For the third consecutive year, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival featured the popular Wonder Women panel series, celebrating the cinematic achievements of women in film and television. Separate panels on producers, directors, and writers featured industry professionals examining their careers and answering questions from an eager student audience.

At the Wonder Women: Below the Line panel, moderator Dana Shockley, SCAD professor of film and television, welcomed seven top professionals from diverse backgrounds and skill sets:

Natasha Braier, cinematographer ("Honey Boy"; "Neon Demon")
Latoya Henderson, makeup department head ("Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins")
Molly Hughes, art director ("Hillbilly Elegy"; "I Am Thinking of Ending Things")
Aiesha Li, costume designer ("Tully"; "Birth of the Dragon")
Nancy Richardson, editor ("Twilight"; "Divergent"; "Selena"; "Stand and Deliver")
Amy Roth, costume designer ("Motherless Brooklyn"; "Madame Secretary"; "The Looming Tower")
Heather Taylor, VFX editor (Crafty Apes)

The panelists regaled the Gutstein Gallery audience with stories of their entry into the film industry and how to create a break. Here are edited highlights from their insights.

Aiesha Li: "I was not destined for film. I was going to become a surgeon. But I always liked fabrics. I was sewing as a hobby, then one day a film came to town that needed people who could sew. So, I interned for a small fee. They taught me how to break down fabrics, how to make clothes look old and how to make them look dirty. When I finished university, the production company called and said would you like a full-time job? I stared at the bottom and worked my way up in production design."

Molly Hughes: "I came to Savannah to work on a film called ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance.' I flew myself here and the production designer was Stuart Craig, who worked on the Harry Potter films. He said, ‘If you figure out how to get to London you can always work for me…' I was young, and when you're that age, when you love something, you believe you can do it. I moved to London and worked there for the next nine years."

Natasha Braier: "When I was in film school, I wasn't sure why I wanted to be a filmmaker. But I think it's really important to go on that inward journey. Why are you so eager to be a filmmaker and tell stories? We have so much responsibility, especially now at this particular moment in history. Every frame that reaches the screen is a political act. We can continue to have the world we have, or make a better world."

Nancy Richardson: "We're all storytellers. People have a tendency to think the writer/director is the storyteller. Every single one of the people on this panel has a really sophisticated sense of story and character. That's not to be underestimated. If you graduate wanting to be a writer and director, be flexible. There are a lot of areas in film that you might be happy working in."

Heather Taylor: "As females in the industry, we're conditioned to think we're not worth the same as a man we're working alongside. When I was starting out as an assistant editor, when the editor came in to look at a scene, it took a while for me to give my opinion, even when I was asked for it. When someone asks for your opinion, if you have a valuable contribution to make, give it. That's when people see your worth."

Latoya Henderson: "Learn about every department. Don't just stay in your lane. If you're going to be a director, learn about makeup, costumes. It's going to make your job easier. I know a lot of directors who started off as production assistants. Learn as much as you possibly can before you decide what you're going to do in the industry."

Amy Roth: "You have a voice, you have a vision. Get out there and do it. It doesn’t matter if you get fame or recognition in order to shine."

The 2019 SCAD Savannah Film Festival continues through Saturday, Nov. 2.

For a full list of programming, visit the dedicated site.

"If my marriage had gone well, I would have kept Kamali locked away at home like I was," says Suganthi, 32-year old mother of the daring skateboarder at the heart of director Sasha Rainbow's 24-minute film "Kamali" (UK, 2019). As an Indian girl growing up in the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, nine-year-old Kamali Murthy doesn't heed the words of observers as she whizzes past: "Who will marry her if she breaks?"

Whether framing her upper body with skateboard out of sight to create the sensation of Kamali flying, or showing her skating an oceanside concrete half pipe through the barred window of her home, the visual poetry of "Kamali" does what great documentary film does. The stakes of the situation are defined as we feel what the subject is feeling. As Kamali's mother says: "It's like I'm looking at myself when I look at Kamali."

"Kamali" screened at this year's SCAD Savannah Film Festival as part of "Shorts Spotlight: Living on the Edge," a program dedicated to the stories of people under pressure, fighting the odds.

Director Carol Dysinger's "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl)" (UK, 2019), while complementary to "Kamali," screened on a different day, providing necessary breathing room.

