With the arrival of SCAD FASHION 2022, senior and graduate students are exhilarated to debut their visions and share their worlds of inspiration. One senior of note, Stella DeLaughter (B.F.A., fashion) has created a standout collection she calls "Confabulatious." Focused on using primarily vintage, secondhand, and deadstock fabric, Stella will premiere her collection on Friday, May 20, 8:30 p.m. ET, on the runway and via free livestream.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Stella grew up watching her grandma sew uniforms for her parents' band, the 20-plus member musical group The Polyphonic Spree. Inspired, Stella began her journey into fashion by learning to sew at age seven, taking after her grandma by making pillows to give to loved ones.

"I loved being able to make something from scratch with my hands, and the attention to detail it took to remember how to thread the machine and wind a bobbin," Stella says. "Fast forward 16 years, and I just finished my senior collection!"

"Confabulatious" began to develop while Stella took a gap year and moved back home during the pandemic. She revisited another childhood passion: going to estate and garage sales.

"My favorite estate sales are at the homes of makers, where there is always an industrial sewing machine, piles of vintage fabrics and trims and closets full of colorful vintage clothes. I'm always curious about the people who lived there and the things they collected throughout their life."

Examining the vintage bedsheets, tablecloths among other fabrics, Stella created scenarios that fit the fabrics. She immersed herself in inspiration by collaging vintage magazines, also found at estate sales, which helped conceptualize silhouette and color inspiration for the collection.

While checking local estate sales and Etsy sellers for vintage and deadstock fabric, Stella found a vintage flocked floral organza. By "going down vintage fabric rabbit holes" she acquired fabrics and trims that had been in families for decades, each with its own unique story to tell. What better way to enhance those stories by adding a little bit of sparkle sponsored by Swarovski to each look?

"Adding the crystals really brought the collection together," Stella says. "I owe a massive thanks to [fellow students] Lexi Meyer, Tom Banks, Lauryn Porter, Bonnie Chan, and Hannah Gaffney for applying the crystals one by one. The collection wouldn't be the same without them."

Fashion can be perceived as pretentious and competitive to outsiders looking in. However, DeLaughter believes creative collaboration holds the key to new ideas and what becomes possible when a team shares a creative vision.

"We've fostered a supportive, encouraging environment," she says. "Being around these people for many days and nights, who are now all good friends, has been the best part." After working alongside many talented designers on this senior collection, Stella hopes to bring that same energy of collaboration into the industry.

Stella DeLaughter

About the author: Celine Consolo (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management) is minoring in fashion journalism and fashion photography. She is passionate about broadening her audience's perspective and presenting emotive work in visual marketing and journalism. See more of Celine's work here.


"I create jewelry that is imbued with meaningful intention and made for self-expression," says Melanie Clarke (B.F.A., jewelry, 2003). "Everything is energy and energy is everything."

After graduating from SCAD, Clarke relocated to San Francisco, working for many years at fine jewelry boutique Trabert Goldsmiths. She connected deeply with a spiritual practice in tune with her designs. Her own jewelry line, Mana Combe, infuses history and mysticism into gorgeous pieces that, as Clarke explains, represent "activations."

After close to two decades in California, Clarke has recently returned home to Georgia. A jaunt to Savannah means the healer will appear in person at this week’s SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show. 

SCAD: How do you balance your work between tradition and experimentation?

Melanie Clarke: My education at SCAD helped build a foundation of essential skills that has served me millions of times. The jewelry department provided my formal jewelry design discipline, while my fine art classes and historical studies sowed seeds of inspiration. I have expanded this 'garden' into the mystic realm—mostly through curiosity. I push myself to travel alongside the world of sacred geometry and ancient studies. I find the greatest inspiration by exploring the mystery of old-world artifacts and modern-day technologies. I use CAD software to render some of my overly complex designs that would otherwise be impossible. I approach my work with zero limitations. If you can envision it: it is possible! 

SCAD: How does your jewelry connect to your commitment to transformational wellness?

MC: I recently found my 2003 senior thesis artist statement and it is nearly identical to my ethos of Mana Combe. I want people to wear my work and draw kindred spirits into their space, so that they can connect and share a moment of loving exchange. I believe anything infused with loving intention can activate the subconscious, opening all sorts of fabulous doors, leading to expansion. What better way to experience joy than with the visual health and wellness of beauty, color, and form!

