SCAD is thrilled to debut Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy, the first solo museum exhibition for internationally acclaimed fashion designer Robert Wun at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film in Atlanta. The exhibition features over 40 garments from the London-based designer's archive, runway presentations, and celebrity commissions.

Hong-Kong born Robert Wun launched his eponymous label in 2014. His elaborate, sculptural garments and accessories are extolled for their striking silhouettes, technical precision, and masterful proportions, designed to empower and embolden the wearer. Wun often looks to the relationship between humanity and nature to inform his work, incorporating the asymmetry found in organic forms and translating his bold ideas into statement-making pieces. Wun honors his personal heritage without being beholden to preconceptions about what it means to be an Asian designer.

"To share my journey in fashion design, presenting my archives from the very beginning of my career to the latest collections, presented together in one space, is a dream come true," said Wun. "Witnessing the timeline of my growth as a designer is an honor. I am so proud of the incredible set design that beautifully echoes the ROBERT WUN brand ethos and aesthetic."

The exhibition at SCAD FASH highlights Wun's impressive roster of celebrity clientele showcasing avant-garde looks worn by Billy Porter, Celine Dion, Tessa Thompson, Doja Cat, MJ Rodriguez, Issa Rae, Fan BingBing, and Celeste. Also known for his film work, Wun collaborated with director Wong Kar-wai designing select character costumes for the 2015 blockbuster Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Wun has spoken extensively to leading fashion outlets about the significance and inspiration of his SCAD FASH exhibiton.

SCAD students from the university's top-ranked degree programs including fashion design, accessory design, luxury and brand management, advertising, and graphic design will have the opportunity to engage with Wun through virtual exhibition tours, conversations, and other programming.

"We are honored to spotlight Robert Wun at SCAD FASH in his first solo museum exhibition," said Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions at SCAD FASH. "This exhibition is a celebration of the individualism, feminism, and futurism inherent in Robert's designs. It is incredible what he has accomplished on a global level as a young designer, and he is quite the inspiration to our students."

Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy is the first museum exhibition of Wun's work. Featuring looks and accessories from 2014 to present, the exhibition is set in a modern installation that captures the organic quality of his designs. The show will be on view at SCAD FASH starting November 11 through April 24, 2022. For more information, visit www.scadfash.org.

Photo by Zhong Lin

"When I try my best to get the most from my SCAD experience, I feel really happy," says Aastha Agarwal (M.F.A., luxury and fashion management). The master's candidate is a SCADpro project manager, a SCAD FASH docent and content creator, a Fernbank-friendly nature-lover, and part of a trend of talented students from NIFT Mumbai choosing to earn their graduate degrees at SCAD. A native of Dahanu Road, India, Agarwal is committed to cultivating leadership skills to affect global change. Don't let her kaleidoscopic coiffure fool you — Aastha means business.

Aastha Agarwal:

I applied to SCAD because I wanted to go to the best place in the world to study the business of fashion. I received a scholarship and decided to pursue my dreams in Atlanta, a city of the endless opportunities. A year and a half later, two of my best friends from NIFT, Aarohi and Sneha, have joined me at SCAD Atlanta. It's nice to see students from Mumbai finding a home here.

I want to build my career within the social responsibility sphere, either as a sustainability expert or being a part of a brand’s corporate social responsibility team. Studying luxury and fashion management at SCAD is equipping me with the tools and resources I need to be a part of the companies that can actually bring about this change.

Last quarter I was part of a SCADpro project with Fox Sports. We had a brilliant team, students from three different countries and five different majors, representing from Mumbai to Mexico to Myrtle Beach. We worked together to create graphic inserts for major league baseball and college basketball for national TV. This quarter I'm project manager on another SCADpro project with Deloitte Digital. As a student, SCADpro is an excellent way to make initial contact with a company, show them what you can do as an individual and as part of a team, and create the preconditions for employment.

One of my favorite SCAD professors is [creative business leadership] professor Kobus. My first class with him was Financial Reporting and Analysis [BUSI 710], part of my LXFM studies. For most of the international students in the graduate program it was our first quarter at SCAD, and we were all a little scared, and not just from the math! By week seven, we were all trading virtual stock and competing in a game based in accounting, learning and laughing together. The last day, professor Kobus brought in kimchi that he and his wife made from cabbage in their garden. It was so good! SCAD professors really care.

I currently work as a docent at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film. I absolutely love working at SCAD FASH because I get to be a part of history. I wish everyone could experience the magnificence that is "Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design."

