A fabulous three-day weekend, 40 years in the making. This Thurs.-Sat., April 25-28, join SCAD friends and families for SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival, the unveiling of SCADstory, SCAD40 Block Party and much more as we celebrate SCAD40 WKND.

In recognition of the university’s 40th anniversary, Family and Alumni Weekend is part of the larger SCAD40 WKND celebration. This three-day event features activities and opportunities for students, families and four decades of alumni to return to the hive.

For a full listing of the sumptuous schedule of events, including registration and ticketing information, visit the dedicated SCAD40 WKND site.

Highlights include the SCAD40 Block Party, Friday, 6-8 p.m. at Madison Square on Bull Street, celebrating the 40th anniversary of SCAD where it all began. Join the fun with fellow alumni, faculty, staff, students and families. Visit shopSCAD for live artist demonstrations, Gryphon for live music, Art’s Café to purchase keepsake SCAD40 merchandise, SCAD food trucks for tasty treats and much more. This event is open to everyone in the SCAD community.

Friday evening, 8-10 p.m., Poetter Hall 342 Bull St., it’s the SCAD40 Celebration and the premiere of SCADstory, an immersive 360-degree experience through 40 years of SCAD history. Enjoy craft beverages, hors d’oeuvres and live music from Yacht Rock Schooner playing top hits from 1978 and more. Tickets are $78 and SCAD will match ticket sales to a scholarship fund for continuing students of the 2019–20 academic year.

On Sat. April 27, 10:00 am-4:00 pm, a very special edition of Sidewalk Arts Festival takes place in Forsyth Park. Sidewalk Arts Festival 2019 is the 38th iteration of one of the university's most beloved annual events. SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace dedicated a chapter "Sidewalks" in her memoir "The Bee and the Acorn" (Assouline Publishing 2016) to the role Sidewalk Arts has played in the evolution of SCAD.

"None of us could have known that the SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival would go on to become the single largest annual outdoor arts event in Savannah, drawing fifty thousand guests. I'd conceived of it as a one-time event, an experiment, an early sketch to see if anything was there, as fleeting as chalk art, as unlikely as our new college."

Long since relocated from its original location around Madison Square to Forsyth Park, Sidewalk Arts has seen its number of participants increase accordingly. This year, upwards of 1000 SCAD students and alumni as well as high school guest artists will create colorful chalk masterpieces and compete for coveted prizes.

The artists represent a wide range of the carefully curated degree programs offered by SCAD. Chalk distribution happens at 10 a.m. and drawing commences an hour later. Prizewinners will be announced and prizes awarded at 4 p.m. For more information regarding day-of-the-event standby squares, and a dedicated map of the square, visit Sidewalk Arts 2019 registration page.

See you soon at SCAD40 WKND!

Founded in 2008, SCAN is the award-winning quarterly print magazine showcasing the SCAD Atlanta community from the student perspective. Ten years, thirty issues and more than 200 awards later, SCAN is going strong.

"From its inception, we always knew we wanted SCAN to be different, which is why we focused on a lifestyle theme," said Makensangla Payne (M.F.A., fashion, 2018; B.F.A., fashion, 2010), the first editor-in-chief of SCAN. "Being a global university, it was imperative to reflect SCAD's international flair and make SCAN diverse, fresh and relevant." Payne, currently SCAD executive director of international student recruitment and relations, has seen every subsequent issue. "Every contributing team has done an exemplary job of creating, designing and connecting with its audience."

A typical issue of SCAN includes the work of approximately 35 students. From planning to printing, every bit of every issue — staff photos, tables of contents, sets for fashion shoots, makeup, illustrations — is completed by a team of dedicated students. As Anya Haber (B.F.A., fashion), 2018-2019 editor-in-chief, explained: "The collaboration among dozens of students with different perspectives and majors is what makes SCAN so visually stunning and engaging."

More than 500 students—freshmen through graduate students—have worked on SCAN, growing as artists and designers while preparing for creative careers.

