admin Fashion has the ability to take on many art forms. To celebrate the connection between the two, the Savannah College of Art and Design is teaming up with global fair and forum, Design Miami, for the fifth time to highlight work by alumni in an immersive display.
“The SCAD at Miami showcase not only fosters a sense of community, strengthening the bonds between current and past students but also paves the way for valuable mentorship and networking opportunities,” SCAD chair of jewelry, Jay Song says. “Moreover, it serves as a tangible illustration of the real-world impact that the university has on its graduates.”
This year’s celebration of design innovation, creative education, and contemporary art takes place December 6-10. It includes works of standout grads from SCAD’s fibers and jewelry programs that explore the relationship to the human body and celebrate self-expression. Grand-scale tassels by textile designer Paola Maldonado are accompanied by wearable artworks by Andrea Ortiz, Xinia Guan, Miao He, Xun Liu, Seth Carlson, and Shuoyuan Bai.
What differentiates these names from others in their field is that they were educated under one of the best programs in the country (the university has the only STEM-designated jewelry major in the U.S.). “SCAD places a significant emphasis on redefining the concept of jewelry by incorporating innovative ideas, materials, and processes,” Song shares. “It explores a comprehensive range of historical and contemporary techniques and technology.”
Those unique skills include combining vegetable skins with traditional metals, incorporating alternative materials, or in the case of alumnus Seth Carlson, using Fairmined gold and ethically sourced gemstones to create pieces that evoke wildlife. “The wearability of each piece is a hopeful expression of co-existence with non-human lifeforms,” he describes. “One valuable lesson I learned about jewelry and metalsmithing is the endless possibilities of exploration,” he adds, which is evident in his ability to use longstanding goldsmithing techniques and precious materials to reflect the importance of all lifeforms on planet Earth.
That desire to embrace innovation is one of the biggest takeaways Carlson gleaned from his time at SCAD: “In the SCAD jewelry department I found the mentorship, community, and learning opportunities that I needed to breathe life into my art,” he says. And that appears to be a shared sentiment. According to Song, being able to “break away from conventional thinking, constantly challenge yourself with fresh ideas, and adopt new approaches” are the cornerstones of success — as evidenced by the SCAD at Miami display.
SCAD at Miami’s activations at Design Miami will be open to the public December 6-10, with events scheduled throughout the week including a VIP press preview, thoughtful conversations, and admission information sessions for prospective students and families.
