Written by Shelby Loebker
Photos by Angie Stong
SCAD’s Black Student Association (BSA) hosted its first ‘Lights, Camera, Excellence’ showcase on Friday, Feb. 25.
The event was intended to culminate the BSA’s ongoing celebration and recognition of Black History Month. College students throughout Savannah were invited. SCAD, Savannah State University, and Armstrong State University were all well represented among the attendees and performers.
The doors to Arnold Hall opened at 8 p.m., with a showcase of visual art. A select number of students had tables to display and sell a variety of their artwork – including mixed media, collages, photography, and prints.
Tiffany Skyers, a third-year Graphic Design student at SCAD, displayed her paintings during this visual portion of the showcase. She said, “[the BSA] asked at a regular meeting if members were interested in showing their work. They were familiar with my art, but they asked us to submit samples ahead of time to make sure everything was appropriate for the event.” Skyers has been a member of the BSA since her first year at SCAD.
Attendees slowly filled the Arnold Hall Auditorium, where the performance showcase began at 8:30. The auditorium was buzzing with the crowd’s energy, which was consistent through the hour-and-a-half-long showcase. Jamil Houston and Whitney Sylvain, Mr. and Miss Black Student Association, welcomed attendees and introduced performers.
The ‘Lights, Camera, Excellence’ performances covered a variety of talents including, dance, fashion design, poetry recitation, singing, acting, and modeling. From the opening performance, when the African Student Association Dance Team pulled an audience member on to the stage and taught him their choreography, the attendees were constantly clapping, cheering, and snapping for the performers and even stray members of the stage crew. The crowd’s energy and enthusiasm transformed the event, carrying the performers through mild tech and staging errors.
Julian Rutledge, president of the BSA, closed the event with a brief speech. He spoke of the event’s purpose saying ‘Lights, Camera, Excellence was, along with the BSA in general, “the stepping stone to the environment I want to see at SCAD.” Rutledge continued to explain, “If we create a place where excellence is appreciated we can move mountains…We together can do it. It’s going to take all of us.”
The Black Student Association meets every other Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Boundary Village Common room.