Osayi Endolyn (M.F.A., writing, 2014), editor-in-chief, 2011-2012, said: "I'm proud of creating opportunities for other students to participate and find a place for themselves within student media. One student designer I recruited found a mentor on staff in a fellow student, and that connection changed the course of his early career. Another student was extremely shy and wasn't sure she could offer anything to the student media team. By the time I graduated, she was in a leadership role on staff. Both that writer and designer are still working in their respective fields."

Erin White (B.F.A., writing, 2014), editor-in-chief, 2012-2014, uses the skills learned at SCAN in her career. "So much of my perspective on journalism and media was shaped by my experiences at SCAN, from learning best practices as a proficient, responsible reporter, to operating in a newsroom setting as part of a team. I use the same content budget, interview basics and creative integrity that I learned working on SCAN. What I use most are the fundamentals!" 

SCAN has earned more than 200 regional and national awards, including two Gold Crowns (2015, 2019) and two Silver Crowns (2017, 2018) from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Students have earned awards individually for their photography, writing, illustration, advertising and graphic design from top national organizations for college media. Emma Dakin (B.F.A., graphic design, 2018), editor-in-chief, 2017-2018, said: "I'm proud that SCAN and the students who work so hard at making interesting and creative issues are consistently recognized with some of the nation's top awards for student media."

Adam Crisp, director of student media, SCAD Savannah, said, "Though SCAN is principally an Atlanta campus publication, it is sought after at all SCAD locations for its impeccable photography, superior design and thoughtful storytelling. SCAN shows the talent of our students, and provides a superior out-of-classroom learning opportunity for its contributors and editors."

"I love seeing people reading SCAN," added Haber. "I'll miss being stopped in the hall by a student who recognized my picture from the staff page, telling me how much they loved the latest issue, and asking how they can get involved."

Want to help celebrate SCAN's success?

Visit the ACA Library, Friday, April 19, 11-1 p.m. for "Friday Finds" to see back issues and ephemera from all 30 issues of SCAN.

Current and former editors will be there to discuss how you can get involved.

This Thursday through Saturday, April 4-6, SCAD Atlanta hosts SCADFILM's annual SCAD GamingFest. The three-day global gathering brings together working professionals, industry luminaries and the next generation of talent from the innovative world of gaming.

Featuring panel discussions, presentations, and exclusive sneak peeks and live demos, SCAD GamingFest will be held at the state-of-the-art SCADshow facility in the heart of midtown Atlanta. Participating industry luminaries will be celebrated at an opening reception on Thursday.

“Since SCAD pioneered its degree program in game design and development a generation ago, we've launched careers for programmers, visual effects artists, writers, audio designers, and even eSports athletes," said SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. “SCAD GamingFest celebrates and extends the conversation with panels, demonstrations, and screenings, culminating in a massive Super Smash Bros. Ultimate showdown. Level up to this year's GamingFest!"

The festival focuses on the innovative game development incorporating sound design and motion capture. The programming lineup will include “Gaming Off the Grid"; “The Wild World of Writing for Games"; “Giving Games Gusto: Audio Design for Interactive Media"; “Producing eSports with Skillshot Media" and “Motion Capture Performance for Interactive Design."

Industry influencers scheduled to appear at SCAD GamingFest 2019 include Kat DeShields (M.F.A., writing), senior esports community manager, Skillshot Media; Alex Lieu, chief creative officer, 42Entertainment; Micah Wright, chair, WGA Videogame Writers Caucus; Harrison Pink (B.F.A., interactive design and game development, 2008), senior game designer, Blizzard Entertainment, and Eric Lorenz (B.F.A., sound design, 2014), sound designer, Wabi Sabi Sound.

Approximately 1500 guests are anticipated to attend, including SCAD Savannah and Atlanta students of animation, motion media design, visual effects, and sound design and interactive design and game development.

The festival will also showcase SCAD eSports athletes under the guidance of eSports director Ian Escalante, competing in “Super Smash Bros Ultimate." SCAD eSports athletes are enrolled in SCAD's top-ranked degree programs. Over 125 game development companies are based in Georgia, further emphasizing the connection between competitive gaming and creative careers.

View the complete SCAD GamingFest 2019 line-up here.