Dysinger's 40-minute portrait follows Afghani girls learning to read, write and skateboard through a program called Skateistan as the city of Kabul explodes around them. Equal time is devoted to showing the girls in the classroom (eager to learn and mischievous; they're kids) and in their homes, where amidst mundane daily tasks mothers hope for better lives for their daughters. The window of opportunity these girls are skating through could shatter at any moment.

Both "Kamali" and "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl)" illuminate a key truth: As a literal vehicle for personal expression, a skateboard can be a tool against oppression. So can film.

The 2019 SCAD Savannah Film Festival continues through Saturday, Nov. 2.

For a full list of programming, visit the dedicated site.

Come celebrate the 22nd SCAD Savannah Film Festival, an acclamation of cinematic excellence, Oct. 26 – Nov. 2, 2019. The largest university-run film festival in the country honors professional and emerging student filmmakers during an eight-day film celebration, welcoming more than 63,000 attendees from around the world, including directors, writers, filmmakers and actors from the big screen.
 
The festival kicks off Saturday, Oct. 26, with the Opening Night Gala Screening of "The Aeronauts" directed by Tom Harper. The festival closes on Saturday, Nov. 2 with the Closing Gala Screening of "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" directed by Marielle Heller. A key stop on the Oscar festival circuit, SCAD Savannah Film Festival will screen a total of 159 films, including 35 narrative films, 15 documentary films and 109 shorts, more than any previous year.
 
"SCAD alumni and students alike will join in the festivities at the 22nd annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival. With so many SCAD grads living in Georgia, they don't have far to come!" said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. "SCAD is a global leader in entertainment arts, and it's our pleasure to host the best film festival anywhere."
 
"This year's festival is one of our best and most exciting film line-ups we've put together," said SCAD Savannah Film Festival Executive Director Christina Routhier.  "We are thrilled to present eight days of premiere screenings, panels, workshops, and a one-of-a-kind Immersive VR experience to SCAD, our students, and the City of Savannah. One of the highlights of this year's festival is our annual Wonder Women series which includes award winning and rising directors, producers, writers, and below the line artists. I am even more proud that the festival will be screening films from over 50 female filmmakers making us one of the few festivals that are celebrating the work of female artists from around the world."

SCAD's preeminent School of Entertainment Arts is creating world-class, industry-ready talent that fills needs in Georgia, and in the industry globally. More than 10,000 SCAD alumni have graduated from the schools of digital media and entertainment arts, and nearly 5,000 students are currently enrolled in majors that cover fields of animation, entertainment, motion pictures, media production, writing, editing, broadcast media and performing arts.

Celebrating its 22nd year, the festival and the competition provide SCAD students with opportunities as unique as the selected films. This year, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival received over 1,800 submissions for the competition film series. During the festival, students from every academic discipline connect with leaders from the entertainment industry through master classes, coffee talks, lectures, workshops and panel discussions. Savannah, a premier film hub in the Southeast, promotes quality movies produced by independent and studio filmmakers.
 
Tickets and passes are available for purchase online at savannahboxoffice.com, by telephone at 912.525.5050, or in person at the Trustees Theater, located at 216 E. Broughton St., Savannah.

View the festival schedule for a complete list of films and screening locations.

Inspired by her home country, Natascha Vazquez (M.F.A., painting, 2018) has collaborated in the creation of 13 unique prints of the northern Bahamian islands to benefit the Baha Mar Foundation for Hurricane Dorian Relief. These linocut prints will be available for purchase during Open Studio, SCAD's fine arts showcase, Friday, Oct. 25 at SCAD Savannah, and Fri.-Sat., Nov. 1-2 at SCAD Atlanta.

Hurricane Dorian was the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country's history. The storm reached the northern islands as a category five hurricane in late August 2019.

"When Hurricane Dorian hit, the two northern islands of the Bahamas were deeply affected," Vazquez said. "I started the initiative of creating the series of linocut prints with my team at a gallery in the Nassau called The Current. As we started printing the linocuts, we began getting other local artists involved, and volunteers from the community.

"It's important to note the many people who contributed to making the prints. We had survivors come from those islands to participate in making the prints. It's art therapy. Volunteers and Bahamians and survivors all helped make these prints, so that makes it very special."

SCAD Art Sales, SCAD's premier curatorial agency, will have the works for purchase during Open Studio in both Savannah and Atlanta.

"I'm using my passion for art and my creative career to support my community," Vazquez added. "I'm grateful for SCAD and how they support their alumni and our larger community. It's wonderful that SCAD is making the prints available for purchase at Open Studio."