Melanie Clarke, 'Barakat // Blessings,' 2022, handmade 18k yellow gold pendant approx. 1" long x ½" wide; 18" diamond-cut chain.

SCAD: Which pieces of yours are in this year’s SCAD Trunk Show?

MC: I am selling a variety of designs I've made through the years, showcasing a range of favorites. I have everything from a super crisp and sparkly diamond ring to a golden crystal-grid 'artifact' ring to dainty little bands. I also brought some chunky animal pendants as well. All my pieces tell their own little story and I hope they find their happily-ever-after!

SCAD: What does Trunk Show 2022 mean to you as part of the SCAD jewelry family?


MC: I only recently moved back home to Georgia, and it's been nearly 20 years since I graduated, so this show is very exciting. So many formative moments happened here while I was learning my way around metal. Professor Jay Song was one the most important teachers I've ever had. She still teaches me today. When she speaks, I listen, because I trust her and love her. She wants her students to succeed. She is tough when she needs to be but always supportive in helping her students grow to be the best artists. I am a better artist today because of my experience at SCAD and my time in the jewelry department.

Meet Melanie this week at SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show 2022!

"You can sketch something wonderful and beautiful," says Ashley Boyle, "but then you have to sit down and think, 'Can I make this?'"

This question became the challenge at the center of Boyle's senior collection, Olympus. A dean's list scholar and Fahm Hall studio monitor, Boyle (B.F.A., jewelry) created over 200 sketches as she designed Olympus' sumptuous centerpiece, a crown called Hephaestus. But could she turn it into a crowning achievement?

"I have witnessed Ashley maturing as an artist, designer, and maker," says jewelry department chair Jay H. Song (M.F.A., jewelry, 2000). "Her body of work proves a high degree of intellectual depth, imagination, and sensitivity. She successfully manipulates materials to complement the content of her work. Ashley continues to be a creative individual with incredible potential for success."

In advance of this week's SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show, Boyle discussed her extraordinary journey.

Ashley Boyle, 'Persephone,' 2022, 14k gold-plated sterling silver earring, lab-created and natural rubies; modeled by Ella Kerner (B.F.A., jewelry).

Ashley Boyle:

I grew up in Shirley, New York, on Long Island, and attended William Floyd High School. After I graduated it took me a while to figure out my next step would be. When I decided that I wanted to go to art school, I did a google search and found SCAD. I liked that SCAD offered so many majors to choose from. I went through a couple of majors before landing in the jewelry department. When I took Introduction to Jewelry: Material and Processes (JEWL 120) with professor Adam Grinovich, as soon as I pierced out my first copper shape, I thought, "This is it!" I'd found a place where I belonged.

In Fall, 2021, I took Collection I: Research and Development (JEWL 400) with professor Jay Song. That's when I began developing my senior collection, based on the symbolisms and traditions associated with Greek wedding culture. I wanted to have a floral-inspired and garland-like wedding crown be the center of my collection. Professor Song was there for every step of the process, critiquing sketches, pushing us and our designs to their fullest potential, guiding us to the point where we could confidently say that our collection was achievable.

I utilized many techniques throughout my collection: wax carving, casting, hand fabrication, soldering and forging. I knew the crown was going to be my biggest feat. I took the time to figure out how many leaves would fit comfortably around the crown, give me the shape and the look I was going for, while still being comfortable to wear.

I ended up with 18 leaves total, nine pierced-out, nine wax-carved. I soldered them all to a half-round silver wire, so it would sit comfortably on the head and forehead. The process included using investment to create a one-time mold and putting it into the kiln for the wax to melt out. The last step is using the centrifugal to cast. This machine spins with enough force to push the molten metal into the mold.

Ashley Boyle, "Dionysus," 2022, 14k gold-plated hair comb, sterling silver, lab-created rubies.

My senior collection includes two pairs of earrings, two tie-clips, a backdrop necklace, a hair comb, a pair of cufflinks and one wedding crown. The whole collection has a satin finish, which I achieved using a diamond bur engraving tool to make the surface texture sparkle, followed by a 3M wheel to soften it up. I incorporated both natural and lab-created rubies, inspired by the symbolism of pomegranates.

