Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students spread love to dozens of Love Street residents in West Savannah on Valentine’s Day morning. They surprised residents by adorning their homes with individual handmade hearts which included a small tag that read “Love is in the air, xoxo SCAD”.

SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace created this initiative to bring joy to SCAD’s hometowns of Savannah and Lacoste, France, and to engage with talented alumni.

Each heart, made of fabric, felt, and yarn, are personalized works of art. They were made earlier this month at a workshop with SCAD Alumna Trish Andersen, a fiber artist and the founder of a fine art and home textiles studio.

“It is always so inspiring for me to get to work with current students. I appreciate their excitement, fresh perspective, and energy. It makes me feel better about the future! I see myself in them and in turn I hope they can see themselves in me. I hope I can also inspire and remind them that their dreams are possible,” said Andersen.

Her work has been exhibited at Design Miami and commissioned by Coca-Cola, Kimpton Hotels, Google, and BlackRock Financial among other clients across the globe. She currently lives and works in Savannah and loved the idea of spreading love to her fellow Savannahians.

“I think we need more simple acts of kindness in the world and what’s a better way to show this than with something handmade? Little bits of love add up! I hope they bring lots of smiles and can serve as a reminder that kindness is all around us. Love truly is in the air in Savannah!”

Students delivered more than 200 hearts to residents on Love Street and few other homes and businesses across the city. Hearts were also delivered to homes near SCAD’s location in Lacoste.

To learn more about SCAD, visit scad.edu

This article appears in Connect Savannah | February, 2023.