By

Tags:

More than 200 SCAD students and alumni contributed to Primetime Emmy-nominated productions this season, garnering 275 different credits across 88 unique titles. Nominations for Ozark, Stranger Things, The Outsider, and more highlight the Georgia entertainment industry. Many diverse majors are represented in top productions such as The Mandalorian, Succession, Watchmen, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Westworld, The Last Dance and Rick and Morty. Two alumni, Dirk Valk (B.F.A., animation, 2008) and Garette Warner Rose (B.F.A., film and television, 2007), were directly nominated for Emmy Awards this year for Outstanding Special Visual Effects (Lost in Space) and Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program (Queer Eye), respectively. Congratulations to all alumni who contributed to nominated shows – we look forward to continuing to watch your work!

Update: Two alumni won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Emmys this year: Jill Dykxhoorn (B.F.A., animation, 2013), lead background artist, Archer: 1999 (episode: "Road Trip"), and Dan MacKenzie (B.F.A., animation, 2011), character animator, Cosmos: Possible Worlds (episode: "Vavilov"). Congratualtions, Jill and Dan!

The following SCAD alumni worked on these Emmy-nominated and Emmy-winning shows:

#FreeRayshawn: Lori Snow (B.F.A., film and television, 2011).

American Factory: Xiao Hou (M.F.A., sound design, 2015); Cindy Takehara (M.F.A., sound design, 2015).

American Horror Story: J. Jeongyeon Son (B.F.A., visual effects, 2012); Austin Ramsey (B.A., film and television); Zachary Goodson (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Dale Bunten (M.A., visual effects, 2019); DeRon Horton (B.F.A., performing arts, 2015).

Archer: 1999: Jill Dykxhoorn (B.F.A., animation, 2013).

Bad Education: Colin Alexander (B.F.A., sound design, 2005); Patrick O'Keeffe (B.F.A., visual effects, 2010); Kayli Carter (B.F.A., performing arts, 2015).

Better Call Saul: Jimmy Fisher (B.F.A., broadcast design, 2011).

Between Two Ferns: Austin Ramsey (B.F.A., film and television); Bryan Godwin (B.F.A., computer art, 1998); Gabe Gilden (B.F.A., film and television, 2014).

Big Little Lies: Sara Chaisson (B.F.A., film and television).

Big Mouth: Erica Hayes (B.F.A., sequential art, 2012); Katie Tamboer (B.F.A., animation, 2014); Corey Barnes (B.F.A., sequential art, 2006); Hunter Curra (B.F.A., sound design, 2005).

Black Mirror: Reed Lovell (B.F.A., sound design, 2013); Richard Reed (M.F.A., visual effects, 2005).

Bob Hearts Abishola: Austin Ramsey (B.F.A., film and television).

Bob's Burgers: Drew Newman (B.F.A., animation, 2007).

BoJack Horseman: Louisa Lawler (B.F.A., animation, 2018); Tom Soulen (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Christopher Nance (B.F.A., sequential art, 2012); Hunter Curra (B.F.A., sound design, 2005); Michael Britt (B.F.A., sound design, 2018).

Carnival Row: Dixie Pizani (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Matthew Kiefer (B.F.A., visual effects, 2009); Andrew Maynard (B.F.A., visual effects, 2015); Ryan Ng (B.F.A., visual effects, 2016); Mimi Violette (B.F.A., industrial design, 2018).

Central Park: Lexy Naut (B.F.A., animation, 2012); Corey Barnes (B.F.A., sequential art, 2006); Jon Higgins (B.F.A., illustration, 2018); Drew Newman (B.F.A., animation, 2007); Dabney 'Hank' Hamner (B.F.A., animation, 2015); Betty Liao (B.F.A., sequential art, 2015); Sarah L. Pacetti (B.F.A., sequential art, 2011); Tiffany Rishel  (B.F.A., animation, 2014).

Cosmos: Possible Worlds: Michael Pickering (B.F.A., visual effects, 2018); Bria Jones (B.F.A., animation, 2015); Kitty Tomblin (B.F.A., animation, 2016); Erica Hayes (B.F.A., sequential art, 2012); Austin Ramsey (B.F.A., film and television); Josiah Howison (B.F.A., visual effects, 2004); Elliot Thompson (M.A., sound design, 2012), Dan MacKenzie (B.F.A., animation, 2011).

Crank Yankers: Kathryn Molloy (B.F.A., film and television).

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Ric Griffith (B.F.A., video, 1992).

Defending Jacob: Derek Mola (B.F.A., film and television).

Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: Dany Flores Arias (B.F.A., film and television, 2019); Keith Anderson (B.F.A., visual effects, 2011); Matthew X. Trinkle (B.F.A., architecture, 2016); Elizabeth Luis (M.A., production design, 2018).

Drunk History: DeRon Horton (B.F.A., performing arts, 2015).

Dummy: Brian Freesh (B.F.A., film and television, 2005).

El Camino: Jesse Meler (B.F.A., visual effects, 2012).

Euphoria: Brett Hinton (B.F.A., video, 2001).

Family Reuniuon: Sean Amlaner (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007).

Godfather of Harlem: Justin Diamond (B.F.A., computer art, 2003).

Grace and Frankie: Megan Librizzi (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2018).