This quarter, I am taking Haute Couture Jewelry: One of a Kind (JEWL 411). Designers Sybil and David Yurman donated over $1.6 million worth of stones to our department, and our class has been fortunate to work with and incorporate the stones into our pieces. My neckpiece, titled Wonderland, features three gemstones lemon citrine, rose quartz, and blue topaz. David and Sybil Yurman, the founders of the company, were kind enough to come to the jewelry department and be a part of this fun, challenging experience.  I had the opportunity to share my process and receive feedback from them. It was an amazing experience.

The thing I love most about the SCAD jewelry department is how small and close-knit we are. We have the ability to develop close relationships, which is special. This is the first time I will be participating in our department's annual Trunk Show. I am proud to be a part of and represent SCAD jewelry.

See more of the work of Ashley Boyle.

Fabulous? Absolutely! It's time for SCAD FASHION 2022, a global showcase of original designs by SCAD School of Fashion senior and graduate students.

The highly anticipated signature event commences in the Alex Townsend Memorial Courtyard at SCAD Museum of Art, Friday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m., as SCAD welcomes international fashion and design luminaries and special guests for a first look at exquisite, innovative creations by the industry's latest prodigies. Audiences around the world can witness the elite sartorial showcase, highlighting the unparalleled talent emerging from SCAD, via livestream.

The show begins with the high-concept film Fashion Run, directed by SCAD alum Squire Fox, featuring an eclectic range of more than 100 student-created garments. The film takes audiences behind the scenes as models race to SCAD MOA and dash backstage where hair and make-up artists and wardrobe assistants await. Models donning more than 50 garments curated from the student collections, then grace the red carpet and command the runway amid a fantastical mise-en-scène. SCAD alumni from the university's top-ranked degree programs collaborated on the film, which stars more than 100 SCAD student models and actors.

Each year, graduating SCAD School of Fashion students in Atlanta and Savannah are invited to have their work expertly critiqued by fashion and design leaders, who provide mentorship and industry knowledge essential for students' future careers. The university's SCAD Style Lab mentor program connects students directly with established designers as they complete their final collections for the runway.

This year's SCAD Style Lab mentors include Studio 189 co-founder and Fashion Our Future founder Abrima Erwiah; designer and Another Tomorrow creative director Elizabeth Giardina; Diesel creative director, streetwear designer, and SCAD alum Phil Riedel (B.F.A., industrial design, 2006); SCAD alum Ashley Romasko (B.F.A., fashion, 2018), a ready-to-wear designer at Tory Burch; conceptual artist, stylist, and influencer Charlie Staunton; Draper James VP and design consultant Frederic Tremblay; and acclaimed stylist Jules Wood.

As part of SCAD FASHION 2022, the university hosts Our Friend André: A SCAD Tribute to André Leon Talley, honoring the beloved fashion luminary and SCAD advocate and champion, Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony includes an enlightening conversation with famed fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and premier fashion journalists Vanessa Friedman and Constance White on Talley's legendary life and bold spirit. During the event, the university will bestow internationally heralded fashion designer and SCAD alum Christopher John Rogers (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) with the André Leon Talley Award in recognition of his phenomenal rise to global acclaim.

SCAD FASHION programming also includes the annual SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show, where guests can shop one-of-a-kind wearable art by SCAD students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The top-ranked SCAD jewelry program is the largest in the U.S. and prepares students for success through an advanced-level curriculum and access to cutting-edge technological resources.

On Saturday, May 21, Christopher John Rogers and his team of fellow SCAD alumni —brand director Christina Ripley (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, 2016), studio director David Rivera (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2016), and production director Alex Tyson (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) — unite in conversation to share how their radical creativity, business savvy, and kindred collaboration has catapulted the brand to international success.

See the full list of events and tune in to the livestream here!

Chalk it up as a Sidewalk Arts Festival for the ages! On Saturday, April 23, the 41st SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival transformed Savannah's scenic Forsyth Park into a dynamic technicolor landscape of nearly 800 chalk compositions as SCAD students, alumni, and local high school students sketched vibrant designs and competed for cash prizes.

"SCAD Sidewalk Arts is our university's longest-running and most beloved festival," said SCAD President Paula Wallace. "A perfect pairing of Savannah pavement and SCAD preeminence, this spring tradition enlivens the senses, awakens the creative spirit, and fosters an unrivaled joy that can only come from art."

