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SCAD gets celebrities to teach online classes during COVID-19 closure

Atlanta - Runway coach from America’s Next Top Model “Miss J” aka J. Alexander demonstrates to SCAD models how to improve elegance, posture, and movement — and the proper way to hold a handbag — Friday, April 30, 2010. Miss J started his career working for Jean Paul Gaultier in New York and after a modeling stint in Tokyo, settled in Paris and became a sought after runway coach. (Vino Wong/AJC)
Atlanta - Runway coach from America’s Next Top Model “Miss J” aka J. Alexander demonstrates to SCAD models how to improve elegance, posture, and movement — and the proper way to hold a handbag — Friday, April 30, 2010. Miss J started his career working for Jean Paul Gaultier in New York and after a modeling stint in Tokyo, settled in Paris and became a sought after runway coach. (Vino Wong/AJC)
By Rosalind Bentley
April 6, 2020

The Savannah College of Art and Design is betting that a line up of celebrity writers, fashion leaders and producers will keep its students engaged this quarter since the campus, like thousands of others, has been forced into online learning by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Carson Kressley (RuPaul's Drag Race judge, original Queer Eye cast member), J. "Miss J" Alexander (America's Next Top Model mentor) and Morgan Neville (writer/producer Won't You Be my Neighbor) and Ane Crabtree (costume designer for The Handmaid's Tale), are among those scheduled to make appearances, virtually, according to the college. The series of classroom chats and drop-ins, called "Guests and Gusto," will run for 10 weeks.

“We bring the greats to them while they’re students, and after graduation, alumni capitalize on our university’s well-established friendships,” said Paula Wallace, SCAD president, in a statement. “Guest educators join with our renowned faculty to give students insider tips relevant to all the professions we teach.”

About the Author

Rosalind Bentley is an award-winning feature writer focusing on culture, arts and sometimes food, as they are expressed and experienced in Atlanta. She is a two-time James Beard Award finalist and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

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