Alicia Keys, Rachel Brosnahan to lead virtual 2020 SCAD commencement celebration
![Alicia Keys [Photo provided by SCAD]](/gcdn/authoring/2020/05/26/NSMN/ghows-GA-491a8525-94bb-4557-98c5-3ff6b4af43cb-fb3c7917.jpeg?width=660&height=519&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) congratulates the SCAD Class of 2020 with a digital commencement experience personalized for each graduate, featuring speaker Alicia Keys and host Rachel Brosnahan, according to a press release from SCAD.
The high-energy live-streaming event at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, will be simulcast on YouTube and scad.edu/commencement.
SCAD is collaborating with Google, a SCADpro partner, on the streaming delivery and support services, according to the release. Digital agency DEFINITION 6 partnered with SCAD to create the leading-edge platform that all members of the SCAD Class of 2020, their families, friends, and professors can personalize with digital content for a custom experience.
Keys will deliver the commencement address to more than 3,000 SCAD graduates and their families all over the globe, the release stated.
Keys just released her book, “More Myself: A Journey,” which is a New York Times best-seller. The book describes her journey from self-censorship to full expression, and serves as an inspiration for overcoming challenges to realize one’s full creative potential, the release stated.
Brosnahan will emcee the event. Her portrayal of aspiring stand-up comedian Midge Maisel in Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” has earned her an Emmy Award and two consecutive Golden Globes. She is also an advocate for homeless youth, joining the board of The Covenant House in 2018.
The digital commencement lineup features special performances, guest appearances, and virtual drop-ins on SCAD graduates as they celebrate at home, the release stated.
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Graduates represent SCAD programs that include interactive design and game development, interior design, film and television, advertising, graphic design, design management, and more. They will deliver speeches and be celebrated with videos showcasing their ingenuity and creativity, the release stated.
“In a season of great uncertainty, I am certain of one truth above all: None of us at SCAD shall ever forget the spring of 2020,” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace, in the release. “Earning a SCAD degree is a supremely difficult achievement, requiring an intense and sustained degree of study and focus, and our students have accomplished that feat during the greatest social change in a generation. That is not merely remarkable. It is heroic.”
SCAD graduates and their friends and family have the opportunity to customize commencement by uploading photos, videos, quotes, and more to create a curated viewing page and digital yearbook. The personalized graduation video, generated with select content that graduates uploaded to their page, celebrates their favorite moments during their time at SCAD and can be posted and shared to their social media platforms with #SCAD2020.
On commencement day, the customizable features will create a bespoke streaming experience for each graduate as their personalized pages become viewing rooms where they can watch the event with family and friends, according to the release. Graduates also received a “Party in a Box” containing props, favors and SCAD merchandise to add to their at-home celebrations.
“At SCAD, we teach user experience design, animation, motion media design, and a panoply of other programs of study that lead digital industries, so when we knew we were going virtual, we had to think in terms of the technical aspect as well as design aesthetics,” said Brad Grant, senior vice president for technology and development, in the release. “Customization, dynamic design, and personalization were elements we considered in an intentional and thoughtful manner. Our students have already shared more than 50,000 pieces of meaningful content to make their graduation moments unique and tailored expressly to them.”
Wallace will also present Michael Gough, vice president of product design at Uber, an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Gough has mentored SCAD students engaged in professional partnerships through SCADpro, the university’s creative consultancy and prototype generator, according to the release.