Prizes were  be awarded across categories including Best of Show, SCAD Alumni Spirit, SCAD Student Spirit, Student Individual, Student Group, Graduate Student, and Alumni. This year introduced the SCAD Peace Award for the artwork that best incorporates iconography of peace; the SCAD Love Award, featuring images of adoration; and the SCAD Homage Award, for the chalk artist who best replicates a painting by a renowned artist using approved SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival materials.

In addition to the nearly 800 chalk designs, alumnae Juliana Lupacchino (B.F.A, fibers, 2017) and Sophie Tompkins (B.F.A., graphic design, 2016) painted a mural live during the event. The festival also included an installation of papier-mâché vases by Trish Andersen (B.F.A., fibers, 2005). Festival attendants shared their imagination and creativity through Instagram using #SCADChalk.

Congratulations to the winners!

SCAD Peace Award

$3,000 (open to current SCAD students, individual or a group)
Olivia Williams (B.F.A., illustration)

SCAD Love Award

$3,000 (open to current SCAD students, individual or a group)
Kassidy Keenehan (B.F.A., painting)

SCAD Homage Award

$3,000 (open to current SCAD students, individual or a group)
Yashvi Goel (B.F.A., production design)
Parth Bansal (B.F.A., sequential art)

SCAD Student Spirit Award
$3,000 (open to current SCAD students, individual or a group)
Val Slivka (B.F.A., sequential art)
Margaux Menand (B.F.A., fibers)
Marie Alvizo (B.F.A., illustration)
Alex Putprush (B.F.A., sequential art)
Julia Paiewonsky (B.F.A., animation)
Caleigh Steele (B.F.A., illustration)

SCAD Alumni Spirit Award

$3,000 (open to SCAD alumni, individual or a group)
Tyler Jacobs (B.F.A, advertising, 2018)

High School Student

Gift card to Ex Libris bookstore
Catherine Bock, Garrison School for the Arts, Savannah, GA

Best of Show

$1,200 (any participant)
Glen Osterberger (B.F.A., illustration, 1990)

Graduate Student Award

$700 (any current SCAD graduate student, individual or group)
Madhuri Guntupalli (M.F.A., illustration)
Rebekah Price (M.F.A, illustration)
Killian Hu (M.F.A., illustration)
Kiki Jenkins (M.F.A., illustration)

SCAD Student (Individual)
$1,000 (any current SCAD student)

Laura DiAngelis (B.F.A., sequential art)

SCAD Students (Group)

$1,000 (any current SCAD student group)
Kai Buffington-Cogliano (B.F.A., production design)
Isabelle Mercer (B.F.A., illustration)
Saige Buffington (B.F.A., writing)
Becca George (B.F.A., performing arts)

SCAD Alumni

$1,000 (any SCAD alumni)
Anné Revlett (B.F.A., illustration, 2019)

SEE ALL THE WINNING WORK!

SCAD Museum of Art hosted a momentous gala event on Thursday, April 21, 2022, celebrating the institution's 10-year anniversary, with over 300 attendees enjoying a suitably gorgeous Savannah evening. The celebration took place al fresco in the museum's Alex Townsend Memorial Courtyard and included performances, film screenings, and a three-course dinner by award winning hospitality group Daniel Reed.

The evening was hosted by SCAD President Paula Wallace, SCAD VP of brand experience Kari Herrin, and industrial design student Aniekanabasi Asanga. The event was co-chaired by creative leaders, sisters, and close friends of the university Wendy Goodman and Tonne Goodman. The gala host committee included Ellen and Jeep Bolch, MD, Arnika and Stephen Dawkins, MD, Katie Holderness, Melissa Rowan, Justice Leah Ward Sears, Anita and Michael Thomas, Michael Bishop and Shane Thomas.

The evening featured multiple, unique artistic delights. Accomplished actor and SCAD performing arts professor Isaiah Johnson and elite SCAD vocal ensemble The Honeybees both performed, as well as a DJ set by alumni Jose Ray (B.F.A., painting, 2011). Guests also experienced the debut of a short film celebrating SCAD Museums of Art's artful first decade and the institution's award winning historic preservation. Alumni artists' creative work was showcased, including hand-painted linens by alumni and associate curator at SCAD MOA Ben Tollefson (M.F.A., painting, 2014), and floral designs by alumna Audrey Wagner King (M.F.A., fibers, 2011).

Other notable guests included Domenico and Eleanore De Sole, Bob and Alice Jepson, Walter and Linda Evans, Gale Singer, Greg Parker, Ginny Brewer, Chiara Visconti di Modrone, David Paddison, and Lori Judge.

As a center for cultural dialogue, the SCAD Museum of Art engages students and communities through dynamic interdisciplinary educational experiences. A growing international roster of artists provides opportunities for students from all majors to learn about wide-ranging artistic practices and worldviews.

The museum has presented exhibitions by artists including Jane Alexander, Radcliffe Bailey, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Subodh Gupta, Alfredo Jaar, Sigalit Landau, Liza Lou, Ebony G. Patterson, Robin Rhode, Bill Viola, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley and Fred Wilson, as well as site-specific installations by Daniel Arsham, Kendall Buster, Jose Dávila, Michael Joo, Odili Donald Odita and others. The museum's permanent collection includes the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art, the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection, the Earle W. Newton Collection of British and American Art, the 19th- and 20th-century Photography Collection and the SCAD Costume Collection.

An award-winning, architectural icon, SCAD MOA incorporates the oldest surviving antebellum railroad depot in the U.S. into its striking design. Nestled in the heart of Savannah's vibrant historic downtown district, the museum attracts visitors from around the globe. It has been recognized by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Congress for the New Urbanism, the International Interior Design Association and the Historic Savannah Foundation, and received the American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Architecture, a pinnacle achievement.

Joël Díaz, director of the Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies, brightens the gala.

For more information on SCAD Museum of Art and the current exhibitions on view, visit scadmoa.org.

SCAD Museum of Art would like to thank event partners Ghost Coast Distillery, Service Brewing Co., and Johnnie Ganem's Package Shop.

"How does the paint behave?" asked Katharina Grosse, from the stage of the Trustees Theater. The potential answers seem as limitless as the artist's own works.

SCAD deFINE Art 2022 came to a stirring conclusion as Grosse, this year's honoree, engaged in hourlong exchange of ideas, discussing her career from her student days in Düsseldorf to her deft new exhibition Chill Seeping at SCAD MOA.

Alumna Bethani Blake (B.F.A., painting, 2021) presented Grosse (b. 1961, Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany) with the deFINE award from the historic Trustees proscenium. "Challenging our perceptions of surfaces and ideas of spectatorship, she creates rich connections between colors, shapes, and elements of architecture and landscape," Blake said of Grosse. "The artist's unique creative process, which involves the use of an industrial spray gun, and the resulting gestures and movement coalesce in otherworldly installations that expand the dimensions of painting."

Though Grosse has worked and traveled extensively in the United States, it was her first time in the city of Savannah. "To see the work in the context of the artists in the other galleries, which I would never be able to see staying home, gives you the feeling of being and belonging to a larger field of other artists being honored, that you have taken inspiration from and that you are grateful for," Grosse said. "To have the work here is important for me. It was a great process to think about the show for this very dramatic space."

The space Grosse spoke of is the Pamela Poetter Gallery at SCAD MOA, where her large-scale acrylic on canvas paintings and diaphanous drapeworks transform the corridor-shaped gallery.

"I am grateful to [curator] Humberto [Moro] for going through this process of developing the show," Grosse said. "I would love to thank SCAD for having me here tonight, to share my thoughts and stories."

In front of a theater filled predominantly with SCAD students, Grosse was joined on stage by arts writer and educator Dan Cameron, who asked Grosse to speak about her own days as a student.

"I started to paint really late in life, when I was 20 years old. I thought I would be a psychologist," Grosse said, getting a laugh. As a student, Grosse took classes from major artists including Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, and Nam Jun Paik. "Bit by bit I started to develop a method of questioning my work. Of asking small questions. I realized it was raw color that was the leading agent in my work. So, I decided to reset it all and start again and only use those raw colors, without any kind of idea or concept that I would paint something I saw, or imagined I saw."

Grosse determined her painting would be aggressive, "but not aggressive in negativity—aggressive in getting very close to your system."

She has achieved this by her gallery work, as well as painting directly on dirt, houses, roads, beaches, and other public spaces to expand and explore perceptions of where and how painting can and should exist.

"Monet and his large water lily paintings were a real epiphany about how to relate the image to the surface," Grosse said. "Maybe the image he paints is bigger than the canvas, so its relationship to the edge of the canvas is open."