I created a presentation for the museum that highlights the different tribes who inspired the costumes featured in Black Panther, alongside details about the costumes from other films including Roots, Amistad, Do The Right Thing, and Selma. It's incredible to watch the twinkle in the eyes of the visitors as soon as they step into the exhibition. If I could, I’d be here everyday, especially to point people in the direction of my favorite piece in the exhibit — the aquarium shoes with the goldfish in them, from I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!

Follow Aastha on IG.

"Your students and alumni never cease to amaze me," Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter said to SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace as they announced the winners of the SCAD Changemakers Design Challenge.

The challenge, envisioned by President Wallace, invited recent SCAD fashion and production design graduates to create original garments inspired by Carter's iconic costume designs. The alumni garments embraced Carter's Afrofuturism aesthetic, while demonstrating the preeminent creative talent of the university's top ranked School of Fashion and School of Entertainment Arts.

"Alumni were given six weeks to concept and create garments honoring cultural leaders with global impact, and the results are as fascinating as they are fashionable," President Wallace said. "Ruth E. Carter and I had the privilege of celebrating the spectacular finalists. Congratulations to our winners, and bravo to all Bees who participated!"

The selection process began as SCAD faculty selected 10 garments from the numerous alumni submissions for inclusion in the Changemakers Design Challenge. The final garments were judged by Carter and President Wallace following Carter's appearance at the university's 15th annual SCADstyle signature event.

Winner:
Viviane Carvalho (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) designed for Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Runner Up:
Austin Nelson (B.F.A., fashion, 2017) designed for Malcolm X.

Second Runner Up:
Mariana Alvarez Zubillaga (B.F.A., fashion, 2018) for the Barlovento Tambor Dancers.

Ruth E. Carter and President Paula Wallace with Viviane Carvalho's winning garment.

SCADstyle 2021 united the design community through powerful conversations on contemporary practices and future innovations, engaging SCAD students, alumni, and audiences around the world.

Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design is on view at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film through Sept. 12, 2021.

"We are so fortunate that Ruth put her faith in SCAD FASH to tell her story," says Alexandra Sachs, executive director, SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, speaking of Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design, now on view at the museum. Featuring over 60 costumes from Carter's career, along with sketches and ephemera, the dazzling retrospective was named by W Magazine as the number one fashion exhibition to see in 2021.

Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design is co-curated by Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions, and Christina Frank, assistant director of fashion exhibitions, in collaboration with guest curator Julia Long. A significant number of students and alumni worked on the show. Fashion designers Madi Smith (B.F.A., fashion, 2019) and Kahmani Zeon (B.F.A, fashion) created the perfect fit when dressing the mannequins and putting finishing details on costumes. Jonas Stewart (M.F.A., film and television) edited the film montage exploring the breadth and depth of Carter's career. The exhibition's Afrofuturistic installation incorporates original artwork by Brandon Sadler (B.F.A., illustration, 2009), whose murals were prominently featured in Black Panther.

Here, Sachs and Frank discuss the curatorial process and the wondrous result.

Alexandra Sachs: Ruth has been a friend of SCAD for a while. She was here several years ago for a faculty conference where she gave a lecture, and Rafael [Gomes, curator] and I had the pleasure of having lunch with her. When she was in Atlanta to work on Coming 2 America, we met up again. Then, as the pandemic caused us to reconsider our fall 2020 exhibition calendar, I thought, I'm just going to write Ruth to see if she'd be interested in working with us. Fortunately, she was.

Christina Frank: Ruth's archivist, Julia Long, presented us with a list of the film costumes they had available. It was immediately apparent there was an overarching narrative these films are telling about African-American history, starting with Roots, to Selma, to Do The Right Thing, culminating in Black Panther and Ruth winning the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 2019. We wanted the exhibition to reflect that arc.

AS: Black Panther is the signature image for the exhibition, and it's the thing Ruth is best known for, but what might surprise visitors is how much she has done in her career. Ruth really sees the totality of her work as an expression of Afrofuturism, in the sense that drawing from the past is a means for thinking about possibilities of the future. She's been doing that throughout her career.

CF: A lot of our student docents who work in the galleries are international students who might not have grown up learning about the Civil Rights Movement. It's imperative that we provide educational tools for what's in the exhibition. We developed a digital guide that offers historical context for each costume in the exhibition, which helps people appreciate what they're seeing.