Hollywood: Logan Coffey (B.F.A., performing arts, 2016); Michael Metzner; Austin Ramsey (B.F.A., film and television); Zachary Goodson (B.F.A., animation, 2010).

Homecoming: Amy Christensen (B.F.A., computer art, 1997); Brett Hinton (B.F.A., film and television, 2001);

How to Get Away with Murder: Sean Amlaner (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007).

I Know This Much Is True: Michael Pickering (B.F.A., visual effects, 2018).

Insecure: Jordan Bridges (B.F.A., production design, 2019); Nicole Baker (M.A., film and television, 2008); Brian Freesh (B.F.A., film and television, 2005).

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Andrew Kaczynski (B.F.A., broadcast design, 2010).

Lost in Space: Cheri Fojtik (M.F.A., animation, 2011); Austin Ramsey (B.F.A., film and television); Dirk Valk (B.F.A., animation, 2008); Kristen Prahl (B.F.A., visual effects, 2005).

Love Is Blind: Nieshia Crawford (M.F.A., film and television, 2018); KP Hendry (B.F.A., photography); George Dunlap (B.F.A., film and television, 2009).

Modern Family: Leslie Merlin (B.F.A., film and television, 2005).

Modern Love: Colin Bright (B.F.A., sound design, 2010); Linzy Elliot (B.F.A., sound design, 2011).

Mr. Robot: Brett Hinton (B.F.A., video, 2001); Dionysius Vlachos (M.F.A., sound design, 2015).

Mrs. America: Ryan Ng (B.F.A., sound design, 2016); Kayli Carter (B.F.A., performing arts, 2015).

Orange is the New Black: Anna Tringali (B.F.A., production design, 2012).

Ozark: Grace Chahine (B.F.A., film and television, 2019); Camden St. Onge (B.F.A., film and television, 2018); Melissa Hansen (B.F.A., film and television, 2018); Rachel Kerby (B.F.A., film and television, 2019); Zachary Goodson (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Alyssa "Grizzly" Goldman (B.F.A., film and television); Layne Brightwell (B.F.A., illustration, 1985).

Pose: Noreen Souza-Bailey (B.F.A., film and television, 2005).

Queer Eye: Garrette Warner Rose (B.F.A., film and television, 2007).

Rick and Morty: Erica Hayes (B.F.A., sequential art, 2012); Kitty Tomblin (B.F.A., animation, 2016); Dan O'Connor (B.F.A., illustration, 1994); Ferguson Winston (B.F.A., animation, 2008); Joey McCormick (B.F.A., animation, 2011); Hunter Curra (B.F.A., sound design, 2005); Michael Britt (B.F.A., sound design, 2018).

Robot Chicken: Alex Kamer (B.F.A., film and television, 2004); Dan MacKenzie (B.F.A., animation, 2011); Savelen Forrest (B.F.A., computer art, 1999); Hunter Curra (B.F.A., sound design, 2005); Michael Britt (B.F.A., sound design, 2018); Steve Gallant (B.F.A., animation, 2012); Charles D'Avignon  (B.F.A., animation, 2016).

S.W.A.T.: Austin Ramsey (B.F.A., film and television).

Saturday Night Live: Milton Ladd (B.F.A., video, 2002).

Sea of Shadows: Dominque Koski (B.F.A., film and television, 2019).

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker: Ian Chase (B.F.A., sound design, 2017); Steven Blevins (B.F.A., sound design, 2018).

Shameless: Angela Gunn (M.F.A., film and television, 2008); Jie Meng (M.F.A., visual effects, 2015).

Silicon Valley: Chun Seong Ng (M.A., animation, 2007); Sarah Ridenour (B.F.A., animation, 2016).

Space Force: Rob Holland (B.F.A., film and television, 2009); Jonathan Nelson (M.F.A., computer art, 2004).

Star Trek: Short Treks: William Appleby (B.F.A., film and television, 2014); Zach Smith (B.F.A., visual effects, 2019); Sarah Hamilton (B.F.A., animation, 2018); Emily Shock (B.F.A., visual effects, 2015).

Star Trek: Picard: Dan Knight (B.F.A., computer art, 1996); Sean Amlaner (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007); Kristen Prahl (B.F.A., visual effects, 2005); Michael Rhima (M.A., visual effects, 2016).

Steven Universe Future: Julian De Perio (B.F.A., sequential art, 2016); Becky Dreistadt (B.F.A., sequential art, 2008).

Stranger Things: Sophie Wagman (B.F.A., production design, 2017); Chris Harris (B.F.A., sound design, 2007); Heather Fetter; Nathan Alexander (B.F.A., production design); Sarah Okun; Madison Eckler (B.F.A., visual effects, 2018); Steve DiNozzi (M.A., visual effects); Forrest Arnold (B.F.A., computer art, 2000); Burke Roane (B.F.A., computer art, 2003); Lucas Gregg (B.F.A., film and television, 2016); Joe Elfanbaum (B.F.A., sound design, 2016); Erin Choroszylow (B.F.A., film and television, 2012).

Succession: Kenzi Parker (B.F.A., animation, 2012); Grant Anderson (B.F.A., visual effects, 2017); Greg Radcliffe (B.F.A., visual effects, 2010); David Anger (B.F.A., visual effects, 2016); Kelsey Drown (B.F.A., visual effects, 2017); Gabe Gilden (B.F.A., film and television, 2014).

