Past SCAD Alumni Atelier ambassadors
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2015
Trish Andersen
B.F.A., fibers, 2005
Interdisciplinary artist Trish Andersen creates site-specific installations combining fibers gathered from field to factory floor. Typified by an unexpected and varied tactile quality, her work is at once vibrant and muted, sleek and wild, soft and coarse, cut and looped. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Andersen presented a site-specific installation of “bories,” or small huts, made from two miles of rope and fabric swatches.
Osayi Endolyn
M.F.A., writing, 2014
Osayi Endolyn is a James Beard Award-winning writer with work published in TIME, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Eater, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, and Oxford American. In 2020, she won a Webby for her Sporkful podcast. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Endolyn reflected on her writing practice and life-changing studies in the SCAD writing program in a new essay, “The Muses of Ivy Hall.”
Marv Graff
M.F.A., fibers, 2016
Marv Graff expertly merges the fields of avant-garde fashion, textile design, fine art, and historic preservation. His work has been featured in WWD and Vogue, among others, and is held in the permanent collection of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As an honorary SCAD Alumni Atelier ambassador, Graff opened his studio to students to observe his practice as he created new work for shows and private collections.
Merline Labissiere
B.F.A., fashion, 2011
In her designs, Merline Labissiere blends fashion and architecture. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she created Route de la Vie, a six-piece collection for the creative working woman. Inspired by the stories and spaces of Haiti, Labissiere combined satellite images and architectural floor plans in form-contouring silhouettes appropriate for both work and play.
Masud Olufani
M.F.A., sculpture, 2013
Masud Olufani’s studio practice is rooted in the discipline of sculpture. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Olufani drew inspiration from the oral tradition of Georgia’s Gullah/Geechee culture, recording 200 people — from Savannah and surrounding coastal communities, including Sapelo and Ossabaw islands — speaking in their native language. The recordings were exhibited within the installation Chorus of Memory, which created an index of remembrances in sculptural form.
Michael-Birch Pierce
M.F.A. fibers
Fiber artist Michael-Birch Pierce uses traditional embroidery and embellishment techniques to investigate how personal adornment constructs and conceals identity in an intimate study of the self we choose to share. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Pierce created a new body of decorative works influenced by the stonework, flowers, markets, and landscapes of the Provence region.
Tiffani Taylor
M.F.A., painting, 2020; M.A., art history, 2003; B.F.A., painting, 2002
Through her textured paintings and original pottery, Tiffani Taylor writes a visual love letter to humanity, imbuing her work with reverence, hope, and positive energy. Taylor owns and operates an eponymous gallery in the historic district of Savannah. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she created a new series of ceramic sculptures and pottery. Several of the works were purchased by Pierre Cardin and displayed in his offices in Paris.
2016
Julien Bouil
M.A., accessory design, 2015
Born in Cameroon, Julien Bouil is an athlete and a designer. His love for basketball helped him earn a scholarship to university, where he began designing his own shoes. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Bouil built his luxury/sports footwear brand Fl’eau Ink.
Bradley Bowers
M.A., furniture design, 2012; B.F.A., industrial design, 2010
Bradley Bowers founded his eponymous design studio after graduating from SCAD. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Bowers created porcelain tableware and home goods using physics simulations, parametric modeling, and rapid prototyping. For the project, he developed a distinct design vocabulary that fuses modern technological vernacular with language used to describe the artistry of traditional French Limoges porcelain.
Karen McVay Butch
M.F.A., painting, 1995; B.F.A. painting, 1984
Martha Enzmann
M.F.A., painting, 1988
Uniting a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, fibers, and installation, Karen McVay Butch and Martha Enzmann bring communities together through the art of parade. Their unforgettable performances of street theater are vivid displays of form, color, rhythm, and movement. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Butch and Enzmann contributed to Alumni Atelier ambassador Sam Lasseter’s Grand Puppet Parade through Lacoste.
Joseph Gamble
M.F.A., photography, 2005
Joseph Gamble is a photographer and writer whose work has been featured in multiple exhibitions and news outlets, including CNN and National Geographic. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he created a portfolio of salted paper prints using early photographic methods and modern digital techniques.
Jordan Graves
B.F.A., motion media design, 2012
Jordan Graves draws from her motion media design background to create unique, dynamic patterns for her geometrical 3D-printed jewelry collection, using her original software program Repeat Offfender. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Graves used her program to construct a modular interactive installation, engaging the viewer through reactive LED lights that respond to motion.
Kathleen Grebe
B.F.A., graphic design, 2002
Using contrasting materials such as acrylic and wood, Kathleen Grebe transforms the raw and unpolished into edgy and sophisticated wearable art. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Grebe developed her first laser-cut commercial collection of jewelry.
Melissa Hagerty
B.F.A., illustration, 2010
Melissa Hagerty is a mixed-media artist who uses beeswax, drawing, painting, digital manipulation, and sculpture to create unique works. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Hagerty wove hexagonal, honeycomb-pattern sculptural tapestries in the style of the western Mexican art form Ojos de Dios (God’s Eyes) as a visual representation of the human connection to honeybees.
Madison Hamburg
B.F.A., film and television, 2014
Madison Hamburg produces commercials and branded content. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he engaged students in the creation of the final chapter of his documentary Picking up the Pieces, providing insight and direction as they created visual accounts of their experiences on set. The resulting project, The Making of a Documentary, offered students a hands-on opportunity to participate in the filmmaking process.
Lily Kuonen
M.F.A., painting, 2010
Fine arts educator Lily Kuonen describes her artistic practice as “playnting.” For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Kuonen created a series of works that synthesize painting with other mediums, exploring the public’s engagement with each artistic element.
Sam Lasseter
B.F.A., sculpture, 2015
Sam Lasseter is passionate about puppetry as an art form. He incorporates sculpture, theater, music, lighting, production design, and engineering expertise into every performance. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Lasseter created giant papier-mâché characters and performed the Grand Puppet Parade through Lacoste.
Colin Lechner
M.F.A., sound design, 2014
For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, musician Colin Lechner created a binaural soundwalk inspired by Savannah’s haunted history. The soundwalk included several SCAD buildings, among other downtown locations, and implemented a technique called “Stone-O-scope,” pioneered by SCAD graduate Marinna Guzy (M.F.A., sound design, 2015) and named after SCAD sound design professor David Stone. Lechner received the SCAD Savannah Presidential Medal in 2014.
Jon Moody
M.A., painting, 2015; B.F.A visual effects, 2014
Jon Moody is a multimedia artist and athlete whose work reflects a critical view of social, political, and personal issues. Prominently featured on FOX’s hit show Empire, his evocative and vibrant paintings have also hung in the halls of the White House. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Moody created a large-scale painting that stimulated conversation about how modern society personifies the female figure.
Matt Nickley
M.F.A., performing arts, 2016
While studying dramatic literature and theater as an undergraduate in Washington, D.C., Matt Nickley taught theater to local at-risk youth, and then drama in South Africa. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Nickley developed treatments for a new sitcom — based on The Buzz, a show he previously developed and produced as a student — to be produced by SCAD.
Eny Lee Parker
M.F.A., furniture design, 2018; M.A., furniture design, 2016; B.F.A., interior design, 2011
With her eponymous studio, cross-disciplinary designer Eny Lee Parker merges the worlds of interior design and ceramics in lighting, furnishings, and jewelry. Parker has exhibited at international design shows and been featured in Vogue, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Surface, and The New York Times Style Magazine. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Parker created a set of contemporary tables and lighting fixtures and curated an exhibition of works challenging the tension between objects and environment.
Serge Ruffato
B.F.A., sculpture, 2012
Sculptor and printmaker Serge Ruffato transcribes gestural drawings into metal sculptures, enhancing the movement and motion of the subject into material and space. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he collaborated with SCAD graduate Anne-Laure Caillet (B.F.A., fashion, 2014), making prints from her drawings for an exhibition at the grand opening of the Atelier Caves.
Tina Sommers
B.F.A., graphic design, 1990
Tina Sommers is an award-winning art director. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she collaborated with SCAD faculty and students to create 20 large-scale color collages melding photography, acrylic mediums, handmade papers, and mixed media. The works highlighted the distinctive hospitality and cultural destinations of Savannah and emphasized the remarkable ways SCAD has made an impact on the historic city.
Gretchen Wagner
B.F.A., fibers, 2011
For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Gretchen Wagner developed Wheel, an interactive installation of hand-dyed silk panels that formed a life-size color wheel, inviting viewers to observe the symbolism of the circle and reflect on the significance of circular gatherings across cultures. She also created a limited-edition run of printed wearable silks.
2017
Keia Barua
B.F.A., fibers, 2011
Keia Barua has directed pattern design for textiles, carpets, glass, and luxury vinyl tiles for major companies and won awards from NeoCon, Good Design, and HiP. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Barua combined traditional and digital techniques to create new patterns that celebrate the Indian roots of block printing in Provençal textiles.