AS: Another really important aspect of this exhibition is its appreciation for the collaborative nature of creative pursuits. Just like our exhibition team is a large team that brought it together, there's an even larger team that brings together these films. We have a projection in the museum's front area where Ruth is talking about her process and also about the relationship between costume designer and production designer, and costume designer and director. That exchange of ideas helps develop concepts that then become manifest.

Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design is on view at SCAD FASH through Sept. 21, 2021.

What does a fashion curator do? What is the best part of being a curator? Ask A Curator Day, started in 2010 by MuseumNext founder Jim Richardson, allows the public to engage with curators at institutions across the globe using the social media hashtag #AskACurator. On September 16, the @scadfash social audience addressed questions to SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film executive director Alexandra Sachs. Here are five memorable exchanges from Ask A Curator Day.

1. How do curators decide which designers they will invite for an exhibition at SCAD FASH?

Alexandra Sachs: "SCAD FASH curators work collaboratively to identify artists and designers who reflect the diversity of our student body and community, and who align with our mission to celebrate fashion as an artform and conduit of identity. Curators and staff oversee fashion-focused exhibitions, events, and programs that resonate across the university. Our curators also organize exhibitions at the SCAD Museum of Art, plan an annual summer exhibition at SCAD Lacoste, and assist with the SCAD FASHION runway shows. 


2. What does your typical day look like?


AS: "Every day is dynamic and ever-changing! Whether I’m collaborating with artists, designers, and galleries on exhibitions and events, scrolling the latest fashion news, media, and art books, or writing texts for catalogs and digital publications, I’m constantly seeking new information and connections to bring the best programming to SCAD."



3. What are the most challenging moments of your day?


AS: "Working in a creative field requires adaptability and a willingness to change while still working toward your overall vision. When I find something frustrating — a challenging installation perhaps — it’s often a sign that I need to consider different perspectives and reevaluate my approach to realize my goals.

"

4. What do you love about your job?


AS: "I am extremely fortunate to work with incredible artists, designers, professors, and colleagues. We’ve presented so many spectacular exhibitions in the past five years, including work by Guo Pei, Pierre Cardin, and the indomitable Ane Crabtree, who designed costumes for "The Handmaid’s Tale." For me the most memorable part of the job is the people I meet along the way. They make the work gratifying."

5. What kind of university should someone attend if they’re interested in becoming a curator?

AS: "For a fashion curator, it’s essential to have a solid foundation in fashion history. It also helps to have knowledge of contemporary fine art and art history. SCAD offers a minor in museum studies as part of our art history degree program, enabling students to gain practical experience in our university museums, and interact with museum professionals across different disciplines. If you’re looking for a hands-on, project-based learning experience, SCAD is the place to be!"

SCAD FASH is excited to share what happens before, during, and after an exhibition is on view. We’re expanding the visitor experience by making more behind-the-scenes content, providing a closer look at specific garments on view and in the collection, in a new IGTV series coming this October on @scadfash. Please connect by sending us a DM if you have any questions. We hope to see you at SCAD FASH and for a virtual program soon!

Plan your next SCAD FASH visit. Museum Hours: Thursday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

This Thursday, July 23, at 6 p.m., join Alexandra Sachs, executive director of SCAD FASH, for a virtual tour of Derrick Adams' exhibition Patrick Kelly, The Journey. Hear the stories behind the exhibition as Sachs walks you through Adams' abstract collages and sculptural works, which incorporate Kelly's vintage clothing patterns, iconic fabrics, bold and colorful geometric forms, and embellishments. Sacchs will also discuss how Kelly's connection to the city of Atlanta enriched the exhibition through the loan of a very special collection to the museum.

Patrick Kelly, The Journey emerges from artist Derrick Adams' extensive exploration into the archive of the influential African-American fashion designer Patrick Kelly (1954–1990). Kelly was the first American to be admitted to the Chambre syndicale du prêt-à-porter, the prestigious governing body of the French ready-to-wear industry. Adams immersed himself in the Kelly archive at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, where he discovered a trove of correspondence, sketches, swatches, photographs, and other memorabilia, including a proposal for a book about Kelly's life written by his friend, the esteemed poet Maya Angelou.

Derrick Adams on Patrick Kelly:

He was an artist, a performer, and things that I think a lot of designers may not necessarily consider themselves today. He was the art.

Although the works in the exhibition focus more on my work, his influence on me, looking through his archive, we were fortunate enough to have his community. A lot of the models he used were from Atlanta. He traveled to New York and Paris, but he always kept his community that first supported him.