Veins in a wrist flow into the ribbing of a sweater. A hand is angled across a freckled clavicle.  An arched eyebrow suggests wisdom and wonder. Unembellished yet elegant, these images of women are the substance of "Sabi."

"Sabi," titled after the Japanese concept of transient beauty, was created by Matthew Sgambati (B.F.A., photography, 2019) for The Photographic Book (PHOT 405), a ten-week class taught by SCAD photography professor Jaclyn Cori Norman. Over the course of the quarter, each student conceptualized, shot, and laid out two complementary, physical versions of their own book of photographs: one handmade, the other produced via an on-line publishing platform.

In a class whose work encompassed diverse aesthetic and thematic visions, Sgambati's "Sabi" represents a remarkable standard of excellence.

Matthew Sgambati:

I'm from Raleigh, North Carolina. I attended Broughton High School, and played saxophone in marching band, but it wasn't until I picked up my first camera, a Nikon D50, that I realized creativity is something I really have to offer the world.

I've always appreciated craftsmanship, whether that's ceramics, sculpture, bookmaking, or any traditional process of making something with your hands. Going into The Photographic Book, professor Norman said, "You're going to shoot more for this class than you ever have." I thought, She means business—good.

My concept for "Sabi" was to photograph women of a certain age, and have the images be fashion-based. Professor Norman made me question what direction I wanted the book to go in. Did I want to depict the vulnerable side of aging? My idea was to emphasize beauty, and for the viewer to perceive the images as being beautiful. I didn't want to hide who these women are.

I had not heard of "the male gaze" before this class. It's something I think every male photographer should be aware of: Be mindful of objectification. To focus on elegance, rather than sensuality, was important for me. Those are two different things. But where is the line?

I always try and make the subject aware of what I'm trying to do. Photographing someone involves an equal distribution of effort. When the person you're photographing understands your intent, it means more emotional engagement and visual insight.

Little details make a pose successful: position of the chin, looking towards or away from the light, hand in pocket without thumb, hand slightly out of pocket with thumb in pocket…these are the sort of details we experimented with. I directed every pose with Lian Najarian (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management), my stylist and collaborator. It was a team effort.

One focus of the class was how to lay out a spread so images interact with each another. Are you looking at photos that relate and flow in a certain way? In "Sabi" certain colors mimic each other from spread to spread. Noticing a monochromatic color scheme in an image, or a pop of red, I realized I could play on that while laying out the book. A woman leans in a certain direction, leading you across the page. Sequencing makes all the difference.

Everyone in the class went through the process of learning to communicate with each other respectfully about our work. That began with professor Norman, her intentional connection with the students, and how emotive she was as a professor. That helped build stronger connections within the class. I'm really proud of what we all accomplished.

Photograph of Matthew Sgambati by Eva Verbeeck (B.F.A., photography).

"Sabi" styled and assisted by Lian Najarian, with clothing from Thread+Onion.

"Sabi" now available for purchase.

"Anthropocene" is an art exhibition addressing how humans are profoundly affecting Planet Earth. The term "Anthropocene" describes the epoch in geological history beginning with the Industrial Revolution. It is the name applied by global change activists to the ongoing period of formidable alterations made by human beings to our planet's ecosystems and geology.

“Anthropocene” is a call to action. The art work in "Anthropocene" aims to reflect artists' observations and responses to our climate crisis. Curated by Kathleen Varadi (B.F.A., painting, 2018; M.F.A., painting), “Anthropocene" opens May 10, 2019, Alexander Hall, SCAD Savannah. SCAD students from all academic degree programs, as well as SCAD alumni, faculty and staff are invited to submit work for consideration.

Climate change and global warming have far reaching-consequences for the world. The issue is especially pertinent for the current generation of students. This exhibit is informed by Greta Thunberg and her speech to the United Nations calling for immediate change to the current situation. If a 16-year-old student can speak out, why not artists?

Artists are keen and skilled observers of the world, and throughout history have called attention to important crises and events of the human race. Artists have been called "canaries in the coal mine" because they sound the warning of impending dangers in society. Artists have always been the activists and the megaphones for change in civilizations.