Mary Clarke
B.F.A., art history, 2013
A sought-after archaeological illustrator, Mary Clarke has been published in numerous books and journals. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Clarke researched and documented Lacoste artifacts, creating object biographies through archaeological illustration and writing.
Christian Dunbar
M.F.A., furniture design; 2016 B.F.A., furniture design, 2013
Christian Dunbar blends the organic and the industrial to achieve a counterintuitive materiality in his designs. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he created the Element Collection, a series of sculptural lighting that included a grand chandelier, contrasting industrial materials with a delicate and elegant expression. As a student at SCAD, Dunbar was awarded the dean’s fellowship in furniture design.
Danielle Elsener
B.F.A., fashion, 2013
Danielle Elsener has designed for Nike, Urban Outfitters, and Reebok, among others. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Elsener, who is passionate about sustainability, explored techniques for creating zero-waste fashion.
Gabriela Iancu
M.F.A., photography, 2015
Gabriela Iancu uses cutting-edge digital techniques to create a hybrid of still and moving images that she calls “living stills.” For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Iancu continued to develop her innovative approach, examining and reimagining the medium of photography. She also shared her expertise with students and collaborated with faculty to develop curriculum for her techniques.
Tim Kent
B.F.A., painting, 2014
Tim Kent’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions and in publications such as New American Paintings. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Kent explored the phenomenon known as pareidolia, the subjective perception of meaning where it does not exist, by creating five visual planes with 35 shaped canvases. The canvases featured various color relationships that encouraged viewers to interact with them visually and psychologically.
Christopher Lee
M.F.A., interactive design and game development, 2013; B.F.A., interactive design and game development, 2009
Christopher Lee is a texture and character artist for film. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he explored the use of photogrammetry to create highly detailed digital characters and objects. Lee worked with faculty to add this new technological approach to the interactive design and game development curriculum. As a student at SCAD, Lee was awarded the dean’s fellowship and presidential medal.
Sauda Mitchell
B.A., visual communication, 2013
In her printmaking practice, Sauda Mitchell communicates personal narratives and depicts the cultural experiences of Black Americans. She pays homage to the past by representing the stories of people whose histories have been buried deep within the archival landscape. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Mitchell created original relief prints with embedded scan codes, enabling each print to serve as a visual access point to an online exhibition of archival material curated from repositories and private collections in Savannah.
Malina Omut
M.F.A., illustration, 2013
Fulbright scholar Malina Omut works digitally and traditionally in a wide range of media, creating whimsical, elaborately imaginative landscapes. Omut has exhibited internationally and her work has been recognized by American Illustration, among other publications. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she created life-sized, mixed-media paintings, including a 3D sculptural work on wood, and also reconditioned historic furniture with a modern aesthetic.
William Ruller
M.F.A., painting, 2013
William Ruller has exhibited his work internationally and been published in New American Paintings and Tulane Review, among others. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Ruller created visual reinterpretations of the villages of the Luberon Valley using his unique aesthetic language, incorporating local pottery, small found objects, and plants to represent each town.
Hasani Sahlehe
B.F.A., painting, 2015
Multidisciplinary artist Hasani Sahlehe cites a wide array of influences, including music, celebrity, and religion. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he presented the site-specific exhibition Can’t Handle the Truth, challenging the nature of perception in a multimedia installation that incorporated large-scale paintings, staging, and sound design. Sahlehe also hosted student workshops and critiques, offering his perspective and insight on artistic practice.
Genna Williams
B.F.A., furniture design, 2014
Genna Williams is a multidisciplinary designer of functional ceramics, translating her extensive experience in home furnishings, lighting, and furniture design into sleek forms. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Williams mastered a new saggar firing technique to create ceramic platters and other vessels.
A’ndrea J. Wilson
M.F.A., dramatic writing, 2017
A’ndrea J. Wilson is the author of more than 20 published works, including the award-winning play Grace Period. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Wilson developed a new play, Wild Widow Poker, amplifying the contributions women have made toward social progress despite gendered roles that have limited their voices. Inspired by Jacob Lawrence’s 1953 painting The Card Game, Wilson’s play is the fictional story of four women who help organize the civil rights movement behind the backs of the men in their lives, using a poker game to disguise their endeavors.
2018
Charles Ams
B.F.A., fashion, 2017
Charles Ams is a menswear designer with a passion for leather and denim. In his designs, Ams intentionally distresses the textiles, transforming what would otherwise be properly tailored garments into handcrafted expressions of individuality. Ams represented SCAD at Graduate Fashion Week 2017 in London and was invited to attend and show a collection at Vancouver Fashion Week 2018 in British Columbia. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he created a new menswear collection to showcase at Vancouver Fashion Week, launching his independent label.
Kristen Baird
B.F.A., metals and jewelry, 2012
Kristen Baird is an award-winning jewelry designer who counts many celebrities as clients. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Baird designed a new Lacoste collection, including earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets made by hand on-site to complement her signature line. Sterling silver, gold accents, and precious gemstones reflect the flora, architecture, and color palette of Provence.
Melissa Cromwell
B.F.A., fibers, 2008
A former ceramics product designer at Jonathan Adler, Melissa Cromwell launched her own ceramics studio in 2018. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Cromwell created a site-specific, handmade ceramic tile installation with raw materials sourced from the Provence region. Inspired by Vallauris ceramic artists of the 1950s, most notably Roger Capron and Georges Jouve, she added textural elements that play with volume and sculpture through hand-painted designs.
Olivia Latinovich
B.F.A., fashion, 2015
Olivia Latinovich designs shoes and accessories for Kate Spade New York. Her signature backpack sun hat was the focus of the Kate Spade Spring 2017 collection, and her work has been featured in the New York Post, i-D, Numero Tokyo, Elle, Purple, Anew magazine, and Glamour. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Latinovich opened the millinery boutique Chapellerie d’Oli in Lacoste, and designed and created a collection of handmade, show-stopping headpieces.
Jean Mason
M.F.A., fibers, 2017
Influenced by travel and globalization, Jean Mason captures the essence of place through material and visual culture. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she created embroidered, mixed-media collages influenced by the Provence region. Mason also designed screen-printed tea towels that evince the spirit of the idyllic village of SCAD Lacoste.
Joshua Rashaad McFadden
M.F.A., photography, 2016
A frequent contributor to The New York Times and National Geographic, photographer Joshua Rashaad McFadden conceptually investigates themes related to identity, masculinity, history, sexuality, and race. Throughout his career, he has focused on portraying the experiences of Black American communities. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, McFadden created a series of portraits and videos of French residents, depicting their relationship to their surroundings through a combination of editorial images and archival materials in multilayered, mixed-media work.
Holly Suzanne Rader
M.F.A., painting, 2004
Holly Suzanne Rader has exhibited around the world. As a student at SCAD, she received international recognition as a featured artist in the 2002 WOMEN BY WOMEN exhibition at the Mona Bismarck American Center in Paris. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Rader created a series of chinoiserie portraits that depict muses and models of the celebrated French designer Pierre Cardin, using French and Chinese decorative elements inspired by vintage glamour, nature, and Cardin’s fashions.
Anne Royan
M.F.A., writing, 2017
Freelance writer Anne Royan has worked in the fashion department at Harper’s Bazaar and as the public relations director for jewelry brands. An avid traveler, she trekked solo through the Himalayas and taught English and poetry to monks in the Dalai Lama’s temple as well as Tibetan refugee children. An essay about her travels and teachings, “Borrowed Gardens,” won the 2016 Association of Writers & Writing Programs Intro Journals Award for creative nonfiction. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Royan wrote a series of essays as she traveled through the Provence region.
Alan Slattery
B.F.A., accessory design, 2016
Kaitlin Slattery
B.F.A., illustration, 2016
Alan and Kaitlin Slattery are the founders of Dreamers Supply Co. Alan is an award-winning designer who has shown at Birmingham Fashion Week. Kaitlin is an illustrator who creates fresh and whimsical combinations of intricate linework, cut paper, and photography collages. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Alan incorporated his passion for Medieval European art into sandals, espadrilles, handbags, and small leather goods. Kaitlin adorned the accessories with charming illustrations of Lacoste.
Shannon Snow
B.F.A., illustration, 2011
Shannon Snow specializes in product design, illustration, and typography. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Snow created a new collection of goods reflecting the flora, fauna, and pastoral beauty of the Provence region. The collection invokes the natural spaces that frame the village of Lacoste, including fields of sunflowers and lavender.