Survivor: Jamie Gordon West (B.F.A., photography, 2011).

Tales from the Loop: Dionysius Vlachos (M.F.A., sound design, 2015).

The Blacklist: Haley Samms (B.F.A., animation, 2017).

The Boys: Kathryn Molloy (B.F.A., film and television); Amber Evans (B.F.A., visual effects, 2015); Ryan Ng (B.F.A., visual effects, 2016).

The Dark Crystal: Noah Hamdan (B.F.A., visual effects, 2012); Nikki (Makar) Pataracchia (B.F.A., computer art, 2004); Ian Chase (B.F.A., sound design, 2017); Steven Blevins (B.F.A., sound design, 2018); Eric Schultz (B.F.A., visual effect, 2014); Michael Rhima(B.F.A., visual effects, 2016); Timothy Preston (B.F.A., motion media design, 2015).

The Good Place: Dionysius Vlachos (M.F.A., sound design, 2015).

The Great Hack: Andres E. Marthe Gonzalez (M.A., sound design, 2018).

The Imagineering Story: Kevin Kabfeld (B.F.A., production design, 2016); Matthew Burgette (B.F.A., film and television, 2003).

The Kominsky Method: Rob Holland (B.F.A., film and television, 2009).

The Last Dance: Ian Chase(B.F.A., sound design, 2017); Steven Blevins (B.F.A., sound design, 2018).

The Mandalorian: Maia Kayser  (B.F.A., electronic arts, 2001); Dan Knight (B.F.A., CMPA, 1996); Steven Quinoñes Colón (B.F.A., painting); Siyu Niu (M.F.A., visual effects, 2018); Jesse Hildreth (B.F.A., visual effects, 2008); Shawn Monaghan (B.F.A., CMPA, 2004); Diana Chu (M.F.A., visual effects, 2019); Cheri Fojtik (M.F.A., animation, 2011); Cameron Kashtan (B.F.A., film and television, 2017); Douglas Addy (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007); William Appleby (B.F.A., film and television, 2014); Delane Leahy  (B.F.A., film and television); Brandon Martin  (B.F.A., animation, 2008); Michael Callahan (B.F.A., film and television, 2003).

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Kenzi Parker (B.F.A., animation, 2012); Grant Anderson (B.F.A., visual effects, 2017); Greg Radcliffe (B.F.A., visual effects, 2010); David Anger (B.F.A., visual effects, 2016); Michael Pickering (B.F.A., visual effects, 2018); Carmine Picarello (B.F.A., sound design, 2006).

The Morning Show: Hilary Gayle (B.F.A., photography, 206); Heather Turner (B.F.A., film and television, 2006); Luis G. Reyes (B.F.A., production design).

The Outsider: Richard Weller (B.F.A., illustration, 1989); Megan Fudge (B.F.A., production design, 2016); Austin Ramsey (B.A., film and television); Zachary Goodson (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Darby Abraham (B.F.A., production design, 2016); Matthew X. Trinkle (B.F.A., architecture, 2016); Nate Foster (B.F.A., computer art, 2001); John Harton (B.F.A., production design, 2015); Ben Dishun (B.F.A., film and television, 2012).

The Plot Against America: Greg Radcliffe (B.F.A., visual effects, 2010); David Anger (B.F.A., visual effects, 2016); Steven Nyberg (M.F.A., film and television, 2015).

The Politician: Steven Nyberg (M.F.A., film and television, 2015); Zachary Goodson (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Morgan Lee Miller (M.F.A., production design, 2013).

The Rookie: Sarah Galley (B.F.A., film and television, 2008); Danielle Aziz (B.F.A., production design, 2012); Ric Griffith (B.F.A., video, 1992).

The Simpsons: Jon Higgins (B.F.A., illustration, 2018); Emma Barker (B.F.A., illustration, 2018); Matt Mantel (B.F.A., animation, 2017).

The Voice: Julie McReynolds (B.F.A., performing arts, 2002).

This Is Us: HanYun Chang (M.F.A., animation, 2019).

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Jaime Morgan (B.F.A., film and television, 2011); Carlos Alarcon(B.F.A., visual effects, 2010); Tommy Love (M.F.A., film and television, 2013); Gabe Gilden (B.F.A., film and television, 2014).

Unbelievable: Drew Huntley (B.F.A., visual effects, 2011); Alex Jansen (B.F.A., animation, 2010); Matt Klimek (B.F.A., sound design, 2011); Nicole Baker (M.A., film and television, 2008).

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend: Matthew T. Perry (B.F.A., film and television, 2011).

Unorthodox: Steven Blevins (B.F.A., sound design, 2018).

VICE: Brian McGee (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007); Josh Luddeni (B.F.A., film and television, 2008).

Vikings: Brittany Piacente (B.F.A., animation, 2012); Amber Evans (B.F.A., visual effects, 2015); Ryan Ng (B.F.A., visual effects, 2016).

