As a torrent of sea life sloshes into a black plastic tub, Charlie Vazquez (B.F.A., industrial design) stoops on the deck of the Sea Dawg and sifts through striped anchovies, banded drum, harvestfish, and a prodigious pile of shrimp. SCAD campus executive chef Dusty Grove and marine biologist John "Crawfish" Crawford look on.

This afternoon trip up the Savannah River is part of Vazquez's research into the future of food. His findings will contribute to "Cook to the Future" — a project created with five fellow classmates for Contextual Research Methods (IDUS 215) with professor Louis Baker.

An Austin, Texas native who sings in SCAD Performing Arts Ensemble and works as a resident advisor in Victory Village, Vazquez exceeds expectations. As a squid passes through his hands aboard the boat, Charlie grins: "I love getting out of my comfort zone!"

Charlie Vazquez:

On board the Sea Dawg, John Crawford walked me through the procedures of catching shrimp, from lowering the net to counting the catch. The crew sorts the catch based on species to make sure that one species isn't being overfished. The catch goes into a cooler until arrival back at the marina, where there's a kitchen where a chef cooks the seafood, adds nutrients, and feeds it to the fish in the Georgia Marine Education Aquarium.

The trip was fascinating, and highly useful as it applies to my Contextual Research class. Contextual research means researching environments and people to develop form and design going forward. I was part of a six-student team focusing on the future of cooking. What will cooking look like in the year 2050? How will we eat?

The key to my research was making a connection with Dusty Grove, head chef at SCAD student dining. Dusty's been an important part of the Savannah food scene for decades. He let me observe the kitchen at Hive Café at SCAD, and introduced me to Jason Restivo at Savannah restaurant Atlantic, who allowed me to visit his kitchen.

Interviewing Dusty and Jason and visiting their kitchens gave me helpful information: how kitchens are organized and what influences palate and taste. The information connects directly to what cooking is now and will become.

As a team, my classmates and I took hundreds of data points and consolidated them into core ideas. We completed our cultural probes and created an online process book. I published my research and findings online. We determined that in the future, people will still want to cook, but it will be more about adding elements to precooked dishes. Cooking will be increasingly about customization.

I've learned so much so quickly at SCAD. This quarter I took Foundation of Sustainable Materials (SUST 308) with professor John Schaffeld, and participated in a SCADpro project. Next quarter I'll be on-stage performing in "Little Women," directed by performing arts professor Jay Jaski. I'm going to SCAD Lacoste in the spring. For summer 2020 I've been accepted to an internship at Plastipak, in Plymouth, Michigan. That's a lot to look forward to!

Learn more about industrial design at SCAD!

Special thanks to John "Crawfish" Crawford and the staff of the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium.

Christopher John Rogers (B.F.A., fashion and apparel design, 2016) has been recognized as the top designer among 10 prestigious finalists in the 2019 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) / Vogue Fashion Fund. The first-place, $400,000 prize will will be used to further develop Rogers' burgeoning career. The recognition highlights Rogers' unique contributions to the global fashion community and includes mentorship from an esteemed group of industry professionals.

Following his graduation from SCAD, Rogers has designed for Diane Von Furstenberg, dressed Michelle Obama, SZA, Lizzo, Cardi B, Whoopi Goldberg, Alexandra Shipp and more. He was one of the top emerging designers at fall 2018 New York Fashion Week and is currently working on his own collection.

"At SCAD, Christopher John Rogers achieved a truly authentic aesthetic — one of bold, bespoke patterns and colors culled from his own dreamscape," stated SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. "When Priyanka Chopra, Regina King, and Michelle Obama are wearing your creations, you're doing something right. It's no surprise that Rogers is a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Winner. A designer with a SCAD education is a designer with no limits."

As a student in the award-winning SCAD School of Fashion, Rogers had access to more than 200 industry-leading and academically rigorous courses. The SCAD School of Fashion prepares students for professional careers in fashion-related industries with a focus on the principles of design, unbounded creativity and state-of-the-art technology. The SCAD School of Fashion is comprised of degree programs including accessory design, business of beauty and fragrance, fashion, fashion marketing and management, fibers, and jewelry – all disciplines working together to produce all-encompassing creations, reflecting an industry where synergy is key.