Britt Spencer
M.F.A., painting, 2011; B.F.A., illustration, 2005
Britt Spencer is a painter, illustrator, and professor. His work has been published internationally and earned recognition from the Society of Illustrators New York, the Society of Illustrators West, Communication Arts, New American Paintings, and ArtPrize’s Juried Short List. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Spencer created two large acrylic works featuring the Marquis de Sade, illuminating the more colorful attributes of the Marquis’ legacy, in addition to demonstrating his technique during a live painting event.
Erin Staub
B.F.A., illustration, 2005
Kimberly Craig
B.F.A., film and television, 2007
As production designers and set decorators, Erin Staub and Kimberly Craig have contributed to numerous films, including the award-winning Beasts of the Southern Wild. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Staub and Craig co-authored a dual-language children’s book, The Sleeping Baker of Luberon. The digital picture book mixes visual mediums to illustrate the daydreams of a sleeping baker who lives and works in the valley between Bonnieux and Lacoste. The pair also collaborated with SCAD students in the university’s motion media design program to create an animated version of the book with an augmented reality component.
Matthew Terrell
M.F.A., writing, 2013; B.F.A., contemporary writing, 2007
An artist, writer, and photographer, Matthew Terrell is interested in the cultural and historical role of cookbooks in sharing stories of time periods, places, and people. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Terrell seasoned his best recipes with sensational gossip and detailed backstories about residents of the fictional town Magnolia Bayou. Influenced by William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi, The Magnolia Bayou Country Club Ladies Auxiliary Cooking and Entertaining Book is peppered with the humor and traditions of Southern literature.
2019
Ashley Benton
B.F.A., painting, 1990
Ashley Benton’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia and the Savannah College of Art and Design as well as various private collections. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Benton created a new collection, Petites Joies Pour la Maison, inspired by the Provence region. The collection is based on her successful line of ceramic cups, bowls, vases, and wall décor sold at shopSCAD and galleries across the U.S.
Allison Dayne
M.F.A., performing arts, 2018
Allison Dayne is a writer, Ted X Talk speaker, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Her production company, Leading Ladies, provides opportunities for women’s voices to be heard on stage and in film. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Dayne published an original screenplay, Audite. She also lectured and offered workshops to SCAD students on how to create multiple revenue streams and produce original screenplays.
Kate de Para
M.F.A., fibers, 2012
Kate de Para is a textile designer and material developer. For more than a decade, she has shaped materials and objects stemming from her curiosity of how things are made and the root of their source material. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, de Para developed the lifestyle brand BASE, using natural dyes sourced from Provence in clothing, accessories, and home goods.
Irena Freitas
M.F.A., illustration, 2017
An award-winning freelance illustrator, Irena Freitas depicts people and comical situations from daily life. Her clients include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and BBC Brasil. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she developed five illustrations for postcards and prints based on the architecture and ghost stories of Savannah. Freitas then translated these works, which were made with traditional studio techniques, into motion-designed animated moments.
Dejon Gee
M.F.A., production design, 2011
Born in Atlanta and raised in Washington, D.C., Dejon Gee discovers new ways to visually express the human journey as an art director, set decorator, and prop stylist for film and television. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Gee investigated the art of branded storytelling with a collection of gowns and candles inspired by the Lowcountry, a region steeped in tradition, folklore, history, and architectural allure.
Jack Geshel
B.F.A, photography, 2017
Eliza Hunter
B.F.A., fibers, 2017
Jack Geshel and Eliza Hunter are the founders of All Kinds Studio. Geshel is a photographer and also creates hand-carved functional art. Hunter is a third-generation textile artist and creates products with functionality and beauty. Together, they combine their skills to create handmade products for the home. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, they developed Pique-Nique, a collection of artful picnic items that can also be used in the home, inspired by the French food culture and way of life. Hunter made the collection’s intricate quilts with locally sourced dyes, while Geshel used local Provençal wood.
Iza Titberidze
M.F.A., film and television, 2018
Originally from Tbilisi in the country of Georgia, Iza Titberidze is a multifaceted filmmaker who has won acclaim at international film festivals for her short films and documentaries. Titberidze worked as the second director for renowned Georgian director Merab Kokochashvili’s feature film Terzo Mondo, which won the Georgian National Film Center competition for best screenplay. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Titberidze completed a new manuscript that follows a family of immigrants as they find their way in a new country.
Hsiang-Ting Yen
M.F.A., jewelry and objects, 2012; M.A., metals and jewelry, 2010
Originally from Taiwan, Hsiang-Ting Yen has been creating jewelry from her studio HTY Jewelry since 2012. She combines traditional metalsmithing techniques, enameling, electroforming, and 24K gold electroplating with 14K yellow gold and sterling silver, gold leaf, and semiprecious stones. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she created Objets d’Art: En Provence, a decadent series of one-of-a-kind and limited-edition works inspired by her personal journey combined with the natural landscapes and decorative motifs of Lacoste and Provence.
2020
Kamaria Connell
M.F.A., dramatic writing, 2017
Screenwriter and producer Kamaria Connell collaborates on short films, television shows, and plays. As a student at SCAD, she served as assistant director for the documentary short Hell Fire and Glory (2016). For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Connell completed the screenplay Welcome the Morning Sun. Set in her native Barbados, the romantic drama exposes the secret desires and dreams of discontented wife and mother Violet and her daughter Hasina.
Francie Lowman
B.F.A., furniture design, 2017
A furniture and lighting designer at Anthropologie, Francie Lowman works across a range of mediums and processes, including woodworking, metal fabrication, fibers, and ceramics. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Lowman developed her Mangata collection of sustainable, hand-crafted designs with a minimalist, modern bohemian aesthetic, drawing inspiration from global cultures.
Eric Ross
M.Arch., 2010; B.F.A., architecture, 2009
Eric Ross is an award-winning architect and a director in the office of William McDonough + Partners. Since joining WM+P, Ross has focused on the integration of Cradle to Cradle Design™ across a range of scales and building typologies. Ross is a registered architect with more than 20 years of experience in the building design and construction industry. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Ross developed A Return to Zero, a landmark case study for carbon-positive architecture that will advance the design of compelling, regenerative buildings.
Kacie Willis
M.F.A., sound design, 2013
Kacie Willis is a sound designer and marketing analyst. She has held roles at the Center for Puppetry Arts, 7 Stages Theatre, and TRG Arts. In 2019, she was selected as one of 10 participants in the Spotify Sound Up program, an initiative to amplify underrepresented voices in the podcasting world. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Willis developed the podcast White-Angle to explore empathy in documentary filmmaking, dissecting how perspective and privilege factor into storytelling in our modern time of civil unrest.
2021
Christopher Epps
M.F.A., architecture, 2012; B.F.A., architecture, 2011
Christopher Epps is an accomplished architect, entrepreneur, and founder of InCircle Architecture, which focuses on commercial, residential, and multi-family architectural design. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Epps is conducting a case study and meeting with potential stakeholders for Project Dreamscape, which seeks to create opportunities for communities to provide workforce housing for underserved peoples, as well as providing an educational experience for designers.
Thomas Finney
B.F.A., fashion, 2010
Thomas Finney is a Brooklyn-based menswear designer and artist. Finney, who has worked with master tailor Rocco Ciccarelli and designed menswear for Thom Browne, has been profiled in WWD, GQ, and Esquire. His made-to-measure menswear and collection of hand-made goods focuses on craftsmanship, luxury fabrication, and modern design and application. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Finney continues to build his brand, creating a new collection of hand-made unisex accessories and developing a full campaign and look book. Follow @thomas_finney.
Delfin Gomez
M.F.A., themed entertainment design, 2015
Originally from Venezuela, Delfin Gomez is a designer, art director, and storyteller in the themed entertainment industry, creating fantastical visual and immersive experiences. For his Alumni Atelier project, Gomez explores the symbolism of SCAD’s flagship, Poetter Hall, creating an interactive experience that incorporates live performance within each historic room. An initial point of contact for potential students, a nexus for current students, and a space of remembrance for alumni, the project embraces SCAD’s heritage as a place to discover who you are and what you can be.
Caroline Mae Heidenreich
B.F.A., fashion, 2009
In addition to creating her own collections and exhibiting her designs in Paris, Caroline Mae Heidenreich has worked for Madonna for more than six years as her creative assistant and costume designer. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Heidenreich created a capsule collection of modern, functional garments made from sustainable materials, includes printed silk pajamas, knit tops and joggers, and sleek, hand-painted outerwear.
CoCo Ree Lemery
M.F.A., furniture design, 2019
CoCo Ree Lemery is the senior lighting designer for Williams Sonoma’s Pottery Barn brand and the founder of Studio Kloak, a bespoke furniture company. As an award-winning scenic artist and sculptor with more than a decade of experience in film and theater, Lemery transitioned to furniture design in 2017. Her debut furniture collection, Victoria’s Peak, won a 2019 NYCxDESIGN Award and a 2020 A’ Design Award in Italy. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Lemery launched the Vallejo Collection with Studio Kloak, extending the company’s selection of sustainable home goods.