The global environmental crisis can feel overwhelming to the individual. Change has to be accomplished collectively. This spirit of collaboration is reflected in this exhibition's inclusion of artists from many diverse degree programs throughout Savannah College of Art and Design. All levels of experience from students to alumni to professors and staff are represented. 

"Anthropocene" will address local as well as global environmental issues, including recovery and preservation of the Savannah River and Coastal Georgia. This exhibition strives to present solutions and demand change now. Ideas and artworks are presented in many formats and styles. Events surrounding "Anthropocene” include guest speakers, artist talks, artist tours, readings, screenings and workshops. All events are free and open to the public.

The spirit of the "Anthropocene" exhibition of 2019 can be summed up in the words of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg, speaking to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland: "You are never too small to make a difference."

To submit work for "Anthropocene" visit SCAD Fine Arts Submittable.

Submissions accepted through April 18. Notification of acceptance date April 22.

"Anthropocene" opening reception: Friday, May 10, 2019, 5-9 p.m., Alexander Hall.

www.anthropocene2019.com

Matt Smith (B.F.A., graphic design, 2017) holds the SCAD record in the marathon (2:34:56 in Albany, Georgia, 2017) and in the 8000 meters (24:43 at Sand Shark Invitational, 2016). In February of this year, Smith returned to Savannah for a runners' reunion on Tybee Island, where SCAD men's and women's track team, along with alumni, swept the podium places at Critz Tybee Run Fest.

Smith currently lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn and works as a type designer at Louise Fili Ltd. Esteemed in the design world for the type foundry directory hosted on his website, Smith is also a keenly contemplative writer. Were he to devote himself to a career as an essayist, he could be Chesterton in track shoes. But for Matt, the font's the thing.

Matt Smith:

I grew up in Florida and attended New Smyrna Beach High School. My father is an airbrush artist and muralist. I have a brother and two sisters, all older than me, all artists. It's like I've always been interested in art and design.

I got a late start with running, my junior year of high school. I wasn't sure if I had a chance to run collegiately. Since I had an interest in art and design, SCAD seemed like the right place for me. I ended up walking onto the team. They were open to me giving it a shot.

Coach Patrick Reagan played a pivotal role in my running career and my focus as a student. When I arrived in the fall of 2012, Patrick wasn't running that much. He started to jump into workouts, and I witnessed his transformation into an elite ultrarunner who's made a mark on the world stage.

Smith, in black cap, running for SCAD, 2016.

Running helped me become the self-disciplined person I am today. In New York, I've been doing more work recently with the Brooklyn Track Club, who are in the process of starting an elite team, BKTC Elite. I'm traveling to Berlin in the fall. One of my former teammates Emanuel Krieg (B.A., advertising, 2016) is in Germany, so I'll see him, get acclimated, then run the Berlin Marathon.

Studying graphic design at SCAD, I spent a lot of time reading and learning about type and lettering. Lettering is the drawing of letters, while calligraphy is the writing of them. Professor Jane Zash helped me explore hand-lettering in my Studio II class. My senior year, professor Patrick Hogan taught a type design class that helped me understand how letter forms are constructed.

Matt Smith, exhibition concept, "Yours Truly, Albert" 2017.

From drawing by hand with pen and paper, to drawing on the screen, to coding in Python, as soon as I've figured out something, there's something else to learn. As new technology arises, there are new ways to build fonts. People say we're in a contemporary renaissance of font and type design, because of how accessible it is and how many people are creating fonts. It'll be interesting to look back in twenty years and see which cultural artefacts have survived.

In July I'll have been a designer with Louise Fili for two years. Louise has a long history of creating custom typography and custom lettering. Our clients are often specialty food packaging and restaurants; we've done work for American Spoon and Sarabeth's. We're developing a mini-site for an upcoming release of a family of fonts we're developing. We're a small enough studio where I can take everything I've learned and put it to the test and learn new things while I'm doing it.

When I look at my life as a runner and designer, I’m thankful SCAD was the perfect match.