Outside the classroom, SCAD fashion students are given unprecedented access to industry luminaries, like Rogers' opportunity to connect with Von Furstenberg, through SCADpro collaborative projects, signature events such as SCAD's annual juried fashion show and SCADstyle, and through SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film exhibitions and programming.

With this honor, Rogers joins the prestigious group of SCAD students that have won more than 130 major fashion industry awards in the past three years including distinction in the International Design Awards Emerging Fashion Designer of the Year, Supima Design Competition, and Global Student Competition at the Arab Luxury World Summit. Rogers is part of SCAD's prestigious group of fashion program alumni, the nearly 4,000 SCAD fashion graduates who are now design leaders at Anthropologie, Marc Jacobs, Kenneth Cole, Kate Spade, Abercrombie, Chanel, Lily Pulitzer and more.

Since its inception, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has granted $5.9 million to over 35 design companies including past winners such as Proenza Schouler (2004), Alexander Wang (2008), Brock Collection (2016) and Telfar (2017). This year's awards were determined by a selection committee featuring Anna Wintour, Joseph Altuzarra, Eva Chen, Paloma Elsesser, Mark Holgate, Jeffrey Kalinsky, Steven Kolb, Chioma Nnadi, Roopal Patel, Andrew Rosen, and Diane von Furstenberg.

Congratulations, Christopher!

Photo couresy CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

"The Biggest Little Farm" is a documentary about dirt. Writer/director John Chester and his wife Molly quit their cramped city apartment to go back to the country; specifically, to try to revitalize 200 acres of arid farmland in Moorpark, California. "It all circles back to the health of the soil," Chester says, sifting earth in his hands.

The Edenic epic unfolds over eight years. The classic "human versus nature" trope is dispensed for something more micro: chicken vs. maggot, owl vs. gopher, and duck vs. snail are all subplots that rage as husband and wife and their team introduce purpose-driven organisms into their ecosystem in search of awesome harmony, what their biodynamic farm guru Alan York calls "tapping into a power you can ride without extraordinary effort." As Chester says: "Observation followed by creativity is becoming our biggest ally."

An Emmy-winning filmmaker, Chester came to this year's SCAD Savannah Film Festival to screen and speak about "The Biggest Little Farm." At the same time, across the country, wildfires in southern California were flickering within a few hundred yards of his Apricot Lane Farms gate. The precarious nature of existence, underlined.

"For the first five years of filming I was not admitting to anyone else, or really myself, that I was making a film," Chester said from the Lucas Theatre for the Arts stage. "I was just documenting things that were inspiring to me. In year five, I realized I'd been inadvertently filming and photographing the keystone players in the reawakening ecosystem, and how that was going to reintegrate into our problem solving. In year five I took the footage and put it together, then spent the next three years filming and finishing the film."

The ultimate success of farm itself, Chester explained to the film festival audience, "was really about building the immunology of the land. The soil system, the biodiversity, that is the immune system of our farm, and it happens to also be the ecosystem of our planet. The next layer of immunology is how we communicate to each other on the farm. That has to start with Molly and I and how we handle tough situations, and how we pass that on to our team.

"We never evangelized [to neighboring farmers] about why you should farm the way that we do. Nor do I look at them as the problem. They're a symptom of a voting mechanism that is voting for the cheapest food possible. Industrialized agriculture has responded to the same vote.

"Now I'm watching some of our neighbors use cover crop, which is the single most important thing any farm can do when it comes to the restorative methods of soil and biodiversity and the health of the food you eat. It's starting to happen, but it needs to happen through the lens of example, and it can't be polarizing. Innovation happens in a bipartisan environment."

The "lens of example" is key: "The Biggest Little Farm" is a portrait indivisible from its subject, itself a metaphor for filmmaking. As Chester told the Lucas Theatre audience: "My excitement for storytelling has been reawakened through my deep experience with the ecosystem. I thought I was out, but realized I have a lot more to tell."

Thanks to John Chester and everyone who attended the 22nd SCAD Savannah Film Festival.

