When designing the decor and set for the third annual Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Style Etoile awards, the school's senior vice president for campus resources, Glenn Wallace, knew better than to try to compete with the existing majesty of the event's venue, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. (The degree to which his firm, Wallace Designs, could alter the Beaux-Arts space was also limited.)
"This is such a fabulous building, I thought I'd do something fun, interesting, and representative of the wide range of talent at SCAD," he said prior to guests' arrival on Thursday evening for the intimate event celebrating luminaries in the fields of art and design, as well as the college's study abroad program in Lacoste, France. The school honored designer Jonathan Adler, Elle Decor editor in chief Margaret Russell, and Pierre Cardin, the last of whom was also recognized for his historic restoration and cultural contributions to the French city.
Previously held in the school's hometown in Georgia, the event relocated to New York—a style and design mecca after all—to increase the awards' accessibility for honorees and press. Aros Communications founder and president Amy Rosi approached the embassy about using the venue to underscore the college's study abroad program in France.Wallace utilized virtually every department of the art school when creating the event, enlisting the design and production departments to fashion tableaux vivants, centrally featured in the foyer of the building, as well as five, eight foot by four foot mirrored plexiglass panels that served as a backdrop during the awards presentation. Actors from the school's performing arts division served as the models in the tableaux, which recreated paintings by French artists such as Manet, Magritte, and Toulouse-Lautrec, and students both past and present contributed graphic design and film production work, creating invitations, short documentaries on the honorees, and more.
Even the award itself, a kaleidoscope which referenced the honor's name with a starry internal display, was a product of the institution's jewelry department. "We prepare students for careers in the arts, so we're featuring their work," said Wallace.
Additional touches to the decor included modern clean accents such as large light boxes featuring black-and-white photos of the award recipients, and sleek plastic chairs, which played off the embassy's stately high ceilings, and marble and gilt surfaces.
The event included a cocktail hour followed by the awards presentation, and served as the kickoff to the school's month-long SCAD Style program, during which renowned artists, designers, and industry professionals visit the college's Atlanta and Savannah campuses for a series of style and design events.
"This is such a fabulous building, I thought I'd do something fun, interesting, and representative of the wide range of talent at SCAD," he said prior to guests' arrival on Thursday evening for the intimate event celebrating luminaries in the fields of art and design, as well as the college's study abroad program in Lacoste, France. The school honored designer Jonathan Adler, Elle Decor editor in chief Margaret Russell, and Pierre Cardin, the last of whom was also recognized for his historic restoration and cultural contributions to the French city.
Previously held in the school's hometown in Georgia, the event relocated to New York—a style and design mecca after all—to increase the awards' accessibility for honorees and press. Aros Communications founder and president Amy Rosi approached the embassy about using the venue to underscore the college's study abroad program in France.Wallace utilized virtually every department of the art school when creating the event, enlisting the design and production departments to fashion tableaux vivants, centrally featured in the foyer of the building, as well as five, eight foot by four foot mirrored plexiglass panels that served as a backdrop during the awards presentation. Actors from the school's performing arts division served as the models in the tableaux, which recreated paintings by French artists such as Manet, Magritte, and Toulouse-Lautrec, and students both past and present contributed graphic design and film production work, creating invitations, short documentaries on the honorees, and more.
Even the award itself, a kaleidoscope which referenced the honor's name with a starry internal display, was a product of the institution's jewelry department. "We prepare students for careers in the arts, so we're featuring their work," said Wallace.
Additional touches to the decor included modern clean accents such as large light boxes featuring black-and-white photos of the award recipients, and sleek plastic chairs, which played off the embassy's stately high ceilings, and marble and gilt surfaces.
The event included a cocktail hour followed by the awards presentation, and served as the kickoff to the school's month-long SCAD Style program, during which renowned artists, designers, and industry professionals visit the college's Atlanta and Savannah campuses for a series of style and design events.
SCAD's tableau vivant
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
Students from the school's performing arts department served as models for the displays of living French paintings.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for Bizbash
Ferns and orchids surrounded a nonfuctioning fountain that features a statue by Michelangelo.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for Bizbash
The school shipped lightweight panels of mirrored plexiglass to New York.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
Large light boxes displayed photos of the evening's honorees.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
The backdrop for the presentation displayed the work of SCAD students.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
Modern accents contrasted with the building's ornate interior.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
The Etoile award is a kaleidoscope crafted by the college's jewelry deaprtment.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
Candles in hurricane vases lined the steps leading up to the awards space.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
Recipient Pierre Cardin's French heritage played a role in the selection of the embassy as the event's venue.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash
