‘Tideland’ is an exhibition of black and white photographs by Savannah-based photographer Parker Stewart (b. 1992). Taken between 2020 and 2024, these evocative photographs document the coast of Georgia by transporting the viewer into the visceral and primordial atmosphere of the barrier islands and inland waterways.

The SCAD Museum of Art is proud to honor our U.S. service members by participating in the annual Blue Star Museums movement. In collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America, SCAD MOA welcomes active-duty military personnel and their families with complimentary admission starting on Armed Forces Day, May 17, through Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2025. We look forward to presenting our latest exhibitions to these brave responders.

The SCAD Museum of Art joins world-renowned cultural institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; the de Young Museum, San Francisco; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the Dallas Museum of Art as a Blue Star Museum participant.

(Un)Grounded, a solo exhibition of new work by Iranian-American artist Raheleh Filsoofi, is an immersive multimedia installation of ceramic vessels, sound, and video in conversation with the pottery and landscapes on view in The Moss Mystique: Southern Women and Newcomb Pottery. Over the past two years, Filsoofi has traveled to nine states in the Southeast to collect soil, including a visit to Savannah in April 2024. She has carefully archived, processed, and extracted the clay from these locations to form the physical and symbolic content of her multidisciplinary practice. Embracing her movement as a woman and immigrant within the region, (Un)Grounded considers the legacies of Newcomb Pottery through Filsoofi’s personal identity to engage with present-day perceptions surrounding southern identity, transience, and meanings of authenticity.

In 1895, administrators in the art department at the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College in New Orleans, Louisiana, a women’s higher education institution that was joined to Tulane University, started a new commercial enterprise so that their students could put the skills they learned in their art and design courses into practice. A group of potters, mostly men, created the various objects out of clays sourced throughout the South, and women graduates of the art program painted them with images of flora and fauna. Newcomb Pottery quickly received praise throughout the US for the quality of its designs and the perceived authenticity of its representation of Southern regional identity, and these strong ties to location remain present today, long after the Pottery’s closure in 1939.

This exhibition focuses on the Newcomb potters’ material and chosen subjects, their relationships to regional identity, and the Pottery’s changing approaches to these subjects over time. Tasked with representing the region through their work, Newcomb designers earned a reputation for turning to their local environment for inspiration. This exhibition explores how designs that featured repeating, semi-abstract, and carefully selected plants such as waterlilies eventually transformed into muted landscapes of moss-draped oaks and cypresses, and the way these images matched romanticized visions of the South that were growing in the 20th century. The Moss Mystique asks visitors to reconsider their ideas about what makes a place unique. In an adjacent gallery, interdisciplinary artist Raheleh Filsoofi’s new multimedia exhibition (Un)Grounded will respond to the complexities of Newcomb pottery.

100 Days of Purpose – June 1–September 8 (ongoing)
Led by Savannah’s only lifestyle medicine physician and coaching team at Purpose & Plants, this 100-day community wellness challenge inspires simple, daily actions tied to your deeper purpose. It’s free, flexible, and designed to help you reset, recharge, and reconnect. Join the private Facebook group to access all of the free giveaways and resources.
→ Join anytime: https://purposeandplants.com/100-days-of-purpose-1

James Benjamin Franklin has brightly reimagined the conventions of painting through a language of process and discovery. His works incorporate repurposed textiles such as blankets, towels, afghans, clothing, and bathroom mats, creating sensually-layered rafts of visual and physical texture which serve as alternative canvases. These surfaces, in turn, are painted, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed with materials which include acrylic paint, sand and glitter. Whereas traditional canvas can be precious or overbearing, Franklin’s tactile surfaces are liberating and playful. They allow open experimentation where his visual lexicon and studio methods can evolve or reinvent themselves.