Cameron asked Grosse if she meant that the edges of a painting can be ambiguous. Her response went deeper, asking us to consider a work as a worldview:

"The painting is the membrane perforated by the necessities or conditions of the everyday life."

Katharina Grosse, "Untitled," 2021, acrylic on canvas, 117 3/4 x 387 in. © 2022 Katharina Grosse and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Courtesy of Gagosian. Photo by Jens Ziehe.

A special thank you to honoree Katharina Grosse, and everyone who attended SCAD deFINE Art 2022.

Starting Mon. Feb. 28, and continuing through Wed. March 2, SCAD deFINE ART 2022 comes alive with in-person and streaming events in Savannah and Atlanta. The 13th edition of the university's annual program features conversations, curated experiences, and exhibitions at the SCAD Museum of Art, including a special appearance at Trustees Theater by visionary artist Katharina Grosse, this year's honoree. In Atlanta, a keynote address will be delivered by master of photography Duane Michals.

This year, deFINE ART brings together an international roster of vital voices in art and design from countries including Canada, Cameroon, Germany, Iraq, South Korea, and the U.S. These artists' thought-provoking work and ideas encourage deeper engagement with inherited histories, creating spaces in the present moment to envision a future full of opportunity.

New exhibitions whose openings align with deFINE include a site-specific installation by Elaine Cameron-Weir (b. 1985, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada); recent works by Matthew Angelo Harrison (b. 1989, Detroit) in the museum's Evans Center for African American Studies; new works by artist Norbert Bisky (b. 1970, Leipzig, Germany) and designer Sang Hoon Kim (b. 1979, South Korea); recent paintings by Hayv Kahraman (b. 1981, Baghdad, Iraq); new large-scale commissions by Doreen Lynette Garner (b. 1986, Philadelphia); a survey of work by Barthélémy Toguo (b. 1967, Mbalmayo, Cameroon); and the first museum exhibition for SCAD alum Carter Flachbarth (b. 1996, Atlanta; B.F.A., painting, 2020).

This year's honoree, Kartharina Grosse (b. 1961, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany), will be represented by an expansive site-related textile installation as well as large-scale works on canvas created between 2006 and the present. Exhibitions programming also includes the group photography shows Icons Only and Taking Shape.

"Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the opening of the SCAD Museum of Art, the world's finest teaching museum, this year's SCAD deFINE ART promises special magic," said SCAD President Paula Wallace. "From honoree Katharina Grosse's extraordinary paintings of incendiary color to Matthew Angelo Harrison's sculptures that explore diasporic identities, SCAD deFINE ART 2022 both interrogates the zeitgeist and begets boundless beauty."

Many of the university's top-ranked degree programs, including sculpture, painting, fibers, and furniture design, are represented in the signature event's exhibitions and programming. SCAD students and community members can interact with the artists during the three-day event through gallery talks, conversations, master classes, collaborations, and public art.

Experience SCAD deFINE ART 2022.

Katharina Grosse, "Untitled," 2021, acrylic on canvas, 117 3/4 x 387 in. © 2022 Katharina Grosse and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Courtesy of Gagosian.

Photo by Jens Ziehe.

StartUp is a week-long design challenge, led by the SCAD user experience design club known as FLUX and supported by the SCADpro collaborative design studio. Now in its eighth year, StartUp continues to foster entrepreneurship and collaborative design thinking between students from over 30 different academic majors.

This year, close to 95 teams drawn from over 300 students are competing Feb. 4-11 for over 40K in cash prizes. Over the course of the week, students are able to interact with industry guests and alumni mentors from companies including IBM, Google, Zillow, Mailchimp, and TikTok Creative Lab.

On the ultimate day, with final judging underway, StartUp student directors Lara Felderspiel (B.F.A., user experience design) and Amadeus Cameron (B.F.A., user experience design) found time to talk. What follows is a condensed version of that conversation.

Lara Felderspiel: I directed StartUp last year with Savannah Wilkinson (B.F.A., user experience design). This year, I knew I couldn't do it alone, and Amadeus and I had worked together for an alumni app designer named Joe Kennedy (B.F.A., user experience design, 2018). I knew Amadeus would be a great partner.

Amadeus Cameron: At the time, it was a big question: "Would you be interested in being the new co-director?" It was affirming to be asked to put together this massive event.

