Renowned conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner to be honored; SCAD photography alumna Le’Andra LeSeur to receive prestigious SCAD40 Prize
SAVANNAH, Georgia — This year, the Savannah College of Art and Design celebrates the 10th edition of SCAD deFINE ART, an annual program of new commissions, exhibitions, lectures and performances that brings together an international roster of emerging and established artists and visionaries. The signature event, Feb. 26–28, highlights the university’s rich history of art programming and exhibitions.
“SCAD’s annual deFINE ART continues into its 10th season, engaging Savannah and Atlanta communities alike with exhibitions of the most influential artists of our time,” says SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. “2019 guests Carla Fernández, Pedro Reyes and Azikiwe Mohammed, among many others, are shaping contemporary art and inspiring the next generation.”
This year’s honoree and keynote speaker, Lawrence Weiner, is a trailblazing conceptual artist and acclaimed 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. He has created text-based and public artwork since the early 1970s. Weiner’s exhibitions and installations have made a significant impact in art capitals including New York, Amsterdam, Mexico City and Salzburg.
Storm Janse van Rensburg, head curator of SCAD Exhibitions, states: “We are thrilled to welcome Lawrence Weiner to SCAD. He epitomizes qualities that we aim to instill 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. We are honored by his contribution to deFINE ART 2019.”
This signature event connects SCAD students from top-ranked degree programs, including painting, illustration, performing arts, user experience, digital arts, art history, sculpture, film and television, fashion, photography and immersive reality with artists during deFINE ART through masterclasses, installation collaborations, public art programming and gallery talks.
Featured exhibitors at the university’s award-winning SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah include contemporary sculpture and installation artist Lee Bul (South Korea); performance artists Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti (U.S.); painter Monica Cook (SCAD B.F.A., painting, 1996) (US); fashion designer Carla Fernández (Mexico); artist Azikiwe Mohammed (U.S.); architect and artist Pedro Reyes (Mexico); painter Alex Gardner (U.S.); artist Nicholas Hlobo (South Africa); multidisciplinary artist Gonzalo Lebrija (Mexico) and sculptor Berta Fischer (Germany). Installed earlier this year in the museum lobby, a special exhibition features 13 large-scale color photographs from the SCAD Museum of Art Permanent Collection by legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Other SCAD Savannah exhibitions include the group exhibition News from Nowhere featuring SCAD faculty, alumni and several artists without SCAD affiliation at Gutstein Gallery, as well as Rebel Rebel, a fashion photography exhibition comprised of work from SCAD Savannah and Atlanta students and alumni, on display at Alexander Hall Gallery.
SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta will exhibit artwork by visual artist and photographer Trine Søndergaard (Denmark) in dialogue with objects from the SCAD fashion collection. At Trois Gallery, the thesis show of SCAD M.F.A. students Cecilia A. Montalvo (SCAD M.F.A. photography) and Charles A. McCullers (SCAD M.F.A. photography; SCAD M.A., photography, 2016) is titled Where the Light Enters.
Programming highlights for deFINE ART 2019 include an opening night reception and block party at the SCAD Museum of Art, featuring performances by exhibiting artists Mohammed, Catherine and Ti. The museum’s Alex Townsend Memorial Courtyard will host an illustration battle, live music and food trucks. The SCAD Museum of Art lantern, a 50-foot-tall glass structure, will be transformed into a spectacular beacon of light and color with a monumental wraparound projection by video artist Sean Capone (U.S.). Specially commissioned as a public artwork as part of the university’s 40th anniversary, the installation will be on view at night for the duration of deFINE ART. On Wednesday, two other notable performances will take place; a puppet show Manufacturing Mischief by writer and director Reyes, as well as a sonic journey performed by special guest artist and SCAD fashion design alumna BOSCO, with video projections by artist Emeka Alams.
To mark the closing of the annual event on Thursday, Feb. 28, SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace will award the prestigious SCAD40 Prize to alumna Le’Andra LeSeur (SCAD B.F.A., photography, 2014) for her innovative accomplishments in the field of photography. The SCAD40 Prize is the university’s highest recognition for SCAD alumni. Honorees are selected for exemplary contributions to their professions and for demonstrating through their success the preeminence and purpose of a SCAD education. Awarded at signature events throughout this 40th anniversary year, the SCAD40 Prize is presented to graduates who give “hand, head and heart” to their creative careers at the highest ranks of culture and business. Following the award ceremony, deFINE ART 2019 honoree Lawrence Weiner will take part in a conversation with Dakin Hart, senior curator of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, on Weiner’s expansive career and impact on the art world.
