what’s next” in art and design.

Fall 2021 Open Studio will feature nearly 1,500 outstanding jury-selected works by over 540 artists, from an array of SCAD’s top-ranked degree programs including painting, photography, illustration, sculpture, printmaking, fibers, animation, design for sustainability, architecture, fashion design, graphic design, and motion media.

"We are thrilled to present this fall's Open Studio event, inviting collectors from around the world to preview and shop the best of the best from SCAD's übertalented students, alumni, and faculty," said Victoria Gildersleeve, associate director, SCAD Art Sales. "With a return to on-ground preview events, featuring stellar curations in Savannah and Atlanta, this season's Open Studio Open Studio showcases the excellence and caliber of  SCAD's network of artists and will appeal to all types of collectors."

Fall 2021 Open Studio Spotlight Artist is Carla Contreras (M.F.A., painting, 2020). Contreras is an Ecuadorian visual artist, based in Atlanta, working in various mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, and installation. Contreras' work documents her inquisitive observations of the booming urban ecosystem and its inhabitants.

Fall 2021 Open Studio Alumni Atelier Ambassador Artist is Mae Heidenreich (B.F.A., fashion, 2009). From Tallahassee, Florida, Heidenreich is an imaginative fashion designer inspired by vintage textiles, technology and deconstructed materials, including antique hardware and vintage military supplies. For the Fall 2021 Open Studio events in Atlanta, Mae will present her latest ready-to-wear capsule collection, FLY, created while serving as an Ambassador with the SCAD Alumni Atelier, a unique residency program for visionary SCAD alumni offering time, space, and resources to immerse themselves in the creative process.

Launched in 2016, SCAD Art Sales is a full-service art consultancy that offers distinctive design and curatorial services to a global clientele of collectors and public and private- sector businesses and organizations. With access to over 45,000 artists, SCAD Art Sales represents a unique channel whereby SCAD champions and promotes its talented students and alumni. For more information about the Fall 2021 SCAD Open Studio events and to shop artworks online, please visit www.scadartsales.com.

Top: "The Delicate Balance" (detail), James Biscardi (B.F.A., photography, 2011), Portland, OR. Fujiflex Supergloss mounted to acrylic, 30x45.