Adrian Perez
M.A., design for sustainability, 2010; B.F.A., architecture, 2008
Adrian Perez is a Honduran-born designer based in Beirut, Lebanon. His Alumni Atelier project — large-scale tapestries that summon themes of transcorporeality and biocentrism — uses the wool of Awassi sheep, bred in the Levantine region for more than 5,000 years. The Awassi sheep is a central figure in the human narrative, traditionally within the context of pastoral imagery, biblical fables, and ritualistic practices of Abrahamic religions. Through processes of dyeing, spinning, hand embroidery, and felting, Perez transforms the wool into material artifacts laden with emotions and mythologies.
2022
Aliza Guttman
B.F.A., jewelry and object design, 2015
The founder of Faeber Studio, Aliza Guttman is a fine jewelry designer celebrated for her “modern heirlooms” inspired by traditional fabrication techniques. In 2015, she was selected for the prestigious CFDA+ showcase. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Guttman is designing, developing, and fabricating two new ethically sourced jewelry collections of contemporary staples and vintage-inspired bridal and wedding styles. @faeberstudio
Kenya Jones-Lowell
B.F.A., interior design, 2013
Kenya Jones-Lowell is an interior designer specializing in the hospitality industry. Centering issues of justice and equity in her design practice, she crafts spaces that allow people to feel seen, heard, and celebrated. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Jones-Lowell is developing her brand Kenya + Kith, a curated collection of custom patterned rugs, handstitched pillows, wall coverings, and adornments honoring the heritage and histories of the African diaspora. @kenyajonesdesign
Nikole Nelson
B.F.A., interior design, 2007
As the founder of the interdisciplinary art and design studio BLKCORAL, Nikole Nelson creates unique experiences and conceptual environments that incite curious exploration. Her clients have included Coach, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and New Balance, among others. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Nelson is creating a new series of botanical artworks titled Emergence, resulting in a unique collection of giclee prints and home goods and decor including throw pillows, custom matches, and wall coverings. @blkcoral
Justin Zielke
M.F.A., animation, 2017
Justin Zielke is an award-winning San Francisco-based sculptor and installation artist, most noted for his work in wood, clay, and digital mediums. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Zielke is creating a new series of works titled Archetypes that explores symbolism in the artistic process and innovates new ways to present sculpture that integrates traditional and digital processes with emerging technology. @justinmzielke
Anthony Renelle Reed II
B.F.A., sequential art, 2015
Anthony Renelle Reed II, better known in the art community as Mojo, crafts inspiring and impactful visual narratives, mentors aspiring artists, and participates in events in his local communities. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Reed is creating a new body of work, inspired by a trip to West Ghana, titled Gone Til September, uniting personal and historical narratives in an exploration of human connectedness and the Black American experience. @gotthemojo
Brock Barber
M.F.A., animation, 2017
A Canadian-American cultural nomad raised in the Deep South by hippies, Brock Barber is the lead animator on the AMC show Ultra City Smiths and lead writer on the adorably spooky kids show Apartment Down the Hall in development with Chop Wood, Carry Balloons, and director Lindsay Berkebile. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Barber is producing a full pitch deck for the 17+ animated television series GROG, including a pilot episode script treatment.
Charles Clary
M.F.A., painting, 2009
Charles Clary’s work questions the conceptual possibilities of paper. For the past nine years, he has worked within the memento mori tradition. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Clary transcends this genre with a new series of works titled Memento Vivere. Continuing to develop his labor-intensive process of destruction and healing, he excavates past trauma toward acceptance and growth. @charlesclary
Gabriel Perez
M.A., creative business leadership, 2021; B.F.A., furniture design, 2020
Sophia Perez
B.F.A., illustration, 2020
Husband and wife Gabriel and Sophia Perez co-founded the home goods brand Motherdog in 2022. Inspired by nature and fond memories, they create furnishings and accessories using wholesome materials. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, they are developing their first Motherdog collection of furniture and ceramics inspired by the histories, culture, and environment of Lacoste. @motherdog.co
Kim Goings
M.A., production design, 2011; B.F.A., production design, 2010
Kim Goings has worked as a seamstress, wardrobe supervisor, and costume designer for independent films, operas, and Off-Broadway performances. She now practices a slower, more intentional, sustainable artistic practice within fiber and textile arts. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Goings is creating a new collection of quilts and textile works inspired by the art of slowing down and the charm and allure of Provençal culture. @terraquiltingco
Bin Feng
M.F.A., photography, 2017
A photographer, painter, and poet, Bin Feng is the founder of Chuang Gallery and the creator of the Suitman Metaverse, a character and world-building project he has developed since 2012. Feng’s works have been exhibited at major museums, galleries, and art festivals internationally, including the Louvre in Paris and Art Basel. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Feng is continuing to expand the Suitman Metaverse with a series of NFT works that engage tech-savvy contemporary topics, such as Web 3.0 and cryptocurrency, combining new media with traditional Chinese illustration techniques. Follow @postmoba.
2023
Abigail Tankersley
B.F.A., fibers, 2022
In her whimsical and immersive work, fibers artist Abigail Tankersley explores themes of comfort, chaos, liveliness, and childlike wonder. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Tankersley is expanding her sustainable installation, Thoroughly Transfigured Beings, in which she reuses textile waste to make yarn, stuffing, and embellishments for a colorful world of soft knit sculptures. Follow @abisnailtankersley.
Rob Forbes
B.F.A., illustration, 1986
Rob Forbes, accomplished in film production for commercial clients, joins the SCAD Alumni Atelier to further expand his photographic body of work entitled Childish Things in a new sub-series, Explorations of the Inner Child. For the atelier, Forbes will build compositions from toys he has collected to create three series of photographs and an accompanying series of single-cell stop-motion animations for each built composition. Follow @rforbes_art.
Taylor MacDonald
B.F.A., film and television, 2016
Multifaceted filmmaker Taylor MacDonald aims in each project to seek truth and connect deeply with his viewers through sound and visuals. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, MacDonald pushes his own boundaries by imposing a creative limitation on himself — no dialogue — to create a silent film called Maryland, which is set in the rural South and depicts a woman navigating her relationship with her father. Follow @taylorcmacdonald.
Anna Wilkins
B.F.A., animation, 2020
Jay Patel
B.F.A., animation, 2020
Gabby Gouraige
B.F.A., animation, 2020
Veronica Todd
B.F.A., animation, 2020
Christina Hiller
B.F.A. film and television
Taylor Otis
B.F.A., animation, 2022
For their SCAD Alumni Atelier project, undergraduate alumni collective Lava Moon Studios is producing a teaser film for The Secrets of Grandelva, a 2D-animated mystery-adventure television series. The series follows Rune, a mushroom girl (shrooman) in the isolated city of AniAni, as she uncovers secrets from a mysterious outsider and her fantastical world begins to fall apart. Follow @lava.moon.studios.
Anna Vescovi
B.F.A., fibers, 2022
Anna Vescovi’s keen knowledge of unconventional material-making techniques and the integrative functions of fashion influence her creation of multidisciplinary textiles. Her innovative designs have been recognized and published by Vogue Runway, Surface Design Association, CFDA, ArtsThread, and Gucci. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Vescovi is creating a singular joinery garment able to be deconstructed and reassembled into 10 distinct looks — fashion that adapts to all shapes, sizes, and seasons of life. Follow @_avthelabel.
Daniel Basore
M.A., fibers, 2020; B.F.A., interior design, 2019
Blake Baylor
M.F.A., fibers, 2021
When Daniel Basore and Blake Baylor’s paths converged at SCAD, a fruitful collaborative partnership was born. The two fibers artists shared studio time throughout their individual master’s studies, until the pandemic sent them back to their hometowns to complete their senior theses in solitude. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Basore and Baylor are working together once again to produce a series of 50 handmade T-shirts, visually representing the emotions attached to memories, and to design a series of graphics for SCAD merchandise.
YoungShin Hong
B.F.A. fashion
Sanglim Lee
B.F.A. fashion
Fashion designers YoungShin Hong and Sanglim Lee together lead menswear brand youngnsang and have shown their collections in Milan, London, and Paris Fashion Weeks. The pair specialize in handwoven fabrics for their sustainable designs. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, they are producing youngnsang’s 2024 fall/winter collection. Follow @youngnsang.