(Image courtesy Louise Fili Ltd)

See more of Matt Smith's work here.

Dierra Jones' jewelry tells stories. Enameled tree branches, pocked ceramic brooches and tangles of copper wire suggest place, character and emotional upheaval. To witness her work is to learn something significant about her life.

A native of Petersburg, Virginia, Jones (M.F.A., jewelry) has worked the past two summers at arts camps in New York, and is currently a mentor for elementary school students in the Savannah public school system. "After I graduate, I would like to have my own studio space, and start a non-profit working with children," she says, "a place where we can create art together."

Dierra Jones:

With my studio practice, I experiment until I perceive an end goal. I enjoy tedious work and creating repetition. I don't think about it in the moment, I'm just doing. I allow my work to speak for itself, and to act as my voice. There's an act of transference that takes place. For the viewer, I hope they can take it in and reflect on their own lives.

Jewelry can be anything you want it to be. My jewelry often assumes a sculptural form. Rather than something intended to be worn, it's for seeing. With one piece I created, a letter to my mom, I printed words on pillows and a bedspread. I describe it as a piece of jewelry, because jewelry doesn't have to be a piece that you wear, it can be words that people speak that stick to you.

In Contemporary Issues in Jewelry (JEWL 724) with professor Lanelle Keyes, I started playing around with ceramics and different processes, making gestures and marks in clay. I began electroforming, a process where you take an object, coat it with copper conduct paint and connect it to a copper rod, so that copper particles build on top of it. I've created pieces of ceramic covered in electroforming. I electroform wood as well.

I'm drawn to the properties of copper. It's not about the value of the metal itself, it's about the value of the stories that come forth through the materials you use.

Brooch, 2018 (ceramic, electroforming, tree bark, copper, sterling silver, patina, acrylic enamel) 5”  x  3”  x  1  1/4”

Growing up, I was called ugly. I was ashamed to look at people. I walked with my head down in public for many years. Taking Contextual Study II: Concept Development (JEWL 708) with professor Bonnie Kubasta, I was thinking of ways of finding healing from my childhood.

I created a piece called "Self Portrait" where I put water in a steel bucket to symbolize tears and the weight that I had to carry. I attached it to my head. When I cut the cord, the sense of water hitting me was very powerful. The performance was done in front of a wall behind the Savannah Theater. The photographs were taken by Mona Bozorgi (M.F.A., photography, 2018), who was integral to the project. It was a genuine collaboration.

My definition of what an artist can be has expanded at SCAD. In summer 2018, we formed SCAD Jewelry Graduate Association (SJGA). As graduate students, our core mission is to network and find new opportunities to exhibit our work. We went to the American Craft Council show in Baltimore in February, and we'll exhibit our work next quarter at the Smithsonian. We're an international group, with students from Colombia, Iran, China, Hong Kong and the United States.

I've met so many different people from different walks of life here. SCAD has so much to offer: the technology, the tools, the people, the professors, the artists and guest lecturers. Growing up, I could never have envisioned that this would be my life.

See more of Dierra's work on her website and Instagram.

Learn more about the jewelry degree program at SCAD here.

"Lawrence Weiner is an inventor, an artist, and one of the earliest and most important figures in the conceptual art revolution almost 60 years ago," SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace declared from the stage of the Lucas Theater, extolling the deFINE ART 2019 honoree. "His decision to undertake a creative career happened in a time of cultural and artistic revolution. There were no universities like SCAD back then helping artists launch meaningful careers. But Lawrence Weiner believed. He created a name and a space for himself and transformed American art."

The keynote event of deFINE ART 2019 began with the presentation of the SCAD40 prize to alumna Le'Andra LeSeur (B.F.A., photography, 2014) in recognition of her remarkable artistic achievements. Dakin Hart, senior curator, Noguchi Museum, then settled in for a playful verbal spar with Wiener. "Talking to Lawrence about art is like talking to Galileo about the nature of existence," Hart told the crowd.

Weiner's conversational statements at times resembled the angled aperçus of his art. Here are ten memorable remarks he made during deFINE ART.