Watchmen: Ziyan Tan (B.F.A., illustration, 2018); Nano Afrane (B.F.A., animation, 2017); Kristen Kuchenbecker (B.F.A., film and television, 2008); Jo Hepburn (B.F.A., fashion); Lauren Driskill (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, 2010); Chris Richarson (B.F.A., sound design, 2008); William Appleby (B.F.A., film and television, 2014); Nicholas Leone (B.F.A., film and television, 2010); Sarah Okun; Ethan Guice (B.F.A., photography, 2016); Kang Hui (M.F.A., animation, 2019); Josh Tamburo (M.F.A., sound design, 2015); Adam Wagner (M.F.A., film and television, 2018); Jana Acevedo (M.F.A., production design, 2013); Noelle Jean-Baptiste (B.F.A., production design, 2011).

We're Here: Chloe Heidt (B.F.A., film and television, 2017).

Westworld: Dan Knight (B.F.A., computer art, 1996); Sean Amlaner (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007); Patrick Warner (B.F.A., animation, 2008); Casey Roberts (B.F.A., visual effects); William Appleby (B.F.A., film and television, 2014); Sarah Hamilton (B.F.A., animation, 2018); Dustin Colson (B.F.A., visual effects, 2010); Philip Fraschetti (M.F.A., visual effects, 2007; B.F.A., computer art, 2005); Jorge Sanchez (B.F.A., film and television); Erik Zimmermann (M.F.A., visual effects, 2008); Brian Freesh (B.F.A., film and television, 2005).

What We Do In The Shadows: Abhishek Singh (B.F.A., visual effects, 2017).

Why We Hate: Josh Feezer (B.F.A., film and television, 2008); William Atkin (M.F.A., computer art, 2005).

Wu-Tang: An American Saga: Harrison Jaffee (B.F.A., film and television, 2012); Alex Dubois (B.F.A., film and television, 2016); Antonio Aguas (B.F.A., animation); Nathaniel K. Hearns (B.F.A., animation, 2017); Ali Lavoie (B.F.A., animation, 2018); Hannah Saunders (B.F.A., animation, 2018); Nana Boachie (B.F.A., animation, 2011); Laura Ceredona (B.F.A., animation, 2005); Tiffany Rishel Droke (B.F.A., animation, 2014); Reed Gauthier (B.F.A., animation, 2011); Kathy Kissinger (B.F.A., animation, 2013); Travis Lockhart (B.F.A., animation, 2011); Andrew VonGravely (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2013); Andrew Lainhart (B.F.A., film and television, 2014).

 

See a name missing from the list? Send name and show the alumnus worked on to [email protected].

 

By

Tags:

The expressive art practice of Edgar Sanchez Cumbas (B.F.A., illustration, 1994) includes painting, drawing, and found object sculpture. Many of his paintings incorporate multiple layers of thick impasto, which accumulate into allusions to skin and human bodies. The artist uses abstraction and raw material in tandem with his deeper commentary on subjects like colorism, identity, and pervasive racism. The exhibition NO. This Is Not the Color of Flesh at the SCAD Museum of Art includes recent paintings and drawings that demonstrate the artist's varied approach to media.

"When you see the work in the flesh, you can't help but be able to investigate the richness of the pieces," says Sanchez Cumbas. "Even though some are three-dimensional, some are a flat surface, and some are paper drawings, they all have this rich, tactile quality. There's a unity to all of the work."

Sanchez Cumbas injects his abstract compositions with explorations of important contemporary cultural issues. His heavily tactile and layered paintings spring from complex identity politics and are informed by his Puerto Rican heritage.

Sanchez Cumbas: "When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, my grandmother had a popular portrait of Jesus, 'Head of Christ' painted by Warner Sallman. This one was a 3D hologram, and as a little kid I fascinated by it. I kept looking at the side and wanting to see what was behind. It was a visual thing, but at the same time there was a sense of suffering that I saw in that picture, and hope too.

"In 2015, I took a trip down the Danube in Austria and saw the cathedrals. Once I came back from that trip, I knew my work would tie into the intersection between religion and racism. At that moment that picture by Sallman popped up again. I was aggressively pushing the paint to mimic the feel of that print of 'Head of Christ'. It wasn't until I laid down the last color, the flesh tone, that the first thing I said in my head was, 'No, this is not the color of flesh!' At that moment I knew the piece was done.

"That piece is a reinterpretation of a holographic picture, to a sculptural piece. We still have to look to the side and see the details of the violently laid-down paint, the strong, aggressive marks. Then we get to the top surface which is flat and smooth, indicative of our skin and our sensitivity to these issues."

"NO. This Is Not the Color of Flesh," wood, heavy gesso, acrylic polymer paint, and unsanded mortar, 12" x 11" x 8", 2018

 

The title of the exhibition takes its name from the central painting on view. The work, while small in scale, juts out into space with its chunky, accumulated layers of paint in myriad colors, from muted green and subtle brown to deep maroon and saturated yellow. This work, like many of the artist's paintings, rejects the inherent "flatness" of the traditional picture plane, offering viewers an objecthood and corporeality more akin to their own bodies than to painting and image-making.

The top layer of this work is a swath of beige-pink, a color commonly associated with Caucasian skin. Beiges have historically been the unchecked default "flesh tone" of everything from Crayola crayons to makeup foundation to academic painting instruction. In No. This Is Not the Color of Flesh, Sanchez Cumbas confronts the concept of beige as the assumed human coloring. By finishing the top layer of the work in this color while roughly exposing the multihued underlayers on the sides of the work, the artist suggests the violence and suppression of culture that occurs when societies place a higher value on those with lighter skin.