Emily Myers
B.F.A., animation, 2007
A storyteller at heart, Emily Myers transfigures animated drawings into three-dimensional renderings. She has collaborated with Laika, Bent Image Lab, and ShadowMachine, as well as on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Myers is conceiving a new character in an advanced puppet fabrication project. @emilydmyers
Xinia Guan
M.F.A., jewelry, 2020
Continuously refining a practice rooted in process, Xinia Guan reimagines metals into meticulous works of sculptural jewelry inspired by the geometry of organic structures. The meditative nature of her hand-cutting techniques invites an introspective study of construction versus deconstruction. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Guan is creating a large-scale sculpture composed of hand-formed silver pieces. @xiniaguan.jewelry
Kay Wolfersperger
B.F.A., fibers, 2009; B.F.A., graphic design, 2005
With an impeccable eye for details, Kay Wolfersperger creates joyful, whimsical works in her signature illustration style. She has licensed designs and been commissioned for greeting cards, board games, editorials, and products for clients like American Greetings, Auzou Editions, Raspberry Books, and Oatly. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Wolfersperger is building a cohesive collection of lifestyle products, including textiles, stationery, home décor, and original works, energized by themes of joy, positivity, and friendship — with a French twist. @kaywolfersperger
Hannah Polskin
B.F.A., fashion design, 2010
Combining an interdisciplinary appreciation and expertise in trend forecasting, Hannah Polskin translates her background in fashion design into three-dimensional works and goods that transform spaces. Featured in Architectural Digest and solo shows at venues including Space Gallery in New York, Polskin’s artworks, home décor, and furniture collection have gained an ardent following. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Polskin is fabricating Landmark, a site-specific collection of salvaged wood works painted with her instantly recognizable organic markings, informed by her experiences in Provence. @hannahpolskinstudio
Emily Eldridge
B.F.A., illustration, 2004
From murals and street art to editorial illustration, environmental graphics, surface patterns, and more, Emily Eldridge’s bold, playful works are instantly recognizable. Her designs have brightened major brands like Spotify and The New York Times. Eldridge lives and works in Germany and Spain with frequent travels to Hong Kong. @emily_eldridge_art
Anne Gates
B.F.A., fibers, 2012
Anne Gates’ modern heirlooms take the form of hand-thrown, recycled clay goods and upcycled coats and quilts — created with care, consistency, and minimal water use — that showcase her modern hand-drawn patterns. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Gates is creating a tableware collection based on traditional Provençal motifs. @annegates.studio
Kit Hunzinger
B.F.A., fashion, 2010
A self-taught seamstress, Kit Hunzinger has designed for Gap, BCBG, and various couture houses. Her garments are featured on runways, red carpets, and major fashion editorials. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Hunzinger is designing a new hybrid collection for her label, focusing on textile manipulation and the juxtaposition of soft and sharp lines. @sewkit
Carmelá Osorio Lugo
B.F.A., fashion, 2015
Carmelá Osorio Lugo is a Venezuelan designer, creative, and sustainability activist. The first Hispanic person to win the prestigious CFDA Scholarship Award in 2014, she has since designed for Calvin Klein under the creative direction of Raf Simons and co-founded the sustainable brand Attire The Studio with Xenia Adonts. She enjoys sharing her experience and knowledge with students and other creatives in the industry. @carmelanyc
Aliyah Salmon
B.F.A., fibers, 2018
Exploring the complex intersection of Black femininity and the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in contemporary America, Aliyah Salmon combines subversive narratives with experimental textures, incorporating techniques like tufting, embroidery, and beading. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Salmon is creating a line of home goods, textiles, and accessories for her brand Salmon, The Label, drawing inspiration from French palettes and Toile de Jouy. @tyrabanks_official
Loïc Suberville
B.F.A., performing arts, 2018
A professional performer and content creator, Loïc Suberville develops short sketches featuring his crafted persona that have amassed more than a billion views. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Suberville is writing and producing a single-camera French sitcom titled À Partager for his popular YouTube channel and other streaming platforms. @loic.suberville
Hampton Watts
B.F.A., painting, 2015
Infused with the artist’s sincere love of people, Hampton Watts’ striking oil paintings seek to capture his subjects’ innate character beyond just their likeness. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Watts aims to strengthen the bond between SCAD and the Lacoste community through a series of portraits evoking romantic-era realism, weaving distinct elements from his Southern roots with Provençal culture. @hamptonwatts
Kayli Carter
B.F.A., performing arts, 2015
Kayli Carter is a New York-based actor and writer. Her work as an actor has spanned stage and screen. She has appeared in productions in London’s West End and off-Broadway and earned nominations for an Emmy Award and an Independent Spirit Award. As a writer, her work has been published in Glamour and Teen Vogue. She regularly collaborates on original and adapted screenplays. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Carter is completing her autobiographical screenplay Hurricane Andrew. @kaylicarter
Lei Zhang
M.F.A., fashion, 2022
Earning acclaim from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, among others, Lei Zhang’s multidisciplinary approach engages intersections of fashion, motion media, and the virtual realm, embracing sustainable innovations. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Zhang is designing a new collection inspired by the genre-defining sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, aiming to convey the vastness, beauty, and often brutality of sentience. @lei_zhanglei
Alexis Cline
B.F.A., fashion, 2019
Multidisciplinary artist Alexis Cline creates ceramics, textiles, and garments using sustainable materials and intentional processes. Inspired by the natural world, she focuses on crafting works with meaningful details. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Cline is developing a new collection of heirloom vessels and clayware that embraces ideas of metamorphosis and transcendence, nurturing a deeper connection to the earth and her own creative practice. @peasantextraordinaire
Juliana Lupacchino
B.F.A., fibers, 2017
As JULU, Juliana Lupacchino transforms spaces through murals and paintings that celebrate emotion, movement, and the perceptive effects of color. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Lupacchino and her mother, Jane Rice, are collaborating on several large-scale paintings and a collection of small works that poetically commingle their aesthetics, aiming to inspire new creative directions for both artists as they immerse themselves in the soulful beauty of Lacoste. @ju._lu
Alyssa Moore
B.F.A., illustration, 2012
Alyssa Moore specializes in vivid watercolor illustrations for select clients. Through her online shop, she offers giclée prints and products to collectors around the world. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Moore is creating a new series of watercolors of Lacoste and its environs, as well as developing a collection of sketchbooks and stationery, seeking a freer approach to her painting technique that emphasizes the essence of special moments spent traveling. @alyssamooreillustration
Jane Rice
B.F.A., interior design, 1984
Co-founder of Rice Architecture + Interiors, Jane Rice has practiced interior design for 35 years. Among SCAD’s earliest students, she studied both interior design and fibers at the university, which has continued to play a special role in her family’s life. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Rice and her daughter, Juliana Lupacchino, are collaborating on several large-scale paintings and a collection of small works that poetically commingle their aesthetics, aiming to inspire new creative directions for both artists as they immerse themselves in the soulful beauty of Lacoste. @janericerai
2024
Jeremiah Jossim
B.F.A., photography, 2010
Jeremiah Jossim's multidisciplinary practice speaks to a deep reverence for the North American landscape but also questions the privileges of recreation, tourism, and who has the right to explore and live alternatively in the U.S. He has participated in residencies at the Wassaic Project and the Hambidge Center, and his work was recently published in New American Painting's South and M.F.A. editions. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Jossim is reflecting on the idea of the portal or threshold, creating new oil paintings that engage dichotomies of exterior and interior, nature and society, to picture the world we inhabit, the spaces that existed before our time, and those that will continue to live on, despite our level or lack of care. @jeremiahjossim
Timmy Liang
M.A., luxury and fashion management, 2016
As creative director of WE LAB, Timmy Liang applies AI technology to fashion design and development. Liang is also a producer at White Elephant, a creative studio specializing in fashion photography and advertising. Recognized as one of the "Top 30 under 30 Chinese Entrepreneurs in America" in 2019, he has been featured in Vogue and ELLE and collaborated as a producer with Harper's Bazaar and Dazed. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Liang is creating a new footwear collection combining AI design and 3D printing processes in his signature style uniting traditional Chinese culture and contemporary aesthetics. @whiteelephant_studio
Jacqueline Yajing Yao
M.F.A., jewelry, 2022
Originally from Tsingtao, China, Jacqueline Yajing Yao has exhibited her wearable works at prestigious international shows and venues including NYC Jewelry Week, Milano Jewelry Week, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Contemporary International Jewelry and Metal Arts Triennial. Her work has also been featured in British Vogue and Glamour, among other publications. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Yao is exploring the concept of soft power, using silver and Argentium silver wire to create new kinetic forms inspired by weaving techniques like crochet. @jacqueline.euvoce.studio
Thomas Flynn II
B.F.A., painting, 2016