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.

Step inside FORTY, the new SCAD Atlanta residence hall! Welcoming SCAD Atlanta students to a new era of style, comfort and convenience, the state-of-the-art facility is a 14-story, 596-bed building featuring both dormitory-style and apartment-style units. A coeducational residence hall, FORTY is available for first-year, continuing and graduate students beginning fall quarter, 2019.

The building plays an important role in the development of the SCAD Atlanta campus overall. Markets, food trucks, and performances will enliven the entry plaza which is designed as a drop-off and a multi-use venue. An improved pedestrian and bicycle connection called SCAD Way links FORTY with the academic campus at 1600 Peachtree.

FORTY features a 250-person capacity event space on its top floor, including a catering kitchen outfitted to support all types of events. Community lounge spaces and study spaces are on every floor, including a ground floor lobby area featuring a 24-hour coffee and smoothie café known as sketch. Students can gather to enjoy a variety of activities on the garden terraces that ring FORTY.

FORTY was designed by Mackey Mitchell Architects, along with Lamar Johnson Collaborative (formerly BatesForum) and SCAD Design Group. The new residential tower was constructed by Clayco. This is the second design-build project collaboration between Mackey Mitchell, SCAD, and Clayco, following Montgomery House in Savannah.

"We have pushed boundaries to create environments that showcase the uniqueness of SCAD's student body and ideally inspire their artistic energy," noted project designer Gwynn Zivic of Mackey Mitchell.

FORTY plays an important role in the development of the SCAD Atlanta campus by optimizing this previously underutilized site. The new residence hall replaces Spring House, which had a capacity of 389 people and was demolished in June 2019.

In 2019, SCAD directly supported 746 jobs (full-time and part-time) throughout the Atlanta region. This employment makes a direct contribution to the overall workforce vitality of the region. SCAD spending on capital projects, development and planning projects, and suppliers supports additional jobs throughout the Atlanta region. SCAD supports the future of Atlanta. With FORTY, the future is now.

Learn more about SCAD Atlanta.

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.

Jill Kinnear, professor of fibers, SCAD Savannah, received a 2018-2019 Sabbatical Award for her project "Exploring Pre-Columbian Textiles in Peru: Lima, Cuzco and the Sacred Valley."  Professor Kinnear spent three weeks in Peru traveling and researching textile traditions from pre-Columbian societies through the present day.

She acquired beautiful textiles and hats direct from the artisans who make and wear them. These acquisitions comprise an extraordinary exhibition currently on display of the first floor of Pepe Hall. Her detailed account of her trip appears on the SCAD Fibers blog.

Jill Kinnear:

Peru has one of the longest, most complex and highly developed histories of textiles in the world. Textiles were crucial to every economic and political objective of pre-Columbian society. There was no hard currency, and textiles were used instead as barter, as diplomatic gifts, for ceremonies and to appease newly conquered peoples. Some of the textile techniques are unique to Peru, and are not practiced anywhere else in the world. It was amazing to witness artisans making these beautiful fabrics still using pre-Columbian techniques. I also visited a number of world-renowned museums in Lima before travelling to Cusco, a city in the Andes that was once the capital of the Inca Empire.

In Cusco, I met with Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, founder of the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco. Nilda is originally from Chinchero, a weaving community between Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Her organization works with ten different weaving communities to preserve traditional spinning, dyeing and weaving techniques, and to ensure that weavers make a living from their weaving. The CTTC has become increasingly successful, and she and the weavers deserve enormous credit. I visited three of these communities and collected textiles from each one.

In the highlands and regional areas, aspects of traditional life have remained unchanged for centuries. Traditional dress retains its importance for people; they're not dressing for tourists but for themselves. Hats are an essential part of the outfits as symbols of status and identity, especially for women. 

If you go to a market in the Sacred Valley, people come from as far away as the Amazon to sell their produce, and consequently you'll see many different types of hats there. The beautiful red felt hats the women wear, monteras, look almost like fruit bowls. Women put flowers in them and add white beaded patterned straps.