Franklin’s paintings are housed in handcrafted plaster-molded frames, each one with a unique geometry. Irregular shapes complement and contain the playful chaos of the many-layered painting surfaces. His process of discovery explores how specific media become more meaningful when applied to textiles and other found surfaces. His work is experimental in the best sense of that oft-used expression: it deploys intentional, rigorous investigation while learning from each new result.

The finished pieces suggest an artist who relishes surprise at the unexpected while discovering freedom in technique. This freedom has led Franklin to refine his practice with increasing nuance in shape, edge, color, and texture, and their interactions over time. Ultimately, the artist wishes to communicate something essentially human about the making of his art – the joys of creative experimentation, as evidenced by the work itself.

“There’s an understanding of time that I appreciate,” says Franklin. “You can get a sense of how the art was made, revealing a story or history to the process – the joy, as well as the struggle. Bringing the viewer into the piece and having a shared experience about making and about life.” Creative acts are communicated and felt more urgently than an aesthetics borne of intellectual preoccupations. Within a single work of art, new meanings and additional layers are revealed over time. Franklin’s art is evergreen, relational, and continuously inspiring.

Paintings shown in Visitor feature vivid, bold colors and mark-making, resulting in finishes and atmospheres which are new to Franklin’s body of work. His edges and borders have also evolved, enabling a variety of ways of seeing the painting as an ensemble. The frames create counterpoints to prevailing visual energies which radiate from an alchemical display of pigment, texture, and surface.

The title of the show references a poetic entrance, or visitation, to otherworldly spaces. Franklin is a first-time visitor to Savannah, Georgia, where his work also fills the galleries at Laney Contemporary for the first time. Both artist and audience share an experience of visiting and being visited.

Bio:
James Benjamin Franklin received his BFA from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA in 1999 and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI in 2017. Recent exhibitions include Cranbrook Museum of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI; KMAC, Louisville, KY; FRONT International, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH; Broadway, New York, NY; Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, MI; Reyes | Finn, Detroit, MI; and Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City. Franklin was born in Tacoma, WA in 1972 and lives and works in Detroit, MI.

Hours:
Tuesday-Friday, 11-5pm
Saturday, 11-2pm
Free Admission

Join us for our 2025 Summer Festival, Once Upon a Time, as we celebrate the VOICE Programs’ 25 years of educating aspiring singers, honor Maestro Milnes’ 90th birthday, and recognize the 60th anniversary of Sherrill’s debut at the Metropolitan Opera and his great performances at all major opera houses around the world.

We invite you on a fairy tale journey that includes the world premiere of Cinderella’s Royal Feast by Michael Ching, an opera written and presented in collaboration with students from Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, a concert directed by famed composer, David Friedman, and a celebration of Sherrill Milnes’ career – culminating with Verdi’s Rigoletto, one of Sherrill’s most acclaimed roles.

Get ready to step into the magical world of The Land of the Sweets, now in its 4th year of free and inclusive outreach, open to youth and adults ages 6 to 106! LOS is an original and inclusive rendition of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, offering a unique blend of spoken word, dancing, live music, and vibrant costuming. With a shortened runtime, it’s perfect for families of all ages to enjoy the performing arts together this holiday season!

Anyone over 6 years old through adults are welcome to register for auditions, and if cast, participation in the entire program is completely free for youth! From undergarments to healthy snacks, professional rehearsals and coaching, and multiple theater performances — we work to provide it all!! No experience necessary!

Auditions are scheduled for August 16th, from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM at the Tybee Post Theater.
Specific time slots are assigned based on age. Please fill out the registration form on our website.

Join us for a Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Benefit at the Refuge Pavilion for Connection, Community & Cause.

You will learn about the Refuge and the Friends of Coastal Refuges and their missions from, take a nature mindfulness walk with Kelley Boyd, Master Naturalist and Owner of Savannah Yoga Center and then enjoy a beginner-level yoga flow to benefit the Savannah Costal Refuges Complex with SYC teacher, Stephanie Jones.

