The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Sidewalk Arts Festival wowed the global arts community last weekend, presenting its 39th edition full of changes.
The event kicked off a little over a month ago at Candler Hospital, where SCAD artists created chalk art as an homage to Savannah’s healthcare workers. To follow, on May 9, artists chalked it up for Atlanta’s healthcare professionals at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding Hospital.
Courtesy of Cartier.
After, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the actual festival was held online for the first time. While onlookers watched from their screens, respecting social distancing practices, they admired SCAD’s virtual gallery full of new mediums, too. Typically, the event hosts students and alumni to compete with chalk art only, but this year’s festival took submissions in all forms of 2-D media.
This year’s panel of judges included: sci-fi and fantasy artist Donato Giancol; fine artist and SCAD alumnus José Parlá; and Whitewall’s very own, senior editor Eliza Jordan. After choosing from paintings, collages, sidewalk chalk art, and more, the winners were announced on SCAD’s Instagram last Saturday.
Courtesy of Cartier.
Nine awards were given, including: Trelan Jones winning the Alumni Best in Show award; Kathleen Varadi taking home the SCAD People’s Choice Alumni award; and Linlin Ivy Wu winning the SCAD Student Spirit Award.
“SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival has long been a treasured community event highlighting the expertise and creativity of SCAD students and alumni, some of whom have been coming home to SCAD to create chalk masterpieces for decades,” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace.