At SCAD Atlanta, visual artist Derrick Adams will present a featured lecture at SCADshow on Wednesday, Feb. 27. There is a special reception for artist Søndergaard and designer Fernández at SCAD FASH on Thursday, Feb. 28. The reception will include artist talks and marks the official opening of Fernández’s pop-up boutique in the museum.
All deFINE ART events, including the opening night celebrations, are open and free to the public. This special 10th edition of deFINE ART demonstrates the ongoing mission of President Wallace and SCAD to provide public art programming for students, alumni and local communities.
Visit deFINE ART for more information on exhibiting artists and programming.
About SCAD deFINE ART
SCAD celebrates a decade of deFINE ART, an annual program of special commissions, exhibitions, lectures and performances. Taking place Feb. 26–28, at university locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, SCAD deFINE ART recognizes emerging and established artists and visionaries. Contemporary art elevates our everyday world, recasting familiar objects and experiences in ways that challenge perceptions, raise complicated questions and inspire creative responses to a complex and evolving world. Every year, SCAD celebrates contemporary art through deFINE ART, a university signature event centered around the work of internationally acclaimed artists. Past deFINE ART honorees include Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Carrie Mae Weems, Xu Bing, Alfredo Jaar, Shirin Neshat, Fred Wilson, Marina Abramović, along with artists and guests such as Jane Alexander, Theaster Gates, Nari Ward, :mentalKLINIK, Corinne Wasmuht, Margery Arent Safir, Beau Geste, Madame Gandhi, José Parlá and many more.
About SCAD Museum of Art
The SCAD Museum of Art is a premier contemporary art museum that features emerging and established international artists through commissioned works and rotating exhibitions; engages local communities with special initiatives of an international scope; and serves as a resource for SCAD students and alumni during their academic careers and beyond.
The museum has presented exhibitions by artists including AES+F, Jane Alexander, Radcliffe Bailey, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Subodh Gupta, Alfredo Jaar, Sigalit Landau, Liza Lou, Elaine Mayes, Lorraine O’ Grady, Ebony G. Patterson, Robin Rhode, Bill Viola, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley and Fred Wilson, as well as site-specific installations by Daniel Arsham, Kendall Buster, Jose Dávila, Michael Joo, Odili Donald Odita and others. The museum’s permanent collection includes the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art, the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection, the Earle W. Newton Collection of British and American Art, the 19th- and 20th-century Photography Collection and the SCAD Costume Collection.
An award-winning, architectural icon, the museum incorporates the oldest surviving antebellum railroad depot in the U.S. into its striking design. Nestled in the heart of Savannah’s vibrant historic downtown district, the museum attracts visitors from around the globe. It has been recognized by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Congress for the New Urbanism, the International Interior Design Association and the Historic Savannah Foundation and received the American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Architecture, a pinnacle achievement.
About SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film
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 campus, SCAD FASH focuses on the future of fashion design, connecting conceptual to historical principles of dress — whether ceremonial, celebratory or informal — and welcomes visitors of all ages to engage with dynamic exhibitions, captivating films and educationally enriching events.
Fortified by the university’s strong global presence and worldwide connections to renowned contemporary fashion designers, filmmakers and creative professionals all over the world, SCAD FASH is an integral part of the SCAD educational experience.
Like the award-winning SCAD Museum of Art, SCAD FASH serves as a teaching museum and creative resource for students of all ages and a wellspring of inspiration for visitors. Through programming that engages the university’s broad array of academic disciplines, SCAD FASH offers diverse exhibitions, films, installations, performances and events to enliven and inspire the greater community year-round. Each program is designed to engage and appeal to visitors with varied backgrounds and interests, from textiles and jewelry to photography and film. Past feature exhibitions include the work of designers Oscar de la Renta, Daniel Lismore, Carolina Herrera and Guo Pei. Photographic exhibitions include the work of Jonathan Becker, Bill Cunningham and Omar Victor Diop. Exhibitions are accompanied by curated film series designed to complement programming; past films include Ovation for Oscar, The First Monday in May, The Leopard and Funny Face, among others.
About SCAD: The University for Creative Careers
The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 academic degree programs in more than 40 majors across its locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Hong Kong; Lacoste, France; and online via SCAD eLearning.
SCAD enrolls more than 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 100 countries. The innovative SCAD curriculum is enhanced by advanced professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources, as well as opportunities for internships, professional certifications and collaborative projects with corporate partners. In 2018, the prestigious Red Dot Design Rankings placed SCAD as the No. 1 university in the U.S. and in the top two universities in the Americas and Europe. Career preparation is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. According to a recent study, 99 percent of Spring 2017 SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education or both within 10 months of graduation. For more information, visit the official SCAD blog.