Lawrence Weiner:

"Art is a signpost for people to find their own place in the sun. Art is to be used. When you look at a painting, when you look at a sculpture, when you look at a book of art, you use it understand traversing society."

"If you're impressed with something, there's nothing wrong with trying to make a whole set of work like it. But that's not the function of art. If you know what it's going to be before you start, why make it? If it fits into the commercial structure of the time, why make it? Somebody else is obviously doing it well enough."

"Art is one of those things that once you understand it is about the relationship between human beings and objects, and it's about staking out a philosophical position, you're fine. You're not wasting your time."

"Honesty is not modesty."

"Never put out anything that you're not sure will not hurt somebody. Because making art is the most aggressive thing you can do in life. You can destroy people's dreams."

"You don't have to believe in alchemy or magic to believe in something special happening when you mix one material with another."

"The purpose of art is not to make something that fits into the structure, it's to make the structure adapt to the art."

"If people can understand a Mondrian, it's difficult for them to be a racist. If they understand one pixel and another pixel together, it's very hard to justify one being above the other."

"It's a great privilege to place something in the society and see how it works. Art is one of those things where if you don't take the chance when you make it, what a waste of a privilege."

"Art is about presenting something that you're sure of, that nobody else even understands."

Thank you honoree Lawrence Weiner, and to all visiting artists and attendees of deFINE ART 2019.

Ambling around Savannah in cowboy boots and a Cowboys jersey, Cody Reppert resembles a typical Texan. On another day, dapper Reppert (B.F.A., user experience design) might be found presenting at a SCADpro summit to UBER execs, or leading the winning team at SCAD StartUp 2018 with Bolus, a storage management device for diabetics. A captivating public speaker, Reppert starts a new full-time position as product designer at Thumbtack this summer.

Cody Reppert:

I attended Hebron High School, in Carrollton, Texas. I took a graphic design class at a nearby career center, where the teacher spoke about students who had gone on to SCAD, including Ryan Brownhill (B.F.A., motion media design, 2014). When I came to tour SCAD Savannah, Ryan showed me around. He was a senior at the time. Ryan went on to work at IBM and is now a product designer at Instagram. In a sense I've been following in his footsteps.

Starting freshman year at SCAD, I was part of FLUX, the SCAD UX club. It was a problem-solving club led by Evan Smith (M.A., interactive design and game development, 2016) and Hannah Moyers (B.F.A., interactive design and game developement, 2016). We'd brainstorm and create solutions to challenges like the parking situation in Savannah. The process was healthy. I loved it. At the time I was focused on majoring in advertising. SCAD didn't yet offer a degree in user experience.

I've always been interested in doing things to help people, especially children. During the first UX studio class ever at SCAD, with professor BC Hwang, I was part of a team that created Seedly, a wearable necklace for children that helps them learn how to grow plants for food. Seedly wound up winning a Red Dot Design Award.

During Seedly's research phase we spoke with Brienne Arthur, a landscape designer and gardener who wrote "The Foodscape Revolution" (St. Lynn's Press, 2017). We applied her insights about the suburban landscape to help shape the core of our project. With Seedly, the child grows 26 food-producing plants per year. Seedly is designed to improve the earth, and have kids doing it.

My first SCADpro project was with UBER. I then took part in the SCADpro project with the Ford Motor Company, where we were creating a voice-user interface for the future of Ford mobility. I love working with different majors on SCADpro projects because that's what it's like in the real world. Collaboration, and being with a diverse group of people, helps shape the best ideas coming out of the room.

One thing these projects have in common is that they involved presenting. I learned public speaking at SCAD, starting with a foundation studies class called Speaking of Ideas (COMM 105). In UX classes, there's a presentation almost every single class. That's valuable. It's not just the size of the crowd, it's the people in it who evoke thoughts and feelings. Every time I present, I see public speaking as an opportunity for improvement.

The 16 of us who were the first SCAD graduating class in UX design are like a power squad. We brought additional skills from different disciplines to UX when the major was created. UX allowed me to take the principles I was learning in advertising and apply them in a different context. It'll be interesting to see where SCAD UX will go with students who are coming here to study user experience. There's a lot to build on.