Originally from small-town Texas, painter Thomas Flynn II has exhibited work nationally and internationally at venues including Ro2 Art Gallery, Craighead Green Gallery, and 500X Gallery in Dallas, Tex., among others. Flynn published his first monograph with Snap Collective in 2023. His work is held in numerous collections, including the SCAD Permanent Collection. Represented by Vaughn Art Gallery in Austin, Tex., Flynn is also a studio artist at the nonprofit MINT Atlanta. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, he is researching and developing a conceptual prototype for large-scale public art projects that prioritizes scalability as much as aesthetics. @thomasflynnii
Larissa Miller
M.F.A., fibers, 2023
Born in Riverdale, Ga., and raised in N.C., Larissa Miller is an artist, designer, and founder of the home décor brand RissaLaRue Co. She has received numerous honors including a 2023 Spoonflower Small Business Grant and Fiber Art Now's Award for Excellence, among others. Her work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions at Cedar House Gallery, Savannah; Savannah Cultural Arts Center; and VAE Raleigh, N.C. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Miller is nurturing her artistic practice, creating new large-scale bas-relief works that explore concepts of rootedness, growth, and connection. She is also continuing to build her brand with new wallpaper designs and prints. @larissam_studio
Roy Carey
B.F.A., fashion, 2016
Jeffrey Taylor
B.F.A., fashion, 2016
As co-founders of the womenswear label JEOFROI, Roy Carey and Jeffrey Taylor are expanding the boundaries of the contemporary luxury market and reclaiming the couture space for Black-owned brands. Unapologetically opulent, their glamorous designs invite women to command attention through visionary artistry and exquisite craftsmanship. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Carey and Taylor are creating a new capsule collection, "Anatomie Feminine." Inspired by the dynamism of the female form, the collection celebrates the diverse silhouettes the JEOFROI woman embraces. Through studio visits and exclusive workshops, they invite SCAD students to experience their design process as they share insight on collection development and branding. @_jeofroi
Xiaotong Guo
M.A., jewelry, 2022; B.F.A., industrial design, 2020
Xiaotong Guo engages the medium of jewelry as a limitless, multilayered language for personal expression and connection. Through her continuous exploration of alternative materials and methods, she creates wearable works exhibiting innovative uses of precious metals. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she is experimenting with a new application of Mokume-gane techniques to alloy ratios, developing leading-edge gradient-colored precious metal jewelry with the goal of establishing her own distinctive brand. @xiaotongguo_jewelry
Jocelyn DeSisto
B.F.A., jewelry, 2017
Lot28 founder Jocelyn DeSisto is a social entrepreneur, technologist, and jeweler based in New York. Influenced by a deep appreciation for nature, her practice fuses her interest in contemporary adornment with her desire to enact positive environmental change. Working at the intersection of art, science, and tech, DeSisto creates forms inspired by ecological systems using sterling silver, 3D printing, and a vibrant color palette. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, DeSisto is curating an immersive showcase of her jewelry collections and large-scale sculptural works and continuing to refine her brand identity through new digital content. @lot28design
Di Huang
M.A., luxury and fashion management, 2015
A senior editor at ELLE China, Di Huang has contributed fashion commentary to prestigious publications including ELLE, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, NYLON, Madame Figaro, Vogue China, WWD China, and many more. She has also collaborated on digital and commercial campaigns with iconic brands such as Hermès, Versace, Longchamp, CURIEL, Blancpain, and Swatch and hosted the inaugural season of the podcast ShengFM with The Business of Fashion China. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Huang is continuing to hone her expertise as a fashion journalist, engaging with the rich past and present of French design as well as premier exhibitions and cultural events at SCAD FASH Lacoste. @plastikstrawberry
Hwanghah Jeong
B.F.A., user experience (UX) design, 2018
An influential leader in user experience (UX) design, Hwanghah Jeong is sculpting the future of AI, ensuring its responsible, conscientious, and ethical application within the larger fabric of technological progress. Jeong holds a patent for the natural language processing at the center of Airbnb's first intelligent chatbot, a crucial effort that propelled the company's initial public offering to become one of the largest and most valuable IPOs in history. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Jeong is furthering development of DreamScape, an innovative project that integrates UX design, AI technology, and traditional artistic practices into an immersive platform for self-exploration, expression, and aspirational visualization. @hwang_hah
Chase Shuman
B.F.A., fashion, 2021
Based in New York and Paris, designer Chase Shuman merges fashion and fine art, driven by a deep commitment to craftsmanship and a genuine love for the act of making and the skill of storytelling. Through innovative techniques, intricate patterns, meticulous layering, and cutting-edge technology, he evokes abstract dreamlike sensations within the tangible reality of his designs. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Shuman is continuing to evolve his eponymous brand, developing a new capsule collection of sculptural garments and textiles inspired by the concept of memory and the unique natural resources of the Provence region. @chase.shuman
Anvi Shah
B.F.A., fibers, 2019
Deeply inspired by craft techniques, Anvi Shah is an Indian artist combining fine art with textiles and jewelry. Her practice is driven by a curiosity to explore traditional processes like weaving, embroidery, and beadwork that honor the intentionality of slow, handmade wearables. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Shah is expanding her collection of statement pieces, allowing the elements of Provence to inspire a refreshed, maximalist approach while maintaining a vision of the colors, patterns, and textures that flourish in her home country. @anvinimishah
Mikayla Lapierre
B.F.A., advertising, 2017
Side Dimes founder Mikayla Lapierre makes art that corrodes societal norms and redefines pop culture. Her work amplifies women in history by amalgamating the old with the new to create an original and irreverently modern "side" piece. Side Dimes has been featured by CNN, Harper's Bazaar, Adobe, Muse by Clio, and Allure and endorsed by celebrities like Britney Spears, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Lena Dunham. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Lapierre is producing "Dimes of Provence," a series of vignettes from the perspective of women in Lacoste printed on paper from the local mill. Capturing the French countryside with her Fujifilm x100v, Lapierre will digitally superimpose 17th- and 18th-century paintings to create multidimensional collages. @sidedimes
Lærke Lillelund
B.F.A., fibers, 2016
Impassioned by the fluidity and adaptability of fibers, Lærke Lillelund aims to spark curiosity and creativity through her work. Her practice balances the preservation of traditional crafts and techniques with an inquisition of new materials and technologies. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Lillelund is exploring the intersection of tradition and innovation through the creation of a versatile modular textile collection, drawing inspiration from the cultural landscape of Lacoste. @la____el
Grace Ann Leadbeater
B.F.A., photography, 2015
An artist and educator, Grace Ann Leadbeater hones her creativity through words, images, and handmade books. Her multidisciplinary practice involves creating portraiture beyond the canvas or a single subject, employing the dynamism of language, visual art, and photography to fully capture a life. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Leadbeater is crafting a book filled with portraits of residents, still lifes, landscapes, and written musings while considering the role the artist plays in a final work. @graceannleadbeater
Arianne Avalos
B.F.A., fibers, 2018
Renowned for her signature silk scarves, Arianne Avalos combines abstraction with fiber exploration to weave narratives in wearable art forms, infusing each scarf with emotion and meaning. Committed to exploring the art of storytelling through textile design, Avalos continues to experiment with new techniques that reflect her experiences. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she is developing a collection of printed and hand-painted accessories that embody the summertime in Lacoste for tourists and fashion enthusiasts alike. @ennaiofficial
Aidan Barrow
M.F.A., accessory design, 2018
Hailing from the Bahamas, Aidan Barrow spent summers on the island of Exuma learning from her grandmother the techniques of traditional craft making such as weaving and embroidering raffia onto accessories. After earning both a B.F.A. and M.F.A. from SCAD, Barrow worked with prestigious designers including Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Stuart Weitzman, and Proenza Schouler. For the Alumni Atelier, Barrow will develop a signature print aesthetic synonymous with her brand, creating four original print collections — each comprised of 8–10 variations — complete with original color stories, factory-ready graphic files, printed textile samples on desired materials, line plans, flats, and illustrations. Additionally, she will produce four accessory samples incorporating the new prints and present a finished portfolio with four process books each representing a capsule collection. @hausofassembly
Camille Ashkenazi
B.F.A., fibers, 2023
A mixed media artist from Alexandria, Va., Camille Ashkenazi recognizes as art a profound aspect of her self-expression. Growing up with a mother who painted, Ashkenazi sought constant inspiration in her surroundings and cherished visits to local art museums. Her senior capstone collection featured three impressively large mylar balloons, one nearly 7 feet wide, which garnered praise from fashion designer Anna Sui during her visit to SCAD. For the Alumni Atelier, she plans to perfect this technique for larger balloons by exploring new combinations of mold-making and lightweight vinyl to achieve the desired effect. Access to SCAD's leading-edge facilities will further facilitate this goal, allowing her to use specialized machines and 3D printers to create five to 10 mini-balloons for shopSCAD and alternative portrait framing props. @ca_mylar
Valheria Rocha
B.F.A., photography, 2016
Vegas Giovanni
B.F.A., photography, 2016
