Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has been a key player in Atlanta’s creative landscape for nearly two decades. World class fashion, art and design is generated by SCAD students, one of whom was on our September style cover last year!
The addition of SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in 2015 introduced a wealth of new opportunities for learning about the designers and artists that students are studying in the classroom, and opened a channel to highlight Atlanta’s arts and culture scene on an international scale.
Newly appointed SCAD FASH Executive Director Alex Delotch is a SCAD alumnus who brings over fifteen years of experience as a leading arts marketer, strategist, and connector in Atlanta’s vibrant arts and cultural scene. She currently serves on the board of Atlanta Celebrates Photography and was recently appointed to Mayor Andre Dickens’ Atlanta Arts Advisory Committee.
We sat down with Alex to learn more about SCAD FASH and her plans for the future of the museum.
BHCL: Tell us about how the museum fits into the SCAD ecosystem and what it offers to students and the community?
SCAD FASH is an extension of the university and a complement to our mission to prepare students for creative professions through engaged teaching and learning. Students are able to visit the museum in Atlanta (and at our location in Lacoste, France!) to see the work of designers and artists they are studying in the classroom. We exhibit works from the early 20th century through to now to showcase how design evolves and how the past influences the present. We also show the intersection between fashion and other creative disciplines so that students get an expanded perspective on where their careers can take them.
We bring fashion designers, photographers, artists, celebrities, top models to the city from all over the world. We want Atlantans to visit and learn about the contributions of these talented artists through exhibitions not presented anywhere else in the world.
BHCL: As the new Executive Director, what’s first on your list of things to enact at SCAD FASH?
One of my goals is to create a series of programs that will entice guests to not only visit more often, but to dig deeper into our exhibitions, the themes and craftsmanship represented in the work of artists that we exhibit. Fashion, like all other art forms, reflects contemporary culture, politics and social ideologies that influence our daily lives.
BHCL: You’re a SCAD alum! What’s the most valuable lesson you learned during your time as a student at SCAD?
I’m incredibly fortunate to have earned a Masters at SCAD in luxury and fashion management. A big lesson that stood out to me is that creativity is a practice. SCAD taught me how to channel my talents plus my personal keen interest in the arts, fashion and design with the business acumen that has served me well in my professional endeavors – and now brought me back to the university in this capacity at SCAD FASH. It’s truly been a full circle and rewarding journey!
BHCL: What are some of your personal inspirations and influences in art, design and fashion?
I always credit my father as my first influence. He loved fashion and design and introduced me to it through his own pastime of buying fabrics and working with tailors to make suits and pants. I take great pleasure in seeing the work of our students around campus with the understanding that it all starts from nothing, it’s an idea, an imagined thing that they work to bring to fruition. That in and of itself is a constant source of inspiration.
BHCL: What events and exhibitions will be on at SCAD FASH this fall?
We have Ellen von Unwerth’s luscious and arresting photography on view in This Side of Paradise. The exhibition explores her photographs and films featuring themes of bold sensuality and female empowerment, narratives that have carried throughout her work for over three decades.
In August we are thrilled to open The Blonds: Glamour, Fashion, Fantasy, the first museum exhibition for The Blonds — designers and life partners David and Phillipe. The exhibition will feature more than 80 show stopping high-fashion-meets-costume-design creations by The Blonds. Our creative director Rafael Gomes has curated an incredible exhibition of The Blonds’ most iconic looks worn by superstars including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Billy Porter. It will be a must-see in Atlanta!
BHCL: How can people support and get involved with the Museum?
We would love for people to join SCAD FASH! Members are invited to exclusive events, educational programs, behind-the-scenes tours of SCAD’s permanent collection, in addition to access to SCAD FASH in Atlanta and SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah. Visit often and bring all your friends!