The award-winning SCAD Museum of Art will reopen to the public Thursday, September 10 with a roster of new and extended international exhibitions.

NO. This Is Not the Color of Flesh is curated by Ben Tollefson, associate curator of SCAD exhibitions.

www.edgarsanchezcumbas.com

By

Tags:

"We think that it's law and society that determine our behavior," says Danielle McCoy (B.F.A., advertising, 2015), "but the cultural components that art provides influence us as well."

McCoy, a designer at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, has spoken alongside artist Hank Willis Thomas during a panel at the Portland Art Museum in 2019, and this summer showcased her work with fellow artists Christine Miller and Kareem Blair in the exhibition "Black Power Is A Color" at Blackfish Gallery. McCoy’s text-specific, screen-printed work, utilizing fonts from Tré Seals’ foundry Vocal Type, advances her professional acumen in a fine art context with social and political implications.

A native of Antigua, McCoy attended SCAD Atlanta, where her academic experience, as she says, "enabled me to be where I am today."

Danielle McCoy at Blackfish Gallery, 2020. Photo: Chloé Jarnac.

 

Danielle McCoy:

People conflate marketing with advertising without realizing that advertising is the creative side of the profession. It’s where people who have studied design and writing come together to solve a business challenge and focus a message that relies on visuals for its effectiveness.

When you are in the process of solving clients’ business problems, everything is game. Everything is creative inventory. Advertising folks know so many disparate facts and go down so many rabbit holes for research.

Wieden+Kennedy is arguably the best agency in the world. How did I get here? It started when I participated in Out to Launch at SCAD Atlanta. I had a booth and a Wieden recruiter stopped by and engaged. Senior year, I applied to Wieden+Kennedy's internship. I sent off the application, and a LinkedIn message to the recruiter, saying hey, I plucked up the courage to apply, hope you're doing well. After my very last portfolio class at SCAD, I received a message from the recruiter, who was also one of W+K Studio's Associate Studio Directors, saying, Hi, we've chosen you for an internship. I was like, Holy crap!

At SCAD, I minored in motion media design and in book arts. I learned to communicate in an advertising setting and apply that to fine art, and personal expression as well. An artists' book project in professor Lisa Hart's color theory class introduced me to book arts, and in book arts class with professor Cynthia Lollis, I began considering the fine arts something I could do seriously. A lot of my relationships from SCAD have lasted. I speak regularly with Dr. Imani Scott, my speech and communications professor.

I'm thinking a lot recently about Blackness. How can I use my skills to serve people who need to communicate a message? In the weeks leading up to the show, the Associated Press changed the AP style guide to capitalize Black. In a sketch book I wrote the words KNEEGROW. I was contemplating Colin Kaepernick kneeling, and Black bodies. The work relates to my love of language. In Antigua, there's this almost over-pronunciation that we do. Black people regionally and locally have unique ways of saying things. All these thoughts were percolating, about where we come from, how we speak, and what we've gone through. I needed a way to express those thoughts. It came into new focus when I made the work for "Black Power Is A Color."

I have to shout out my collaborators, Kareem and Christine. "Black Power Is A Color" ended up being so cohesive, even though for a good portion of the preparation, we didn't know what each other was doing. There's a really positive community of young creatives here in Portland. There's certainly the politics of being a transplant and reconciling with the history of the city. So much gentrification and displacement and disenfranchisement has happened here. More conversations need to be had. We need to reconcile our differences, and come together.

Visit Danielle McCoy at her wonderful website.

Photography courtesy Chloé Jarnac.

By

Tags:

"Zero waste design is a giant puzzle," explains Danielle Elsener (B.F.A., 2013, fashion). "Normally when you lay out patterns, there’s extra room between the pieces and about 15% of that gets wasted. Zero waste involves making garments where every inch of fabric is used in the creation."

Elsener is a puzzle-solver, an inventor, and the recipient of the inaugural Activate Movement Program €50,000 grant sustainable design. Her winning entry, called A020, was chosen by judges Virgil Abloh, artistic director at Louis Vuitton, and Evian Global VP Shweta Harit.

Currently based in Portland, Oregon, Danielle was previously an Alumni Atelier ambassador at SCAD Lacoste and a SCADpro alumni mentor. Her recent projects include an open source Zero Waste Scrub Set for front line health workers.

Danielle Elsener:

Receiving this Evian grant is super exciting. There are three things the grant will go towards. One is the creation of zero waste pattern tools that I use to teach how zero waste design works. You receive the tool and a set of instructions, and can get started with basics in zero waste design. I'm also hosting workshops, digitally for the time being, which is great because you can get engagement from all over the world. And I'll eventually create a factory that produces full run garments that are completely zero waste, the first of its kind.

Zero waste involves figuring out what on the pattern can be shifted so all the pieces interlink. I've made it my goal to make zero waste garments that don’t necessarily look like they’re zero waste, so more people are willing to wear them. It has a better industry application, and makes companies more willing to try out that type of design thinking.

My first edition of the Zero Waste Scrub Set pattern was uploaded April 10. Since then it’s been downloaded over 1500 times. There's a woman in the UK who's making tutorial videos about how to actually construct the scrubs. My sister is a doctor for the Navy, and she ordered a custom set of scrubs for her Covid testing unit. It's awesome that people are taking it on as their own thing.