The things that were in the archive that I was more drawn to as a visual artist were his really rough drawings that influence the making of the collage works and the sculptural works that are in the show. I decided to incorporate some of his clothing patterns into my collages to talk about fashion, to talk about the form, to talk about the body, without using the figure.

It's great to have this show here at SCAD, in the fashion department, in the museum. It all started for Patrick here in Atlanta. I think he would have loved to have had the opportunity to present his work in an institution like this. I think as a young designer, you never think where your work is going to go. Or how many people you're going to inspire. Being well known or being acknowledged, of course, as any creative person, you want to have the industry that you are a part of acknowledge your work. But I think that he would have done it regardless. Because I think he was very much into thinking about even the women in his family as a motivation to what he made, and what they would want to wear.

For me, when I think about him, I think about this person who was just unstoppable.

Register here for the virtual tour of Derrick Adams' Patrick Kelly, The Journey.

The momentous exhibition featuring timeless designs by legends of style Azzedine Alaïa and Gilbert Adrian is open: Alaïa-Adrian: Masters of Cut, Feb. 11– Nov. 25, 2020, at the globally renowned SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta.

Masters of Cut brings together sleek designs and impeccably tailored looks by beloved designers Azzedine Alaïa (1935–2017) and Gilbert Adrian (1903–1959). Garments on view display the intricate detailing of Adrian's suits — the mitered stripes, clever seaming, and unexpected appliqués — in dialogue with Alaïa's body-celebrating designs.

Pairing their work, the exhibition reveals the designers' intertwined and enduring legacies. Alaïa was a consummate collector of Adrian's work, reveling in the designer's fit, form, and proportion. The Adrian garments on view, held by the Association Azzedine Alaïa, Paris, are presented in partnership with SCAD FASH. In addition to tailored looks from both designers, Masters of Cut features a selection of Alaïa's career-defining gowns worn by fashion icons including Grace Jones. SCAD FASH is honored to host the designer's first posthumous U.S. museum exhibition, nearly 20 years after his last stateside show.

"Our SCAD FASH exhibition of Alaïa and Adrian conveys the unique energy of a couturier collected by a couturier," said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. "The young Azzedine Alaïa so admired Gilbert Adrian — famous for Dorothy's luminous ruby-red slippers and much more — that he ultimately collected more than 150 of Adrian's original pieces. Using the precision of laser cutting to achieve designs perfectly fitted to the body, Alaïa himself, like Adrian before him, became an exacting master of intricate and elegant couture. Genius knows genius!"

Widely known for his fanciful designs for The Wizard of Oz, Adrian was the head of costume design for MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood (1928–41). His garments for stars like Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer were praised by the fashion press and emulated by stylish moviegoers worldwide. In 1942, Adrian established his own atelier in Beverly Hills, and for the next decade his chic, strong- shouldered, narrow-waisted suits and gowns changed the fashion industry and the lives of women everywhere. Alaïa, who trained as a sculptor, left Tunisia for Paris in the mid-1950s to pursue fashion design.

His gift of construction and his obsession with cut and fit shaped garments that are unrivaled in accentuating the female form. Recognized internationally in the 1980s and early '90s for designs draping iconic supermodels Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, and Linda Evangelista, Alaïa continued to dominate the world of fashion throughout his celebrated career.

Alaïa-Adrian: Masters of Cut is curated by fashion historian and curator Olivier Saillard and organized for SCAD FASH by Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions.

www.scadfash.org

Vibrance shines via research and resonance as the globally renowned SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta unveils the new exhibition "Derrick Adams: Patrick Kelly, The Journey," Jan. 14–Jul. 19, 2020.

"Patrick Kelly, The Journey" colorfully re-visits the archive — found at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York — of the late Patrick Kelly, the prolific and groundbreaking Mississippi-born artist, fashion designer, and the first American member of Paris' Chambre Syndicale du Pret-à-Porter, the prestigious governing body of the French ready-to-wear industry.

Derrick Adams is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist working in painting and sculpture as well as performance, video, and sound. His work focuses on the fragmentation and manipulation of structure and surface, exploring the shape-shifting forces of popular culture on self-image. Adams is a close friend of SCAD and was the featured lecturer at deFINE ART 2019. The artist is also a contributor to the upcoming "Jacob Lawrence: Lines of Influence" exhibition catalog, to be published by the university in February 2020.