SCAD Savannah Open Studio, Friday, Oct. 25, 6-8 p.m., Alexander Hall, 668 Indian St., Savannah.

SCAD Atlanta Open Studio, Friday, Nov. 1, 7-9 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gallery 5C at 1600 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta.

The annual Kravet Design Challenge epitomizes the brilliance of cross-disciplinary collaboration at SCAD. The challenge brings together students from two SCAD clubs: Fibers Force, and Interior Design Organization, to have their work judged by representatives from Kravet, the global leader in to-the-trade fabric and home furnishings, in a festive event in Pepe Hall.

This year's prompt — design a collection drawing inspiration from a film made in Savannah — resulted in a lively raft of student creations. Sixteen teams, each comprised of one SCAD fibers student and one SCAD interior design student, displayed mock-ups inspired by movies including "X-Men: First Class," "Forrest Gump," "The Peanut Butter Falcon," and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

"That you chose to enter this competition in addition to your classwork shows your incredible commitment to work with people at SCAD outside your discipline," interior design professor Christina Gonano told students. "We're all really happy with how everything looks. Congratulations on doing amazing work!"

Ellen Kravet, co-principal and executive vice president, and Scott Kravet, chief creative director, Kravet, Inc., were equally effusive in their praise.

"Your depth and detail are exceptional," Scott Kravet said, addressing all entrants. "To choose a winner, we looked for designs that would be applicable to the ease and use of what we do at Kravet. I looked for a design of a space I would personally like to live in."

The collection receiving the highest accolade was "Accentuating Eccentricities" by Sheridan Markham (M.F.A., interior design) and Shelby Pogue (B.F.A., fibers), notable for what Scott Kravet deemed its "spectacular detail and layering, including the ghost. As a buyer of art and textile design, I would buy the feather design today as an indoor print or outdoor print. Well done."

Having won the competition last year, Markham and Pogue were delighted to repeat their top honors. Their collection contains coded, idiosyncratic nods to Clint Eastwood's adaptation of John Berendt's best-selling novel, demonstrating a profound commitment to design excellence.

"As part of our research, we visited the Mercer House, where part of ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' was filmed," Markham said. "We learned there are certain colors unique to the home: wild herring peach, Indian bluff blue, and Jim's taupe. We incorporated elements of the ornate, historic space and the characters who inhabited it into our collection."

"To create the feather print, I dipped real a feather in ink and dropped it on the paper," explained Pogue. "Then I scanned it into Photoshop and played with layers and opacity and color replacement. The inspiration came from the movie character Serena, who is always wearing dramatic feathered ensembles."

As Markham and Pogue were congratulated by their peers and professors, all participants received a certificate of commendation from Kravet, a valuable accolade to have in a student portfolio.

"Kravet is consistently supportive of what our students do," professor Gonanao added. "They encourage these collaborative opportunities, which are really gateways to professional success. We look forward to doing it again next year."

Congratulations Shelby (left) and Sheridan!

"I'm inspired by the women announcers I found through this project," says Emilie Kefalas (B.F.A., writing, 2018). "Writing ‘Replay' introduced me to a whole new facet of sports."

A new one-act play about a rookie sports announcer calling her first collegiate football game, "Replay" premieres at Theatre 54 in New York City, Fri., Oct. 18. Produced with the support of the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, "Replay" is but the latest of Kefalas's diverse writing credits. Formerly editor-in-chief of SCAD District, she is the author/illustrator of children's book "A Capitol Dream" (Palmetto Publishing, 2019), and currently works as external communications coordinator with Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In a pinch she can also kick an extra point.

Emilie Kefalas:

I had the idea to write a play about rookie female sports announcer after I read a Chicago Tribune article in 2016 by the wonderful journalist Heidi Stevens, about Julie DiCaro, a host of a sports commentary radio show in the Metro Chicago area. Heidi wrote about how Julie received these abhorrent comments from men about her voice and her opinions on sports.

It was the first time I'd considered how women play a role in sports commentary. Women's voices in sports announcing are relatively rare. When you hear a woman's voice commentating on a football or baseball game, you take notice.

When I watch college football on TV, the women I see are all sideline reporters. But the idea of hearing the woman's voice I found fascinating. I researched how people react to women reporting from the broadcast booth.

Reading about their experiences and listening to their announcing on-line was really helpful. It's an art form and a craft. You have to call quickly and assess a tackle, a move. I had to train my brain to follow how they called players names and numbers and the plays themselves.