Valheria Rocha is a Colombian artist creating vibrant works through any medium possible. Integrating photography, collage, film, directing, writing, and props into her process, she invents worlds full of color and feeling. Her art is a visual representation of youth culture today: colorful, unapologetic, and magnetic. Vegas Giovanni is an American fashion photographer from Atlanta, with a talent for capturing abstractions and embracing natural curiosities. While growing up, he was fascinated by anime, video games, and fashion, which now serve as a catalyst for most of his creative endeavors. To date, Giovanni’s work has featured on Billboard Music, VH1, MTV, BET, Hypebeast, XXL, Seventeen magazine, and Fox’s number one television series, Empire. For the Alumni Atelier, Rocha, renowned for her work on Taylor Swift's Lover album, partners with Giovanni for a prestigious production of a single, meticulously crafted photo set encompassing photography sessions with 100 individuals during Après SCAD. The project's scope includes comprehensive post-editing to refine and enhance each photograph, ensuring artistic excellence. These images will serve as a testament to creativity and collaboration, reflecting Rocha and Giovanni's dedication to visual storytelling and photographic innovation.@valheria123 @vegasgiovanni
Julia McGahee
B.F.A., fibers, 2018
A multidisciplinary artist producing large-scale murals, canvas works, textile prints, and more, Julia McGahee transforms spaces with expert application of color to create joyous portrayals of natural elements and everyday objects. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, McGahee is designing a signature set of patterns, inspired by the murals she has completed throughout the years, to adorn a collection of wares including tote bags, pillows, and paintings that complement an upcoming wallpaper collection. @juliamcgaheeart
Melissa Richardson
B.F.A., illustration, 2024
Illustrator, painting enthusiast, and fabric-obsessed creative, Melissa Richardson is an explorer of art’s myriad forms. Inspired by vibrant color and the diversity of nature’s textures and patterns, she combines her illustration techniques with her fascination for fashion to create multimedia works. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Richardson is designing and illustrating an elaborate, large-scale map — highlighting building names, descriptions, brief histories, and fun facts — of all the SCAD structures in Lacoste. This illustration will have multiple variations including versions for SCAD students and staff and one specifically for tourists. She is also producing pencil pouch designs, postcard sets, and mini paintings of the Luberon Valley. @melmadeart
Jenny Eitel
B.F.A., painting, 2012
Known for dreamy landscapes and hyperrealistic paintings of nature’s provisions, Jenny Eitel reimagines her surroundings in distinctive detail. After graduating from SCAD, Eitel promptly brought her skills to the big screen, interning with the late William Armstrong, former lead scenic painter on movie sets for Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and Woody Allen. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Eitel is planning a series of three oil paintings that focuses on the dimensionality of texture, each subject chosen for its diverse surface quality. Additionally, she is developing a series of small-scale plein air paintings completed in the company of other atelier attendees. @jennyeitelart
Ivy Wu
M.F.A., painting, 2023
A highly decorated and collected artist, Ivy Wu is a force in the automatic painting circuit, whose vivacious brushstrokes and gestural markings seemingly vibrate with life beyond the canvas. Her process involves rapid, intuitive movements that result in complex, technicolor worlds representing the beauty of lived experiences. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, she is making five original paintings that showcase a diverse range of artistic methodologies and expressions. Experimenting with various artistic styles and mediums while employing different materials, tools, and techniques, Wu aims to develop and refine her proficiency in handling complex compositions. She will document the creative process of each painting, recording her progress and the challenges she encounters. @ivy.wu.art
Whitney Stansell
M.F.A., painting, 2008
With an oeuvre ranging from fibers, sculpture, painting, and drawing to single- and multichannel film and video, Whitney Stansell approaches life itself as an artist first and foremost. Often created in tandem with her husband, artist Micah Stansell, her work explores themes rooted in family history, narrative traditions, and binary relationships influenced and informed by environment and location. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Stansell is developing a series of large-scale floral still life paintings titled Flower Gathering, featuring meticulously cut and painted paper flowers assembled on gradient color backgrounds. Prompting viewers to consider the interconnectedness of place, identity, and history, the works tell deeper stories of engagement and discovery. @whitneystansell
Daniel Byrd
M.F.A., painting, 2018
In his practice, Daniel Byrd evolves the distinctive, seemingly woven painting technique he developed as an undergraduate and that continues to inform his work today. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Byrd is further exploring a recent revelation in his process involving the use of untraditional canvas shapes. His new structures are composed of interlocking grounds with a “woven” edge to appear seamless. He also intends to experiment with how these shapes can be constructed from different materials and marks, creating a dynamic conversation about the chemistry between various approaches in painting. @danielbyrd_
Natalie Brandhorst
M.F.A., painting, 2002
A contemporary artist working with family relics, found objects, and curious artifacts, Natalie Brandhorst has also taught young artists for more than 20 years. She attributes her teaching philosophy to the uninhibited nature of her own work, employing a diverse range of media and substrates to convey the complexity and psychological passageways of the human experience. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Brandhorst is rendering three life-sized hybrid figures crafted with surfaces that exhibit both physical realism and a blend of assembled and implied textures. She aims to merge the human form with elements of nature, exploring its infinite curiosities. @nataliebrandhorst
Diego “lé dieguê” Cardenas
M.F.A., painting, 2022
A multidisciplinary artist, poet, and instructor, lé dieguê currently works at Springfield Commonwealth Academy. Influenced by his stepfather at a young age, lé dieguê began as a graffiti artist before pivoting to large-scale murals. Transcending art and academia, lé dieguê’s work honors self-expression as a connection between people and the cosmos, presenting light and color as signifiers of existence and, ultimately, a universal language. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, lé dieguê is summoning the sub-spectrum of hues that emerge at specific angles when light passes through a transparent medium in a new series Angular Perceptions. Extending beyond the traditional ROYGBIV gradation to reveal new chromatic variations, this study enhances visualizations as a form of psychoanalysis to bridge the gap between color theory and emotional experience. @ledieguearte
Jason Hackenwerth
M.F.A., painting, 2003
A notable painter, sculptor, and installation artist, Jason Hackenwerth has shown in global galleries and museums including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His brand of Abstract Expressionism blends contemporary compositions with unexpected materials and textures that harken to the primitive epoch of “art’s” discovery. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Hackenwerth is proposing 16 paintings that visually articulate the underlying emotions between compulsive thought as a representation of form and the transcendental states that emerge when detached from structure. The resulting works represent the visual manifestations of instinctive human mark-making as they relate to every mark ever made by mankind, and thus, exist within the indefinable suchness of what is, as related to the current paradigm. @hackenwerth
Abby Edwards
B.F.A., graphic design, 2016
Humbling the human experience through absurdist humor and youthful curiosity, Abby Edwards abstracts the ordinary and plays with perception, creating a visual thread throughout her work. Finding inspiration in the unexpected, she forges spaces where people can rediscover their imagination and break free from established expectations. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Edwards is sculpting an oversized pencil paired with three large stencils — similar to those used by children. These designs will be cut into transparent colored acrylic to form an interactive triptych. @abbyedwardsart
2025
Roxy Erickson
B.F.A., painting, 2012
Roxy Erickson is a visual artist known for large-scale public works. Her portfolio includes vibrant portraits, myriad murals, and collaborations with Ouizi and Justkids. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Erickson introduces an immersive painted installation — presented in a dream-like sequence — detailing memories from a past stay in Lacoste through abstractions and ephemera. Small canvas paintings and reusable tote bags complement the work, extending the project's reach beyond the physical exhibition space. @roxyshmoxyy
Robin Elise Maaya
B.F.A., photography, 2021
A versatile photographer and visual storyteller, Robin Elise Maaya communicates her spirited perspective by documenting nuance amid the ordinary. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Maaya is producing new images through self-portraiture, painting, and mixed media to explore the raw emotion and vulnerability of healing. Personal artifacts from various ultrasounds and laparoscopic imaging are incorporated to aid in the intimacy of the work, creating a deeply personal narrative that bridges medical bureaucracy and artistic expression. @robinelisephotography
Kevin Kirkwood
M.F.A., painting, 2023
A contemporary artist and educator producing innovative paintings and immersive installations, Kevin Kirkwood approaches his work with unconventional techniques. Integrating acrylic paint with fibrous substrates, nylon strands, and video projections, his multidimensional approach achieves an elevated visual complexity. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Kirkwood presents elevar, an immersive room of origami confetti constructed from a series of white foam core panels. Strands of white nylon suspend the foam, creating an intricate network for visitors to experience. @kevinwillpaint
Kendall Glover
B.F.A., fibers, 2009
Kendall Glover is a New York-based sculptor working through varied sculptural methods ranging from large-scale steel and latex structures to intimate palm-sized paper gestures, intersecting architectural mechanics with sentient characteristics. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Glover revisits her Tectonic Arch form from a new, experimental perspective, combining raw resources with casted elements, colored glass, and acrylic to propel her series into new depths of materiality and texture. @kglovr