In his research, Adams discovered a trove of correspondence, sketches, swatches, photographs, and other memorabilia, as well as a proposal for a book about Kelly's life written by his friend, the esteemed poet Maya Angelou. "Patrick Kelly, The Journey" references Kelly's legacy as a formalist who infused social context and humor into his creations. The exhibition presents Adams' abstract collages and sculptural works that incorporate Kelly's vintage clothing patterns, iconic fabrics, bold and colorful geometric forms, and embellishments. Kelly spent several formative years in Atlanta in the 1970s, and the exhibition highlights his connection to the city through a selection of his original, vintage pieces and memorabilia loaned by his friend Carol Martin, an Atlanta resident and former model.

"I admired Patrick's tenacity to get his name out there, back in the day, before clothing lines were even called brands," recalled Martin. "I was mesmerized by how he would make something you thought wouldn't work but it would always work. This exhibit is important because it will help people realize it's okay to think outside of the box. That's what Patrick did."

"Patrick Kelly, The Journey" is curated by Alexandra Sachs, executive director of SCAD FASH and Atlanta Exhibitions. It is presented as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2020, the university's annual program of exhibitions, lectures, and performances held Feb. 18–20 at locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia.

"Patrick Kelly, The Journey" highlights the university's ongoing mission to showcase emerging and established African American artists. In recent years, SCAD FASH and SCAD MOA have exhibited dynamic work by artists 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 exhibition exemplifies a significant aspect of SCAD FASH as a teaching museum, and the essential role it plays in helping prepare SCAD students for their creative careers. SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film celebrates fashion as a universal language, garments as important conduits of identity, and film as an immersive and memorable medium. Situated within the SCAD Atlanta location, SCAD FASH focuses on the future of fashion design, connecting conceptual and historical principles of dress. The museum welcomes visitors of all ages to engage with dynamic exhibitions, captivating films, and enriching events.

Visit scadfash.org.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Being a student filmmaker can be challenging because you're navigating how you fit into a very competitive marketplace, while trying to tell the story that you're passionate about," says Quinn Orear, associate chair, film and television; associate chair, film producing, SCAD Atlanta. "Part of the challenge is telling your story the way only you can."

Formerly a producer at New York production and post services house Sixteen19, Orear led the finishing process on feature films "A Walk in the Woods" and "Bleed for This" and television projects including HBO's "Becoming Mike Nichols." As a freelance director and producer, Orear has created branded content for Airbnb, Chase Bank and Fisher-Price. In 2017, his film "Seeking: Jack Tripper" won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at Newport Beach Film Festival and was accepted into the Atlanta Film Festival.

It was that visit to Atlanta that won Quinn over: "I fell in love with the city, the people, the energy, the culture." In January 2018, he and his husband relocated to the A, where Orear joined SCAD during an ongoing statewide boom: film and television productions generated $9.5 billion in economic impact in Georgia in fiscal 2017. This summer Quinn completed his new short film "Passerby," shot in Atlanta using all-local talent.

Quinn Orear:

As a professor, I have a syllabus to teach, while I also bring my own expertise to form the classroom experience. I've worked professionally as a producer, director, writer, and editor. Building out a course curriculum is exciting because of those perspectives. I can speak with authority on how the post-production process connects to the script-writing process, and how those iterations connect to directing on-set. Expertise means thinking in terms of fulfilling the learning outcomes of a class.

This summer the screenwriter Karen McCullah ("Legally Blonde"; "10 Things I Hate About You") came to my FILM 704 Producing for Film and Television class and conducted a master class. She spoke about screenwriters working with producers – it was really helpful. I always take my classes to SCAD FILM events, and work with program and outreach manager Brantly Watts on the programming. This past May at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, I introduced Jean Cocteau's 1946 film "La Belle et la Bête" in conjunction with their Pierre Cardin: Pursuit of the Future exhibition. The caliber of events here at SCAD is incredible.

Bringing casting directors and production designers into my classes is part of how I work to connect SCAD students with industry professionals. I've brought local line producer Will Greenfield into my class a couple times, and he hired four of my students as interns on his most recent film.

This fall I'm teaching FILM 240: Postproduction: Cutting the Story, which is fun because I get to go back to my professional roots in post-production. I'm also teaching my graduate level class on producing for film and television, another favorite of mine.

I'm invested in the collaborative process of filmmaking. All the cogs in the machine are valuable. My most successful creative endeavors have been when I've looked at myself as a catalyst of collaboration. Being at SCAD has reinvigorated my own professional passions, while serving the utilitarian purpose of sharing my expertise with students. I'm enjoying it immensely.

Learn more about SCADFILM events, festivals and memberships here.