I thought, I have to write a play about this. I knew it would be a great medium to explore how people react to this concept of a woman announcer, while bringing awareness to the women in sports announcing. I dedicate the play to them and the trailblazing they have done.

As a writing major at SCAD, I took Introduction to Dramatic Writing (DWRI 101) as an elective. Due to the robust curriculum of the SCAD writing program, I graduated with a portfolio of unrivaled diversity. My SCAD experience empowered me to try all different forms of writing, including playwriting.

Having my play produced in New York feels like scoring a touchdown. It's called "Replay" because the story is told in reverse. It starts at what appears to be the end. We first see "Mags" after she's called her first collegiate football game by herself. She was supposed to be in the booth with someone, but we find out everything via a replay of what happened. I love the idea of pulling back layers of a story and making an audience think.

Purchase "Replay" tickets here.

Photo: Angie Stong (B.F.A., photography, 2018)
Poster design: Sarah Funk

Visit www.emiliekefalas.com!

Last week, actor, singer, dancer and songwriter Lucas Grabeel received the SCAD AnimationFest Achievement Award at the third annual SCAD AnimationFest in Atlanta. Grabeel, beloved for voicing animated characters for "Family Guy" and "Pinky Malinky" as well as his live action roles in "Switched at Birth" and the "High School Musical" films, hosted a masterclass for SCAD students, appeared at a public screening of "Pinky Malinky" featuring a Q&A moderated by D.W. Moffett, Chair of Film and Television, SCAD Savannah, and was widlly cheered at a special presentation where he received the SCAD AnimationFest Achievement Award from President Wallace.

The following are edited and condensed remarks by Grabeel at SCAD AnimationFest 2019.

Lucas Grabeel:

After a couple years in L.A., I got the "High School Musical" job that changed my life. At the time my sister was an assistant to another actor doing a voiceover gig with one of the top animation casting directors in L.A. The casting director said, "Would your brother want to do animation?" She said, "Of course, he's been doing silly voices and annoying me his whole life."

I did bit parts on "Glenn Martin, DDS" and "Family Guy," then I auditioned 250 times before I booked a job: "Sherriff Callie's Wild West" for Disney Junior. That's when I started sitting next to the great Jessica DiCicco week after week in the studio, singing and learning mic technique and how to take a voice and create a whole character. That was my voiceover education.

When you're on camera, the camera is picking up your body language, so it's more subtle. When you're doing voiceover work in animation, you have to put yourself in your mind where you are, like if you're having a conversation. When you're reading the script, you need to visualize. It's heightened and uses more of your imagination.

Once you book the job, they'll have a description of what they want the character to feel like. Sometimes there'll be a drawing of the character as well. I look at the page then go off in my head and do different emotions for the character: excited, scared, sad, super-happy. Just like with a character on screen, you develop a story, then start to know the character. Then you go to the studio and they say, "Oh no, we want something completely different!" Which has happened to me many times. You have to roll with the punches and that's when it gets exciting. It adds good pressure to be creative.

If you want to work in animation after graduation, there are amazing internships in L.A. There is so much animation that's being made right now. Knock on every door: Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Fox, Disney. Nickelodeon has an incredible program. They really want young people to come and create and bring new ideas to the table. Many people high up at Nickelodeon started off in that program. One thing about the animation world is there's a sense of family and camaraderie and support. The people in animation love animation.

There are a lot of voiceover workshops. Get used to the sound of your voice, learn to control your voice. Workshops also teach you how to warm up vocally, how to cool down, and how to show up ready to go whenever the job starts.

The resources and facilities you have at SCAD are incredible. Getting in a recording studio is the best thing you can do. Look to your colleagues and record a demo reel. Do a couple characters and cut it together. It's all about getting in front of the microphone, hearing yourself, testing yourself, listening back, and learning.

Thanks to everyone who attended SCAD AnimationFest 2019!

On Thursday, Oct. 3, celebrate the life and legacy of orator, abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass with leading scholars, visionary artists, and original performances at the SCAD Museum of Art. Presented alongside the opening of the group exhibition "Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom," this day of events features panel discussions, gallery talks, a lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David W. Blight, and a performance by artist Raphaël Barontini with the Savannah High School marching band. View a full schedule of events here.

"Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom" explores the life and legacy of the preeminent social reformer, abolitionist, and statesman and is centered on the Frederick Douglass Family Archive from the collection of Walter and Linda Evans. The exhibition showcases an extraordinary grouping of primary documents which offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn first-hand about this legendary figure in the history of the United States. Through letters, family scrapbooks, photographs, and other archival material, viewers will discover rarely-known facts about Douglass’ family and personal history, something the abolitionist rarely wrote about in his autobiographies.

"Walter and Linda Evans' contribution to the SCAD Museum of Art has been a vital source of inspiration and scholarship since the museum’s inception," states SCAD Museum of Art Curator Humberto Moro. "Their gift of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints from leading African American artists—from the Harlem Renaissance to the present—is a cornerstone of the permanent collection at the SCAD Museum of Art. They provide a unique opportunity to present academic exhibitions, bringing empowering experiences to our students and the community at large."

The historic register on display in the Walter O. Evans gallery will be in conversation with modern and contemporary works by renowned artists, including Jacob Lawrence, Betye Saar Scott Covert, Omar Victor Diop, Latoya Ruby Frazier, Lyle Ashton Harris, Stephen Hayers, Lubaina Himid, Titus Kaphar, Meleko Mokgossi, Mathat Rosler, James Van Der Zee, Barbara Walker, Gillian Wearing, Wilmer Wilson IV, and Charles White. New commissions by Onyedika Chuke, TR Ericsson, Glyneisha Johnson, Le’Andra LeSeur (SCAD B.F.A., photography, 2014), and Charles Edward Williams (SCAD B.F.A., advertising, 2006) will also be on display.

The "Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom" exhibition and programming highlights the university's ongoing mission to showcase emerging and established African American artists.  Since opening in 2011, SCAD Museum of Art has exhibited over twenty artists dynamic work including Fred Wilson, Hank Willis Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Jacob Lawrence, Lorraine O’Grady, Radcliffe Bailey, Andre 3000, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Stephen Burrows. The museum is housed in an 1853 brick structure that was once a railway depot for the Central of Georgia Railway. This National Historic Landmark is the only surviving antebellum railroad complex in the U.S.

In addition to the Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom, two other exhibitions on display at the museum are also in conversation with Frederick Douglass’ legacy, including Raphael Barontini’s "The Golden March" and Isaac Julien’s "Frederick Douglass: Lessons of the Hour."

All of the SCAD Museum of Art’s Fall 2019 exhibitions and programming highlight many of the university’s top ranked degree programs including photography, performing arts, film and television, fibers, painting, sculpture, and architecture.

"Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom" is curated by Humberto Moro, curator of SCAD exhibitions; Ben Tollefson, assistant curator of SCAD exhibitions; Ariella Wolens, assistant curator of SCAD exhibitions; Storm Janse Van Rensburg, former head curator of SCAD exhibitions and Celeste-Marie Bernier, professor of black studies and personal chair in English literature at the University of Edinburgh.

For more information on the SCAD Museum of Art exhibitions and programming visit www.scadmoa.org.

"Frederick Douglass: Embers of Freedom" supported in part by PNC Foundation.

Time to get animated! This week is SCADFILM’s third annual SCAD AnimationFest, bringing together innovative talent and leading experts from the animation industry, this Thurs.-Sat., September 26-28, 2019 at SCAD Atlanta.

The three-day festival features exclusive screenings, panel discussions, presentations and top talent from Pixar Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Google Creative Lab, Dreamworks and more. AnimationFest will be held at the university’s state-of-the-art theater SCADshow in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.

On Thursday, September 26, the festival will present a distinguished award to actor, singer, dancer, and songwriter Lucas Grabeel honoring his prolific career voicing animated characters for series including "Spirit," "The Family Guy," and "Pinky Malinky." Two episodes of the Netflix original series "Pinky Malinky" will screen immediately following the award presentation.

AnimationFest will also feature a special preview screening of the highly anticipated DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio’s co-production "Abominable" starring Chloe Bennet, Eddie Izzard, and Sarah Paulson. The animated feature takes audiences on an epic 2,000-mile adventure from the streets of Shanghai to the breathtaking Himalayan snowscapes.

Participating guests from FoxTV, Adult Swim, Dreamscape Immersive, Netflix Animation, Bunnygraph Studios and many more will be highlighted throughout the festival celebration.

"SCAD AnimationFest celebrates the oldest genre of filmmaking," said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. "From special screenings to in-depth panels with industry professionals, this year's programming is sure to delight fans of this celebrated medium. And AnimationFest is much more than a good time. Top companies such as Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks visit SCAD in search of top talent. Think of this as a three-day job interview — with movies and popcorn!"