SCAD has been a great partner for my journey of design. I had my heart set on SCAD from the first time I heard about it at Northport High in Northport, New York. I had a substitute teacher who’d gone on vacation to Savannah and said there’s a school down there that has a festival with chalk art all over the sidewalks. I looked at the brochure and was like yep, this is it! The New York industry is all bred from New York schools, and I felt like going somewhere different would create a fresh outlook on fashion. SCAD was the only school I applied to.

At SCAD, I had great professors who helped me think really differently about the world. My junior year I researched the work of Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan, who literally wrote the book Zero Waste Fashion Design (Fairchild Books, 2015). I thought, this seems like fun, let me just try it for one project. I was totally hooked. SCAD really set me up to get where I am today.

Visit Danielle Elsener at decodedecodedecode.

 

By

Tags:

Interior design professor Christine Van Duyn knows what it takes to accomplish world-class work. Before joining the faculty at SCAD, she worked as an architect specializing in award-winning restaurants, bars, and lounges, including marquee projects like the Columbia Room, named "The Best American Cocktail Bar" (Tales of the Cocktail, 2017) and The Dabney, both in Washington D.C.

A SCAD alumna, Prof. Van Duyn (B.F.A., photography, 2004) is challenging her students this quarter to examine the future of the restaurant industry as they design spaces that will function in a post COVID-19 landscape.

Christine E. Van Duyn:

Restaurants have unique obstacles in our world today. Social distancing guidelines, capacity limits, and mask requirements are all impacting businesses in ways that restauranters are still trying to figure out. Here in Savannah a few places have developed to-go menus, begun taking reservations, and changed their hours of operation.

Industry professionals learned numerous lessons over the summer, and those learnings are months if not years away from fully being implemented to ensure the struggles and shutdowns we've experienced will never happen again.

With that understanding, I am working closely with my interior design students this quarter to re-think, re-imagine, and re-understand what a restaurant experience will be going forward. The conversations have been fun to lead and I am excited to see how the students develop their projects over the course of the semester. Here are some of the original ideas that have really sparked our imaginations:

Outdoor Dining: We are seeing our downtown sidewalks and streets turn into funky pop-up patios. While these are fun and needed adjustments, they are not long-term solutions. Outdoor dining will be necessary in the world going forward. We must look to design designated outdoor spaces from the beginning rather than the end.

Back to Booths: We have all been to an old-school Italian restaurant where the lighting is dark, the décor is dated, and the waiters served your parents butter and noodles when they were young. The one thing that those restaurants did right was booths. Booths provide a barrier from other parties and will slow the spread of germs and air born pathogens. Booths will make a comeback, and we need to ensure the spaces we design allow for easy flow of movement and safety of staff.

To-Go Windows: Food delivery systems will only be more important to the success of our community as we move forward. Today, your delivery driver physically walks into a restaurant and often times interacts face to face with individuals in order to ensure they are walking out with your food. We can already see the inherent risks in this system. While that was fine 12 months ago, it will not be the norm going forward. Restaurants will design specific windows and locations for food pick-up, limiting risks for both the staff, delivery drivers, and patrons.

Safety has always been paramount when it comes to design, and these shifts will be seen as exciting new challenges throughout the industry. The fact that they will play out in real time, across the entire world, will be entirely brand new — and I can guarantee you that SCAD students will be right there as it happens.

Visit Christine Van Duyn at her wonderful website.

 

By

Tags:

Noah Sterling (M.F.A., motion media, 2017; B.F.A., film and television, 2015) tells stories millions of people love to see. The producer, director, and writer has collaborated with some of the world's biggest names, from Noah Cyrus to Captain America to the Los Angeles Galaxy. 

As a digital video intern at Marvel in 2015, Noah created "Marvel TL;DR", Marvel's highest-performing digital content and most-viewed webseries. In 2020, Sterling and his team won a Webby Award for the animated video series "Today in Marvel History." In big news for the new year, Noah is writing and directing pop star Zayn Malik's new comic book "Calamity," based on Zayn's third studio album, Nobody Is Listening (RCA Records, 2021). Sterling's work reflects his dedication to learning all facets of his craft, and his ability to tell a beautiful story through the art of animation.

Noah Sterling:

I will always be grateful to Marvel for the opportunity they gave me as a 19-year-old. I had the chance to work on and develop my own animated web series, where I was the director, producer, and writer. I understand the trust they placed in me. I can't imagine that level of creative control was easy to give to a young artist.

At first the Marvel team was a little unsure of the viability of my ‘Marvel TL;DR' series, but after we saw the initial response from the fans, it was easy to see this was going to be a success. We completed three seasons of the show, touching on everything from "Spider-Verse" to "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl."

And it all started as a class project at SCAD.

SCAD professors helped me become a better storyteller and producer. Professors Michael Cheney and Austin Shaw expanded my palate and my knowledge of different forms of design and mixed media. They helped me push the boundaries to make movement exciting, which really came in handy when I started working with Marvel.

At first, I had limited assets to work with. My budget was small, and my team was not the same as on a Marvel blockbuster. I was faced with the challenge of having to create dynamic movement without traditional animation. That's when my SCAD motion design training really kicked in.