See more of Cody Reppert's work at his website.

Learn more about the SCAD UX degree program here.

This year, SCAD celebrates the 10th edition of deFINE ART, the annual program that brings together an international roster of emerging and established visionaries with new commissions, exhibitions, performances, lectures and screenings. The signature event, February 26-28, highlights the university's rich history of art programming and exhibitions since president and founder Paula Wallace established SCAD in 1978.

"SCAD's annual deFINE ART continues into its 10th season, delighting Savannah and Atlanta communities alike with exhibitions of the most influential artists of our time," said President Wallace. “2019 guests Carla Fernandez, Pedro Reyes, and Azikiwe Mohammed, among many others, are shaping contemporary art and inspiring the next generation."

SCAD deFINE ART 2019 honoree and keynote speaker Lawrence Weiner is a trailblazing conceptual artist and renowned figure in the international art world. Born in 1942 in South Bronx, New York, Weiner is an avid proponent of the use of language as art.

Storm Janse van Rensburg, SCAD head curator of exhibitions, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Lawrence Weiner to SCAD. He epitomizes qualities that we aim to install in our students: intellectual dexterity, boundless creativity and a continuous curiosity about art and the world. His influence on young artists and creative minds is immeasurable."

SCAD will bring a roster of esteemed artists creating in an array of mediums to the three-day event. SCAD students from top-ranked degree programs including painting, illustration, performing arts, sculpture, film and television, fashion, photography, and immersive reality will interact with artists during the signature event through master classes, interactive installation collaborations, public art programming and gallery talks. 

Featured exhibitors at SCAD's award-winning Museum of Art in Savannah include contemporary sculpture and installation artist Lee Bul (South Korea); performance artists Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti (USA); painter Monica Cook (USA; B.F.A. painting 1996); fashion designer Carla Fernândez (Mexico); multidisciplinary artist Azikwe Mohammed (USA); architect and artist Pedro Reyes (Mexico); painter Alex Gardner (USA); sculptural artist Nicholas Hlobo (South Africa); multidisciplinary artist Gonzalo Lebrija (Mexico) and sculptor Berta Fischer (Germany).

Other SCAD Savannah exhibitions include a group exhibition show featuring SCAD alumni titled “News from Nowhere" at Gutstein Gallery, as well as a fashion photography exhibition “Rebel Rebel" comprised of work from SCAD Savannah and Atlanta alumni on display at Alexander Hall.

SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta will exhibit art works by visual artist and photographer Trine Sondergaard (Denmark) in dialogue with objects from the SCAD fashion collection. At the Trois Gallery, the thesis show of M.F.A. photography candidates Charlie McCullers and Cecilia Montalvo is titled “Where The Light Enters."

Programming highlights for deFINE ART 2019 include an opening night reception at the SCAD Museum of Art, Tuesday, February 26, including performances by exhibiting artists Azikwe Mohammed, Dejah Ti and Ania Catherine. The museum courtyard will feature an illustration battle, live music, food trucks, and art projections by Sean Capone. On Wednesday, February 27 two other notable performances will take place; a puppet show “Manufacturing Mischief" by writer and director Pedro Reyes, as well as a sonic journey performed by special guest artist and SCAD alumna BOSCO with video projections by artist Emeka Alams.

To mark the closing of the annual event on Thursday, February 28, deFINE ART 2019 honoree Lawrence Weiner will discuss his expansive career and impact on the art world. Following the lecture, President Wallace will award the prestigious SCAD40 Prize to alumna Le'Andra LeSeur (B.F.A. photography, 2014) for her innovative accomplishments in the field of photography.

At SCAD Atlanta, a featured lecture will be presented by visual artist Derrick Adams at SCADShow on Wednesday, February 27. There will also be a special reception for artist Trine Sondergaard and designer Carla Fernandez at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film on Thursday, February 28. The reception will include artist talks and marks the official opening of Fernandez's pop-up boutique in the museum.

All deFINE ART events, including opening night celebrations, are open and free to the public.

For more information visit www.scad.edu/defineart2019.