Industry Icons and Emerging Animation

SCAD AnimationFest, presented by SCADFILM, will feature elevated panel discussions and special screenings on the dynamic facets of the animation industry such as "Storytelling Thru Advanced Content: Exploring Transmedia"; "Behind the Scenes: Toy Story 4"; "Springfield Confidential: Secrets of the Simpsons"; "Cinematic VR: The beauty of animated storytelling in a virtual environment"; and "Virtual Theme Parks."

Guests scheduled to appear at the 2019 AnimationFest include:

• John Heinsen, producer, Bunnygraph Entertainment
• Jennifer Cook, head of production, Dreamscape Immersive
• Mark Mcray, senior director of programming, Adult Swim
• JR Schmidt, motion lead, Google Creative Lab
• Mike Reiss, producer, The Simpsons
• Denise Reiss, television development executive, Reiss Entertainment Inc.
• Shannon Ryan, president of production, Baobab Studios
• Laura Green Berry, producer, Primal Screen
• Jeremy Seymour, creative director, Primal Screen
• Devin Price, animator, Motion LLC
• Shannon Ryan, development producer, Baobab Studios 
• Ken Fountain, animator, Baobab Studios
• Jay Li, animator and project manager, Secret Sauce Studio (MA Advertising Design, 2009)
• Jules Premus, character designer, Floyd County Productions (MA Sequential Art, 2018)
• Becki Tower, animator, Pixar Animation Studios (MFA Animation, 2008)
• Jalysa Leva, lead animator, Primal Screen (BFA Animation, 2015)

Animation is the largest of SCAD’s preeminent degree programs, and is considered a top program for preparation of a growing field that encompasses film, television, interactive media and video games.
With the only university-run casting office in the country, SCAD helps drive the multibillion-dollar film and television industry in Georgia, now the No. 1 filming location in the world, according to FilmL.A. Of the nearly 15,000 SCAD alumni from entertainment and digital media disciplines, more than 3,000 work in the Georgia film industry. SCAD students, alumni and faculty have won Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Golden Reels, Tonys, Annies, and more.

For a complete SCAD AnimationFest schedule and to purchase passes, visit scad.edu/animationfest.

"There's nothing better than watching something as practical as car wash brushes," said Wendy Chang, director of the Rennie Collection, during a gallery talk on Lara Favaretto at the SCAD Museum of Art. The museumgoers filling the 300-foot Pamela Elaine Poetter Gallery to witness Favaretto's bristling "Simple Couples" during Summer Celebration keyed in on Chang's point.

"Simple Couples" is part of "Lara Favaretto: Works from Rennie Collection," a selection of works curated by Abaseh Mirvali, executive director and chief curator of Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, and organized by Humberto Moro, curator of SCAD exhibitions. The exhibition, on view through Dec. 22, includes an enigmatic suitcase, concrete sculptures, and a glassed-in room billowing confetti. The pairs of car wash brushes are the vibrant stand-out stars.

"The brushes are exhibited in a gorgeous way where you can see all of them in their different rhythms," guest curator Mirvali said. "No two of us have the same rhythm in life. We all move at a different pace and have different relationships with different people."

"Simple Couples" alternate between rotation and stillness. Liberated from their original context, the brushes touch, flare outwards, retreat and grow still, like people trying to relate, their attempts at connectivity furtive or bold. Brushes spin against backboards and each other, deteriorating over time, leaving behind particulate matter that resembles the residue of a relationship.

"Lara uses materials that are otherwise considered mechanical and practical, infusing them with the human spirit," explained Chang. "Her ability to connect on a human level in the most unexpected ways with the most unexpected materials is really what draws us."

Background reading (provided by helpful, iPad-wielding SCAD student docents) reveals Favaretto's inspiration: Each of the "Simple Couples" was inspired by an infamous cinematic couple, including "Harold & Maude" (dir. Hal Ashby, 1971), Maria & Felix of "Garage Olimpo" (dir. Marco Bechis, 1999), and Shirley & Cyril from "High Hopes (dir. Mike Leigh, 1988).

"It's an amazing exhibition that speaks to Lara's capacity to make art from the everyday," remarked SCAD curator Moro. "It has a strong dialogue with the architecture of the gallery, which we can all enjoy."

Learn more about "Lara Favaretto: Works from the Rennie Collection" including hours and admission.