My professors at SCAD got me comfortable working within different styles, and understanding how to create something memorable within scope. The series really took on a unique style and I think the initial restraints actually helped us create something special.

SCAD was also the right place for me because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I graduated. I was interested in live action film, animation, visual effects, and motion graphics. Those don't all fall neatly into one discipline, but that didn't matter. At SCAD, I was able to explore different fields within the arts, and that's been a huge advantage as I work on different projects.

My most recent projects have been music videos. I am the director for Noah Cyrus's latest single "Young and Sad" and the art director for Doja Cat's "Like That." I'm going to focus on producing going forward. I love leading a team and seeing an idea come to life from the page. I am currently developing an animated series. Hopefully I will have exciting news to share soon!

Animation still from Noah Cyrus' "Young and Sad" (2020).

See more at www.noahsterling.com.

 

By

Tags:

Tayler Ayers (M.A. creative business leadership; B.F.A., fibers, 2019) is a SCAD tennis standout and, with Will Penny, one of the artists of the BLACK LIVES MATTER murals atop student residence hall FORTY in Atlanta and the exterior of Gutstein Gallery in Savannah.

"Our project speaks to the injustice that is present in the world, while also contemplating what it looks like when two people who are visually different come together to contribute to something larger than themselves," the artists said.

What Ayers and Penny (M.F.A., painting, 2013; B.F.A., painting, 2008) have created is part of the fabric of the Civil Rights movement in Savannah, the mural stretching across the front of the former Levy's department store (now SCAD's Jen Library) that saw the lunch-counter sit-in of 1960. Ayers, from Carrollton, Georgia, says: "To put this message on the outside of a building in the South, this is bigger than me, and bigger than SCAD. I'm excited for the response, whatever that may be."

Tayler Ayers:

I gravitate toward flowy yet refined hand styles. You look at the Black Live Matter piece and think, is it painted, or made with a Wacom? I painted it with a paintbrush, then used Image Trace so it had that mix of professionalism and clean design, to keep the organic feeling.

I grew up traveling on I-20 West in and out of Atlanta to play tennis, through that part of Atlanta where SCAD is, so I've seen SCAD Atlanta since I was ten years old. On the tennis team at SCAD, my teammates come to me to talk, to unpack things they're thinking about. Often a Black person walking by will see me and say, "Young Arthur Ashe!" That's their association. There are not a lot of people who look like me playing tennis. When we're traveling for matches, I'll sometimes be the only Black player on my team and the opposing team. I own that. I have a higher level of awareness in that position.

My success in tennis was never measured in trophies. What I got from tennis is that it gave me confidence and independence from a young age. If I'm approaching an art piece, sometimes I'll get asked "How do you start? How do you have the confidence to make those marks unapologetically?" Well, it comes from being on a tennis court, alone, it's you and you lose or you win. In a millisecond, you have to dissect a thousand options that are point-one-percent worse or better than the other, and you have to have the awareness and critical thinking to break down that situation and make a decision. I apply that to art.

I'm doing this to speak to kids to let them know they can do this. Everything I make, you can make with what you can buy at Starlandia or Blick. I'll go with you to pick out the art supplies. I'm not sitting behind a veil. My work is on a building. I'm going for it.

Tayler Ayers is HERE.

 

By

Tags:

"It's an art piece," says professor Dr. Petra Richterova, director and cinematographer of "ON MY MIND", the stunning short film based on musician Marcus Strickland's spiritual jazz composition "On My Mind (Remix)." "It's not intended to be a music video. I'm not catering to short attention spans. It's for people who can get to the deeper level it's on."

"ON MY MIND", produced and directed by Richterova and Jennifer Galvin, has its roots in the 1990s, when Richterova, then working as a photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center, first crossed paths with Strickland. "At that time, Marcus was one of the talented young straight-ahead jazz players in the orbit of Wynton Marsalis. Later Marcus started making beats and working across musical disciplines, and we became closer because we had that creative connection."

The song, which originally appeared on Strickland's album People of the Sun (Blue Note/Revive Music, 2018), features the leader's magisterial bass clarinet alongside vocals from soul singer Bilal, esteemed MC Pharoahe Monch, and poet and thinker Greg Tate. The "deeper level" Richterova speaks of, implicit in the music, is made flesh in the film by the performance of Storyboard P, an impossibly lithe flex dancer whose moves must be seen to be believed.

Greg Tate, as seen in "ON MY MIND" (photo: Petra Richterova)

 

The cross-disciplinary excellence of "ON MY MIND" will not come as a surprise to the students who have learned under Richterova at SCAD. As a professor of African and African-American art in the art history department, her classes include "Dancing the Diaspora: Afro-Atlantic Representation and Performance" (ARTH484), an art history elective that integrates the life-work of artists including Sun Ra and Tupac Shakur to create a deeper understanding of Africa's influence on global culture.

"ON MY MIND" was edited by Roberto E. Garcia Matus (B.F.A., sound design, 2017; M.A., film and television, 2019), who Richterova taught at SCAD. "I had to find an editor who could edit to music," Richterova explains. "Roberto knows what I'm about and what the art is about. He's a musician too, so his edits were intimately connected to the timing of the music. He brought it all together."