LF: All the StartUp outreach was student-led, including deciding who we wanted as the mentors and judges. Finding sponsorship means we're able to print t-shirts and bags and offer prizes. This year our sponsors are Gulfstream and Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA).

AC: StartUp means connecting students with leading industry professionals as much as possible. These are leaders of companies, and when they get an awesome pitch from a student, they ask, "Can I see their portfolio?" We're facilitating that level of contact and potential hiring opportunities.

LF: This year's StartUp theme is "Where do we go from here?" We really wanted to dive into moments in history that impacted the whole world, and how we can build from there. When the iPhone was introduced, it changed tech, and human connection. We wanted to focus on research and applying it to the future.

AC: And we wanted students to look at their own past and ask the question, "How was I affected?" I grew up in the suburbs of Nashville, without a way to get to town, a bike was too dangerous, and sometimes I felt trapped. How can we make the suburb-to-city experience more accessible for kids?

LF: The judges listen to 12 to 15 pitches and pick one to advance to the final. Each pitch is four minutes long, plus a four-minute question and answer session with the judges.

AC: The prompt is wide-angle and open-ended, and as a result the judges are seeing so many different views of how our students work.

LF: Later this afternoon, everyone comes back together for a Zoom call, and we'll announce the finalists, and then they present in front of 500 or so people on Zoom. The judges will break out, make their decision, and we'll present first, second and third places, plus Fan Favorite, and our new MVP Award. It's exciting!

AC: Passion counts!

StartUp student directors Lara Felderspiel (left) and Amadeus Cameron.

Follow StartUp on Instagram to see the announcement of the winners!

This Friday, Feb. 11, SCAD will celebrate the powerful role of women in Georgia history with the 2022 induction ceremony for the Savannah Women of Vision investiture. SCAD is welcoming four new honorees this year—Linda J. Evans, Sarah Mills Hodge, Joyce Roché, and Gale Singer—into its elite cadre of Savannah trailblazers.

Savannah Women of Vision, established by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace, recognizes women of peerless valor, altruism, and intellect whose remarkable ideas, insightful leadership, and distinguished service form the fabric of the Savannah community.

The university will celebrate the 2022 honorees with a public event Friday, Feb. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Arnold Hall Theater, 1810 Bull Street. The celebration will include original poems read by SCAD alumni, a screening of the SCAD-produced documentary Savannah Women of Vision: Etched in History, and a live performance by members of SCAD's elite vocal ensemble the HoneyBees featuring American Idol winner Candice Glover (B.F.A., dramatic writing).

As a permanent tribute, gold relief portraits of Evans, Hodge, Roché, and Singer—carved by SCAD alum Michael Porten (M.F.A., painting, 2012; B.F.A., illustration, 2004)—will ornament the Savannah Women of Vision gallery in Arnold Hall, home to SCAD's School of Liberal Arts.

"When SCAD students, community members, guests, and school children visit the Savannah Women of Vision gallery in Arnold Hall, I want them to look up at those radiant portraits and feel inspired, loved, and seen," President Wallace said. "I want our students and community to know that smart, fearless women have always made history in Savannah."

President Wallace created the Savannah Women of Vision investiture to elevate recognition of strong female leadership and its salutary influence on society. She chose honorary portraits to adorn the walls of Arnold Hall, where a 1930s New Deal-era mural depicting titans of Savannah history is notable in its omission of women. With the addition of this year's honorees, President Wallace continues a vital tradition of civic recognition, commending and commemorating the profound influence of women whose ingenuity and dedication have indelibly shaped Savannah.

In addition to Friday's celebration, Arnold Hall will be open to the public Saturday, Feb. 12, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. for docent-led tours of the Savannah Women of Vision portrait gallery. Throughout the year, the university offers tours to K–12 students, educators, and others, and a free curriculum guide provides additional historic context. 

This year's honorees join 17 other women, inducted in 2020, 2018, and 2016: Emma Morel Adler, Mother Mathilda Beasley, Mary Musgrove Matthews Bosomworth, Miriam Center, Edna Jackson, Alice Andrews Jepson, Clermont Huger Lee, Nancy N. Lewis, Juliette Gordon Low, Abigail Minis, Mary Lane Morrison, Flannery O'Connor, Suzanne Shank, Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, Fredericka Washington, Sema Wilkes, and Frances Wong.

Learn more about Savannah Women of Vision.