***LOCATION: This Event will be held in the Beech Hill Pavilion at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Welcome Center, 694 Beech Hill Ln, Hardeeville, SC. Only 7 miles north and 10 minutes from downtown Savannah!***

No yoga experience necessary! 100% of the proceeds will be donated!

Cost: $25 if registered by August 11th. $35 after.
Pre-registration required!
NO WALK-UPS – due to federal law, we can not take any money on site.

Discover the fascinating world of crabs along the Georgia coast during this family-friendly crabbing event at the UGA Aquarium! Did you know the scientific name for the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, means “savory beautiful swimmer”? Or that a horseshoe crab isn’t actually a true crab?

The program begins indoors, where you’ll learn fun facts about blue crabs, explore our touch tanks, and observe the incredible diversity of coastal crabs up close. Then, we’ll head outside for a hands-on, catch-and-release crabbing lesson on the dock behind the aquarium. Join us for a fun and educational adventure on the water!

Registration is required and includes admission to the UGA Aquarium. Children ages 5 and up are welcome but must be accompanied by a registered adult.

In this special anniversary year, hear directly from the legend himself about his journey from young singer to legendary performer and mentor. Maestro Milnes will take audience questions, and will be available to sign books after the event. Standard tickets are $35.00 each.

Take a train ride at Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah.

Train Rides in August are: Fridays-Sundays. Train rides are at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm.

Schedule and locomotives subject to change, please call ahead. (912) 651-6823

Get ready to elevate your weekends with the best brunch in Savannah. AMP’D is a high-energy rooftop brunch experience at Electric Moon at the iconic Plant Riverside District in Savannah.Set against the backdrop of panoramic Savannah River views, this one-of-a-kind brunch pairs bold culinary creations with vibrant music and a lively social scene.

Your experience begins with a complimentary welcome cocktail, followed by a decadent, chef-curated brunch spread and bottomless mimosas that flow as effortlessly as the rooftop vibes. At AMP’D, brunch in Savannah isn’t just a meal — it’s an experience.

*All AMP’D Brunch guests must be 16 .

$50 per person includes buffet brunch, bottomless mimosas and a welcome cocktail.

Sip, savor, and soak in the views at Spritz on the Roof, the August rooftop brunch experience at Myrtle & Rose in Savannah’s iconic Plant Riverside District. Enjoy a vibrant selection of handcrafted spritz cocktails, delicious brunch fare, and live music — all set against stunning panoramic views of the Savannah River.

Whether you’re celebrating summer or just brunching in style, this themed rooftop event is the perfect blend of flavor and atmosphere. Reserve your table now for Savannah’s most elevated brunch experience — seating is limited!

Celebrate 106 years of Leopold’s Ice Cream (212 E Broughton St) in beautiful downtown Savannah on Saturday, August 16th with Stratton and Mary Leopold and revered guest of honor Lieutenant Colonel John A. White, who will cut the Leopold’s Birthday Cake at 2 PM; entire event from 11 AM – 5 PM. This event is free and open to the public!

There will be games, local food from The Naked Dog, Magic Mark, and a Doggie Oasis from Oliver Bentley’s, along with music, dancing, face painting, our I pledge event, cake cutting ceremony, and, of course, lots of Leopold’s Ice Cream! This annual event celebrates and thanks the Savannah Community for their unwavering support of Leopold’s Ice Cream since 1919.

Lieutenant Colonel John A. White is one of “The Original Nine.” Born in 1924, in Savannah, Georgia, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943 and served in the Marines during WWII as part of the 51st Defense Battalion in the South Pacific. That same year, he was recruited by the Savannah Police Department, becoming the first African American law officer in Georgia in 1947. He was promoted to corporal in 1956.

In 2021, Bouhan Street at Waters Avenue, where White lived his entire life in Savannah, was officially designated Lieutenant John White Avenue. He and his wife, Sallie Catherine Williams White, had five children.