After making its premiere online with Afropunk in June, "ON MY MIND" has won awards at the London Music Video Festival and as an official 24K selection at Hip Hop Film Fest NYC. Astute viewers may recognize one or more of the New York filming locations, including Electric Garden Recording Studio in Brooklyn and the Museum of Art and Origins in Harlem. The Ivorian Dan mask worn by Tate in the film's opening moments is echoed at the film's close, when Storyboard P "face dances" in a passage of stunning strength and vulnerability.

"Marcus gave us absolute freedom to do what we wanted with this project," notes Richterova. "Our focus was on doing justice to the talent. It's all about the transformation of energy into positivity, and the connection to spirit. That's what it's really all about: spirit and love."

www.onmymindfilm.com

Photo of Petra Richterova by Deneka Peniston.

By

Tags:

"My goal as an artist is to make something universal everyone can enjoy," says sequential art professor Rashad Doucet (M.F.A., sequential art, 2009). An Eisner Award winner, Doucet has worked with LucasArts, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Zuda Comics. His new projects include Alabaster Shadows (Oni Press), a book about an African-American kid facing mysteries in his new town involving H.P. Lovecraft-inspired monsters, and Jeremiah Justice Saves The Day, a children's picture book celebrating a special needs superhero. As an artist, Rashad always delivers diversity, inclusion, and fun. So, what's he reading this summer that’s bringing him joy?

Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, Superman Smashes the Klan (DC Comics, 2019): "A comic based on a 1940s radio serial that responded to the rise of the KKK after WW2. The radio series played a huge role in discrediting the Klan in pop culture. The graphic novel adapts it from the perspective of an immigrant family meeting Superman and running into trouble with their new neighbors. It explores racial and cultural issues from different perspectives while still being a classic superhero tale."

Kat Leyh, SnapDragon (First Second, 2020): "This graphic novel deals positively with issues kids are facing today. A child of mixed race growing up in a small town befriends the rumored local "witch" and discovers a good bit about herself, her family's past, and the world around her. The story has a great twist mid-way through."

Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson, The Mighty Thor Volume 1: Thunder in Her Veins (Marvel, 2017): "The story of how cancer patient Dr. Jane Foster became the new Thor (Natalie Portman will play this character in an upcoming movie). Deals with a hero who balances a very serious illness while still finding time to save the world and deal with legacy of being Thor."

Mark Waid and Alex Ross, Kingdom Come (DC Comics, 2019): "A beautiful painted superhero comic that explores what happens when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have retired in old age but have to return due to the rise of new heroes who may have gone too far. It shows how the weight of being icons has a heavy effect on their personal lives, especially after decades of doing it."

Saladin Ahmed, Javier Guerron, and David Curiel, Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out Of Brooklyn (Marvel, 2019): "For fans of the Spiderverse movie who want to see how a slightly older Miles Morales handles the balance of being a hero and teenager, try this fun romp showcasing more of the character we all loved from the movie."

Mariko Tamaki, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (First Second Books, 2019): "A teenager wrestles with leaving her on-and-off unhealthy relationship with her girlfriend behind while realizing that she may not have been supportive enough for one of her best friends because of it. The artwork is atmospherically stunning with a limited color palette that really fits the story."

Be sure to check out Matt Gardner and Rashad Doucet's Alabaster Shadows!

 

By

Tags:

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 26-28, SCAD hosts its first virtual Open Studio, showcasing more than 500 student and alumni works. The 15th annual Open Studio event, a destination for art collectors and enthusiasts, offers exclusive access to work by the university's community of talented artists.

Open Studio will showcase more than 500 jury-selected works submitted by students, alumni, and faculty from across a wide range of degree programs, including illustration, painting, photography, and printmaking. Participating SCAD artists include Anthony 'Mojo' Reed (B.F.A., sequential art, 2015), Carla Contreras (M.F.A., painting, 2019), Jaylyn Lassiter (M.F.A., painting), Elli Burris (M.F.A., printmaking), Conrad Maxwell Girod (B.F.A., photography, 2020), Bradley Collins (B.F.A., painting, 2020) and Ashna Malik (B.F.A., painting, 2020). A portion of proceeds will benefit the SCAD Student Relief Fund, helping students with financial hardships complete their degrees.

"Now more than ever it is important to support and uplift the creative voices in our communities," said Rachel Evans, director, SCAD Art Sales. "SCAD continues to provide a stellar education for fine artists, supporting both current students and established alumni and faculty. SCAD's first online Open Studio event will enable patrons around the world to shop original SCAD artwork from our talented emerging artists."

SCAD Art Sales, a premier curatorial platform, will offer guests access to its expansive artist network through the work on display. Launched in Winter 2016, SCAD Art Sales represents a unique channel whereby SCAD champions its students and alumni. Artwork available for purchase ranges in price, with inventory continuously updated as new and established artists submit work through the SCAD Art Sales online portal.

Open Studio will take place Fri.-Sun., June 26-28 on the dedicated Open Studio page. A "view-in-room" feature will also be available on the mobile platform via the ArtCloud app, making it possible for shoppers to preview works in their home before placing an order.

Check back here for exclusive SCADworks interviews with featured Open Studio artists this week.

Top image: Bradley Collins (B.F.A., painting, 2020), "1.3.5.2.4.5.6," acrylic on canvas, 2019, 50" x 60".