September/October events

SEP

SEPTEMBER 4

NATIONAL WILDLIFE DAY

Take a trip to Fort Pulaski or Tybee Island to spot bottlenose dolphins, sea otters, white-tailed deer and more.

SEPTEMBER 6

LABOR DAY

Remember to put your whites away!

SEPTEMBER 12

NATIONAL GRANDPARENTS’ DAY

Grandma, Granddad, Gigi, Pop. Whatever you call them, appreciate the grandparents in your life.

SEPTEMBER 19–20

BEER, GUYS, CIGARS, GOLF & POKER

The name says it all. Plus, there's a VIP lounge, Sunday night football, bourbon and more, all to bene t Ronald McDonald House Charities. SEPTEMBER 19

INDIGO DYEING AT OSSABAW ISLAND

Learn the history of Ossabaw indigo and create fresh-leaf dye vats at this hands-on, creative workshop.

PAUL MEACHUM

SEPTEMBER 23–26

SAVANNAH JAZZ FESTIVAL

For its 40th anniversary, the festival is back at Forsyth Park. Prominent musicians will showcase the jazz genre in person, or tune in via streaming.

SEPTEMBER 24

SAINTS & SINNERS FUNDRAISER

Bene ting Hospice Savannah, the fundraiser will feature more than 100 portraits of Savannah’s best and brightest painted on oyster shells. OCTOBER 5

OCTOBER 1

AMERICA’S SECOND HARVEST OF COASTAL GEORGIA ANNIVERSARY

Serving thousands of people throughout Southern Georgia at risk for hunger, the nonpro t celebrates 40 years all month long.

OCTOBER 2–23

NIGHTTIME CEMETERY TOURS

Spooky season is upon us: Bonaventure Cemetery hosts After Hours Tours.

CHEF’S TABLE

Pull up a chair to the fundraising event bene ting America’s Second Harvest Kids Cafe Program.

OCTOBER 9

PUBLIX SAVANNAH WOMEN'S HALF & 5K

Run for fun or for a cause: participants can donate to the event's of cial charity, Girls on the Run Coastal Georgia and Lowcountry.

PHIL THE PARK

The 2021-2022 Savannah Philharmonic season starts with Phil the Park at Forsyth Park.

OCT

OCTOBER 16

HISTORIC SAVANNAH FOUNDATION GALA

The annual gala salutes its 29th year — and the preservation projects that make Savannah special.

OCTOBER 23–30

SCAD SAVANNAH FILM FESTIVAL

Head out to spot some stars.

OCTOBER 31

HALLOWEEN

“ I had so many transformational experiences as a student at SCAD that to be back in

Savannah, a place where I learned so much, feels so right.”

— Caroline Mae Heidenreich

MATERIAL GIRL

Caroline Mae Heidenreich sparks joy — and invention

“MY STYLE IS taking unexpected materials and transforming them,” says Caroline Mae Heidenrich as she tugs at the ripstop nylon wrap worn by student model Shiloh Smith. Soon, Smith is zipping on a moped down the corridors of Savannah College of Art and Design’s Alexander Hall, gauzy garment billowing behind him to fabulous effect. The moment is part of a photo shoot documenting Heidenreich’s collection-in-progress, FLY, the culmination of her work as SCAD Alumni Atelier ambassador 2021. “Mae fills the room with light,” Smith says. “As soon as she put me in the clothes, I felt uplifted.”

The Alumni Atelier, founded in 2015, is an artist residency program endowed by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace that offers visionary graduates the time, space and resources to thrive creatively and professionally. Heidenreich became one of the first digital Alumni Atelier ambassadors during winter quarter 2020, before arriving in Savannah this summer to complete her work. As Heidenreich says: “I had so many transformational experiences as a student at SCAD that to be back in Savannah, a place where I learned so much, feels so right.”

While a fashion undergraduate in 2009, Heidenreich created a senior collection of gowns made from military parachutes, mosquito netting and hand-painted canvas that earned her the Jeffrey Fashion Cares New Talent Award. From 2013–2021, she worked as creative and executive assistant for Madonna, creating costumes for the Madame X Tour. When Madonna posted a video of her son David Banda wearing a Mae Couture dress to Instagram earlier this year, it scored 2 million views. “Madonna is an idol of our lifetime who believed in me and helped me believe in myself,” she says.

Heidenreich is carrying that spirit forward. As an Alumni Atelier ambassador, she has mentored students, led virtual classroom workshops and aligned with SCAD SERVE so that sales of her work will benefit the local community. “Mae is a visionary designer who exhibits compassion and leadership

in her engagement with our students as interns and assistants, and with one-oneone mentoring,” says Alumni Atelier director Tiffani Taylor. “It’s been a delight to see her sustained, inspired productivity — joy and invention are words that come to mind when I see her work.”

For Heidenreich, the point of joyful invention can be where material becomes spiritual.

“I found a massive, 66-foot parachute and thought, this can be my canvas,” Heidenreich says of the source for much of her capsule collection. “The aim with the reversible pieces is for them to be black and white on one side and really colorful on the reverse. The repetition of the word ‘fly’ that you see on the garments is symbolic in Andean shamanism, where you travel above the tree tops and truly see from a higher perspective. The repetition of the word ‘light’ means the collection recognizes my light and the light within others. After I paint the fabric, I flip it, so the mantras face the body.”

Back at the photo shoot, models change into couture gowns and pajamas. The light is manifest.

“As an artist, I want to make things that can’t be mass produced,” Heidenreich concludes. “Even when we make a pattern and cut it out a hundred different ways, it’s never going to be the same. I love the feeling of one-of-a-kind work. Let art be art.”

shopmaecouture.com

Model Shiloh Smith in a FLY jacket, designed by Caroline Mae Heidenrich.