When one thinks of America’s creative hubs, it’s natural that coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles come to mind. Nestled in the country’s Southeast corner, however, are two locales whose creative output has ushered in a new cultural renaissance: Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia.

SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, plays a major role in the two cities' outsized artistic impact. Since it first opened its doors in 1978, the university has been a breeding ground for talent, offering more degree programs and specialisations than any other art and design school. On its Savannah campus, flanked by the region’s quintessential willow trees, students can study everything from animation to sneaker design, making for an academic community that attracts a broad range of artists. Crucially for aspiring creatives, there’s a strong emphasis placed on hands-on learning and professional development as well; SCADpro, the university’s research lab and prototype generator, affords students the opportunity to work with corporate partners, and the Style Lab, the SCAD School of Fashion’s elite industry mentorship program, has included the likes of Christopher Brumfield, Tremaine Emory, Bruce Pask, and Yu Fukumoto as mentors. 

SCAD students are creating work well-beyond their years, affirming the university's role in cultivating the future of design and Savannah and Atlanta as flourishing cultural hubs. Get to know three of them below.

JANE JURCHAK

As a fashion and textile designer from Belmont, North Carolina, Jane Jurchak arrived at SCAD as no stranger to the American South. Inspired by the region’s haunting history, Jurchak’s senior thesis, Forsaken, was rooted in Southern Gothic imagery and “the emotional landscape of queer adolescence”. Jurchak’s work is preoccupied with material experimentation, and this collection, presented this past May at SCAD’s prestigious SCAD FASHION runway showcase, was no different. “The collection allowed me to set free my anxieties of identity and step into discovery myself,” says Jurchak. Distressed corsets, exaggerated silhouettes and latex detailing came together to explore the designer’s themes of isolation, shame and spiritual tension.

KEHUA WU

A recent master of fine arts graduate from SCAD, Kehua Wu came to the college all the way from Changsha, China. Their graduate exhibition, titled Home, documented that distance, with mixed media paintings, a video piece and an installation that explored belonging and cultural identity. As an MFA student at SCAD, Wu built upon painting techniques learned in their home country, incorporating traditional Chinese materials such as rice paper and ink into their work. “I regard my act of creating art as a cultivation,” Wu says. “Through the process, I engage in deep introspection – exploring, unearthing and ultimately embracing myself – while simultaneously seeking the truth of life and coming to terms with the world.”

MIKE POSNER

Mike Posner, a recent graduate of SCAD's prestigious photography program, uses his camera as a portal to other dimensions. The artist’s obsession with stories explains his professional name, Fictiveillusion, a nod to his love of all things fictional. Though Posner often shoots musicians, his work is far from run-of-the-mill artist portraits, instead immersing musicians in otherworldly digital landscapes. With a sharp eye and talent for cinematic lighting and post-production, Posner creates work that forces viewers to stop and take a closer look.