Art for all at SCAD Atlanta
The Savannah College of Art and Design proudly celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of SCAD students, alumni, and faculty with a dynamic public installation on the façade of the university’s Atlanta location on Peachtree Street. Since launching the installation in August 2021, SCAD has showcased more than 900 works by nearly 150 SCAD artists, delighting and inspiring our university and local communities in the heart of Midtown, the city’s premier arts and entertainment district. For more than 15 years, SCAD has been a visionary leader and integral part of the Atlanta arts community. The Peachtree Street installation further embodies SCAD’s exemplary leadership as a champion of the city’s vibrant arts scene. SCAD is honored to present this accessible exhibition for all in Atlanta to enjoy.
Cover: Cece Kirksey, B.F.A. photography
Left: Ayana Ross, M.A., painting, 2021
Ayana Ross
M.A., painting, 2021
A visual artist combining traditional oil painting methods with elaborate pattern treatments, Ayana Ross creates nostalgic work that elevates her subjects and provides deeper context into her oeuvre. Often autobiographical in nature, Ross’ paintings employ layered narratives from past and present to examine social issues such as identity, race, equity, and a general assessment of our value systems, illuminating greater lessons we can learn from everyday people and moments. Ross was recognized as the 2021 winner of the Bennett Prize, the 2022 recipient of the National Black Arts Festival Award for Excellence in Visual Art, the Pittsburgh Foundation’s Eben Demarest Award in 2024, and a Spring 2024 Mellon Arts and Practitioner Fellow through the Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration (RITM) at Yale University.
Cece Kirksey
B.F.A. photography
Cece Kirksey is a mixed-media photographer who specializes in analog methods such as film photography, collage, and prop building. Her practice oscillates between still life and portraiture, focusing on concepts rather than a specific style of photography. Kirksey embraces vintage advertisements and fashion as well as cartoons and comics in her aesthetic, ultimately filling her work with color, tonguein-cheek references, and unadulterated fun. Her background in illustration lends itself to the hands-on approach she takes for inventive image making.
Susan Blackmon
B.F.A., painting, 2004
Abstract painter Susan Blackmon responds to the people and environment around her to render emotions through marks on canvas. Using mixed materials, she enables connection between seemingly disparate mediums to create textural discourse. Blackmon has exhibited both locally and nationally, including several solo shows, and has been featured in Studio Visit Magazine and American Art Collector. Her work is held in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, and Hodges Taylor, Charlotte, N.C., and in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S.
SCAD: The University for Creative Careers
SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. SCAD enrolls more than 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 110 countries. The future-minded SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and myriad advanced learning resources, affording students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university’s renowned research lab and prototype generator. SCAD has earned top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career success is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. A 2024 study found that 99% of recent SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 12 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more. Visit scad.edu.
Left: Susan Blackmon, B.F.A., painting, 2004