I knew I intended to install an exhibition when I returned to SCAD, so I started collecting hats as well as textiles while in the highlands. People do bring back woven textiles but don't often bring back hats; they're not the easiest thing to transport! I managed to collect nine hats, both men's and women's. I wanted hats that had been worn, so they retained the character of the wearer.

There's a beautiful hat in the exhibition that's made of straw, woven in Chimbote and painted with a mixture of glue and chalk that's turned it hard and white. The pearl buttons were added by the owner. If you look you can see that she stored matches in the band. I bought it from a woman who was herding sheep.

I teach Survey of Textiles: Origins and Evolution (FIBR 221) here in the SCAD fibers department. While the class is about the textile history and techniques of each culture, I also try to give students a sense of the region and the time, of what it might have been like to live in a place in a particular era. Short of taking the students there myself, the next best thing I can do is bring back artifacts, notes, photographs, videos, samples, books, catalogues, contacts – and my wonderful experiences. I hope the exhibition in Pepe Hall allows our students to gain a greater understanding of these extraordinary textile techniques, the people and the country.

I applied for my sabbatical and SCAD provided financial support for me to travel to Peru.  The amount of funding ensured that I could travel comfortably and I did not need to stint on acquiring textiles. SCAD was extremely supportive and I'm very grateful for this award. The experience of this journey is invaluable; it's contributed to my own professional development and to my teaching.

SCAD Sabbatical Awards provide eligible professors with opportunities to pursue professional growth and achievement through study, research and practice.

Learn more about the SCAD fibers program.

"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.

With her shop Hygge, Cristina Drumm (B.F.A., advertising, 2014) has captured anew the quintessence of Savannah: warmth, charm, and homey coziness. Drumm drew inspiration—and her retail studio's name—from the Danish word "hygge" (pronounced hoo-guh), which she learned first-hand while experiencing the simple charms of Copenhagen as a traveler. Now owner and founder of Hygge Savannah, Dunn ensures every detail of her store embodies the hygge experience, from decor to handmade goods, all imbued with her kindhearted energy.

Cristina Drumm:

I'm originally from Venezuela. I was initially drawn to SCAD because I was looking at programs abroad and found SCAD Lacoste, and thought, "This looks amazing. I need to know more." I came to Savannah and fell in love with the way the university is laid out throughout the city. I loved how you can walk around the city and I knew SCAD was for me. At the time, I was still living at my parents, so I started to take some classes via SCAD eLearning. I did that for one academic quarter, then went to SCAD Lacoste. Lacoste was an absolutely magical experience. It's one of those places that changes your life. Shortly after, I moved to Savannah to complete my degree.

One thing I adored about SCAD is the professors. I could tell they loved being involved in student dreams and projects. My professors were always willing to go that extra mile to help, and they were so passionate about what they were doing. My professors had already worked in the industry and knew what they were talking about. I'm still in touch with a lot of the professors I had. They became like family to me. 

When opening the business as a one-woman show, I used all the advertising tools I learned at SCAD and brought them into this small business approach. It's been very organic, and my knowledge of advertising and creative direction has really helped all of this unfold. My advertising degree really helped. I've applied every aspect of advertising, including branding, storytelling and copywriting. I love the stories that brands can tell through creative direction and branding. 

A lot of people ask, "You could open the business anywhere else, why Savannah?" I see so much potential in Savannah. It needs student and alumni-run businesses, and SCAD and Savannah become more deeply connected the more alumni stay here and cultivate businesses. 

When opening Hygge, I wanted to feature brands whose values align with mine. That, and connecting with the people behind the brands is super important to me. I love that I'm working with locals, and that I can do pop-ups to bring the community together. I try to feature artists who haven't been featured yet in Savannah. Hygge allows those artists use the space to show their goods as well.

I had always envisioned the store being a space where people come to get away from their busy day, unwind, look at beautiful things — I offer them a nice cup of tea — and feel inspired. I knew I wanted a space that had a homey feel. It has a different aesthetic from anything I've seen in Savannah. I'm bringing something new to the city and I want it to do well. So far, it's been well-received.

Visit Hygge online or at 600 E. Broughton St., Savannah, Georgia, 31401.