Johana Moscoso
M.F.A., sculpture, 2009
A Colombian American artist currently living and working in Memphis, Tenn., Johana Moscoso explores North and South American narratives through studies of movement and labor. Her application of textiles, sculpture, and performance activates physical environments that conjure the feminine presence and celebrate heritage. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Moscoso presents Historias de Fauna y Flora (Histories of Flora and Fauna), a series of tapestries, animations, and videos spotlighting rescued animals and native plants as an allegory of "otherness." The tapestries demonstrate multiple processes including screen-printing, embroidery, mola, couching stitch, and "calado," a technique she uses to deconstruct aspects of her work. @johanamoscoso
Libby Hodgkins
B.F.A., metals and jewelry, 2004
Founder of experiential adornment studio Kind History, Libby Hodgkins creates ethically sourced, repurposed jewelry by collecting and altering existing components and found objects, offering an engaging, collaborative environment to her clients. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Hodgkins presents Kind History as a creative pop-up shop, inviting visitors to develop custom wearables made from both site-specific resources and the studio's existing collection of SCAD artist-designed elements. Through this process emerges limited-edition charms and baubles exclusive to SCAD. @kindhistory
April Aguilera
M.F.A., dramatic writing, 2022; B.F.A., media and performing arts, 2006
April Aguilera is a director and screenwriter based in Savannah, Ga., where she piloted Emmy award-winning drama For Paloma and works as a film coordinator for studios including Showtime and Array. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Aguilera is shooting Birdy, a poignant narrative about a single mother struggling to balance care for her 16-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and her mother, who is battling dementia. Overwhelmed by financial pressures and personal challenges, Birdy finds temporary solace in a romantic relationship with a young musician. The story culminates in a moment of growth and understanding, suggesting new beginnings for both mother and daughter. @aseafullofstarsthemusical
Zimo Yan
M.A., fashion, 2017
Huang Wentao
M.F.A., themed entertainment design, 2017
Zimo Yan founded her New York-based brand ZIMO in 2021 with partner Huang Wentao. Embodying a philosophy of fashion as documentary, ZIMO visually narrates Yan’s heritage through an intimate point of view, skillfully reinterpreting, transforming, and elevating distinctive elements of Asian youth culture through her contemporary design language. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Yan and Wentao are developing ZIMO’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, spanning the holistic design process from sketching initial concepts and draping to pattern development, fittings, and sample production, combining their craftsmanship with France’s aesthetics. @zimo.me
Pooja Pawaskar
M.A., furniture design, 2016
Pooja Pawaskar is a sculptor born in Mumbai, India, and based in Ottawa, Canada, working primarily with wood and plaster — materials that reflect the unpredictability and beauty of imperfection. Her latest collection In Full View marks an exciting exploration of freestanding sculptures incorporated into wall installations. Through her evolving body of work, Pawaskar confronts themes of visibility and authenticity, seeking space for object and self to coexist without limitation. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Pawaskar is envisioning a series of sculptures that invoke the binding techniques of artist Seung Taek Lee with her own personal twist, fostering deeper communication with her raw material through direct carving. @poojapawaskar_artist
Julia Wilson
M.F.A., photography, 2018
Julia Wilson’s creative curiosities stem from the theoretical, bodily, and mythological correlations between teeth and language and their impact on humanity. She explores this primordial connection by estranging the tooth from the human body as a metaphor for estranging words from meaning. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Wilson is expanding her singular tooth monolith paintings to larger, more complex compositions that draw inspiration from Cy Twombly’s Fifty Days at Iliam, reconfiguring scenes from mythological, religious, and philosophical texts with abstracted teeth, automatic writing, and emotive mark-making. juliakierwilson.com
Bo Zhao
M.A., fashion, 2015
As design principal and director for Warby Parker, Bo Zhao has produced patented designs that showcase his commitment to functionality and appeal. With his own menswear label, he celebrates Chinese identity through garments that embody simplicity and humility, fostering genuine connections and a purpose-driven life. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Bo Zhao is developing a new collaborative menswear collection that merges his cultural heritage with the elegance of French style, engaging friends, fellow artists, and locals to create a diverse body of work including clothing, knitted pieces, accessories, and even books. Each look offers eyewear inspired functionality focused on precision and simplicity. @bo_bozhao
Julia Jarrett
B.F.A. fibers
Savannah-based artist Julia Jarrett materializes ephemerality and magic. Although her practice has evolved from mixed-media screen printing to bioplastics and now broom-making, her inspirations remain steadfast in questioning purpose and meaning. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Jarrett is developing a new body of work inspired by the rich cultural and natural heritage of Lacoste. Merging traditional broom-craft with fiber art, she is harvesting local materials like fallen wood and dried florals to use as natural dyes, allowing the landscape to tell its own stories. @madebyvenusmoon
Keith Crowley
M.F.A., painting, 2001; B.F.A., painting, 1999
As the senior preparator at the Ringling Museum of Art, painter Keith Crowley is immersed in museum culture and custody. Having amassed an internal archive documenting the essence and effort of his creative predecessors, he positions his own studio practice in direct conversation with this intimate knowledge of art history. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Crowley is freely engaging with the Lacoste landscape in a series of paintings that respond to the stimulus of light and object, working within the parameters of his distinctive imagery while allowing for the unprecedented elements of surprise. @keith.crowley
Justin Armstrong
M.F.A., painting, 2020; B.F.A., painting, 2016
A celebrated painter with a distinctive penchant for vibrant compositions, Justin Armstrong approaches visual content in terms of materiality, surface, and effect. His painting practice focuses on the interplay of lines, patterns, and light-reactive materials to create intense perceptual encounters with a nod to screens, glitches, and pixelation. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Armstrong is producing a series of works that incorporate high-resolution prints of his digital artworks in a project titled Virtual Analog Impressionism, emphasizing the optical potential of the digital-physical relationship. Printing these images on either canvas or aluminum, he elevates their content with his signature mix of acrylic, mica powder, metal flake, and holographic vinyl. @justinarmstrong.artist
Fiorella Escalon
M.F.A., painting, 2023
Born and raised in El Salvador during the country’s civil war, Fiorella Escalon always dreamed of becoming a professional artist despite her circumstances. Embracing craft-based processes, she found her artistic voice in three-dimensional design. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Escalon is expanding her practice of material transformation by creating a large-scale series of her woven rock sculptures titled SCAD Rocks. These sculptural works will be accompanied by a special edition of prints uniquely customized with embroidery, weaving a story of objects that transcend their original form and purpose. @fiorella.escalon.art
Rachel Grant
M.A., arts administration, 2016; M.F.A., painting, 2013
Known for her paintings of landscapes and cloudscapes, Rachel Grant is an Atlanta-based visual artist whose work explores the intersections of place, nature, and memory. Her Cloudscape series weaves images of home with recurring symbols of sky and clouds, which have been central to her paintings for nearly a decade. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Grant is continuing to expand her practice, integrating video, sound, and sculpture into immersive installations. These works will capture cloud movement, shifting light, and fleeting moments of nature, evoking childhood memories and the passage of time. @rachelgrantstudio
Aaron H. Bible
M.F.A., photography, 2005
Aaron H. Bible is an award-winning writer, photographer, and multimedia producer with three decades of experience working as a journalist, documentarian, and creative director. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Bible is exploring the interplay of memory, photography, and human experience, weaving a kaleidoscope of images across time and space. Revisiting themes from his time at SCAD and integrating new work informed by personal and societal evolution, this series becomes both a study of cadence and a reflection on the human condition, the artistic process, and photographic technique. @definitelywild
Wendy Sheats
M.A., photography, 2011
As the senior director of admissions at the Westminster school, Wendy Sheats is a creative leader at the intersection of education, strategy, and design. With a focus on efficiency, innovation, and data-driven decision-making, she ensures a seamless and intentional admissions experience for prospective students and families. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Sheats is propelling the school’s Legacy Scholars program into its next phase of growth by developing a comprehensive marketing communications and philanthropy plan that encompasses initial funding acquisition, brand establishment, and strategic partnerships in collaboration with SCAD’s creative business leadership program.
Ramona Randolph
B.F.A., industrial design, 2014
Ramona Randolph was the salutatorian of the SCAD Class of 2014 and worked at May Architecture + Interiors and Insidesign before opening her own firm R. Randolph Interiors. For the SCAD Alumni Atelier, Randolph is exploring cutting-edge technologies while experimenting with sustainable materials and design that can support mental health. In her project titled Life Serving Kitchen, she is developing a system that is both futuristic and deeply human, where every detail — from the materials to the layout — serves a purpose and transforms the way we live. @rrandolphinteriors