Family & Alumni Weekend promises fun-filled schedule
SCAD’s upcoming Family and Alumni Weekend will celebrate 36 years of Sidewalk Arts and offer three day’s worth of family-oriented events, open to families of current SCAD students. This annual event also serves as an opportunity for alumni to reconnect with former SCAD classmates, according to the office of Career and Alumni Success (CAS).
The festivities commence Friday, April 28 with the Alumni Reception at Forsyth House from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The next day, families and alumni are invited to stroll through the Sidewalk Arts Festival at Forsyth Park and stop by the Alumni Tent on Saturday, April 29.
Saturday evening at the Trustees Theater, SCAD alumnus Jesse Hildreth (B.F.A. visual effects) will provide a behind-the-scenes look at “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which he worked on as a senior lighting technical director at Industrial Light & Magic in Vancouver. The evening will end with a screening of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and a special appearance by R2-D2.
Executive Director at the Office of CAS Kimberly Lopez said CAS evaluates the alumni programming after each Family and Alumni Weekend to reflect the SCAD value of growing while continually improving; the planning process begins at least six months in advance to the event.
“Our primary goals are to recognize SCAD’s outstanding alumni; reconnect SCAD alumni with the university, their faculty and fellow alumni and provide opportunities for alumni to engage with current students,” Lopez said.
Lopez said the SCAD events team plans the Sidewalk Arts Festival and the Student Success office plans the student and family programming elements of the weekend.
This year’s Alumni Reception was moved to its new venue at Forsyth House to feature an open studio with the current Alumni Atelier ambassadors, Lopez said. CAS also added several interactive components at the reception to enhance the alumni experience.
With regards to the Alumni Awards, CAS nominates potential distinguished and emerging alumni award recipients from each school based on specific criteria. A committee comprised of Dean of Students David Blake, Director of Success Advising Megan Jarrett and Assistant Director of Alumni Programs Grace Grund selected this year’s emerging and distinguished alumni award recipients.
Lopez views Family and Alumni Weekend as a celebratory and memorable experience for SCAD students, alumni and their guests, and she hopes students will join CAS in honoring the university’s alumni at the awards ceremony, keynote and film screening.
“Students will be inspired by this year’s talented alumni award winners whose collective achievements span the writing, film and historic preservation industries,” Lopez said.
Students and alumni can learn more about Family and Alumni Weekend activities here.
Written by Emilie Kefalas.
