Three Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta fashion students have been selected for the National Black Arts Festival’s M. Jack Anderson Emerging Talent Award, which recognizes students who have excelled academically and distinguished themselves as creative innovators in the field of fashion design. The award will be officially announced at NBAF’s Fine Art + Fashion benefit March 21, at Neiman Marcus, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE.

The student award winners are Salimi Akill, Alicia Akrie and Christian Harris. This is the second consecutive year SCAD students have taken all three awards.

Each winner will receive a $3,000 honorarium and their garments will be displayed in Neiman Marcus' store windows at Lenox Square.

Students were challenged to create a day, evening or 'wild card' design, and describe their design philosophy, elements of their design, and finally, their aspirations and use for the award scholarship.

The NBAF is a non-profit organization dedicated to the celebration of the arts and culture of the African Diaspora. The M. Jack Anderson Emerging Talent Award was established in honor of the late M. Jack Anderson, brother of noted philanthropist and Fine Art + Fashion chair, Sandra Anderson Baccus. The award scholarship has become synonymous with creativity and cutting-edge design for students.

 

This year’s Fine Art + Fashion event will also honor senior vice president/fashion director for Neiman Marcus, Ken Downing, Iona Rozeal Brown and visual artist Houston Llew. Actress Nicole Ari Parker and health expert Dovett Quince from “The Biggest Loser” will host the evening.