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SCAD students enjoy a White (House) Christmas — a perfect punctuation to a monumental 2010

Published: Jan 14, 2011

In mid-December, B.F.A. fibers student Holly Sexton drove six hours from her home in Salisbury, North Carolina, to the nation’s capital for a tour of the White House. Sexton, like most of the 100,000 people estimated to tour the national landmark during the holiday season, marveled at the 20-foot-tall, 13-foot-wide Douglas fir in the center of the Blue Room – but for an altogether different reason.

Sexton designed and handcrafted 56 of the 168 ornaments adorning the residence’s official holiday tree.  She was one of three SCAD fibers students, along with an alumnus and a staff member, to help adorn the Blue Room Tree.

During her visit, Sexton’s eyes focused more on the other visitors than on the tree itself. Resisting the urge to clue fellow tourists in on her creations, she remained anonymous, standing close by to observe their reactions.

“There were 19 Christmas trees on display, and people were taking photos of all of them,” Sexton said. “But the Blue Room tree stood out. It was the only tree visitors posed in front of for photos and took pictures with the ornaments.”

Just one month earlier, SCAD fibers students first learned about the opportunity to submit proposals for the White House tree decorations. If the challenge wasn’t imposing enough, they only had a few days to do so.

Guided by the White House’s 2010 holiday theme of “Simple Gifts,” Sexton imagined the possibilities. With small-town Americana in mind, Sexton settled on state-fair-inspired prize ribbons – one for every state and territory and each featuring a button emblazoned with a graphic of an indigenous resource.

“Everyone I saw touring the White House connected with at least one ornament – a home state, a favorite food,” she said. “It was incredible.”

B.F.A. fibers student Ricki Dwyer created another 56 of the tree’s ornaments, each symbolizing a state or territory through a sustainable, local food product (peaches for Georgia, cheese for Wisconsin, apples for New York, etc.). She even included text highlighting the nutritional value of each particular food.

“I thought Michelle Obama would appreciate it,” she said, referencing the White House garden and the first lady’s promotion of healthy food.

Dwyer’s ornaments – made from locally sourced and environmentally friendly materials such as organic cotton, natural wool and felt, and unprocessed muslin – took five straight 20-hour days to complete, even with the help of fibers classmates.

M.F.A. fibers student Michael-Birch Pierce was one of those assisting friends, who then received a more hefty assignment: the tree’s skirt.

Pierce constructed the skirt, measuring 18 feet in diameter, using white and taupe wool felt. He then embroidered the lyrics to the Obamas’ favorite song, “America the Beautiful,” with six-inch letters around the edge. He did not have the chance to visit the White House in person but “obsessively Googled” photos of the tree.

“This is definitely one of the reasons I chose SCAD – its connections to big institutions, big-name artists and designers,” said Pierce, who was in his first quarter at SCAD at the time. “Coming to SCAD was a no-brainer, and my reasoning has already proven itself true.”

ShopSCAD director and co-creator Amy Zurcher, along with store manager Kyle Millsap (B.F.A., illustration, 2006), added the final 56 ornaments.

The duo hand-painted 56 pennant-style felt flags for each state and territory and hand-stamped ornaments made from vintage books with “America the Beautiful” lyrics. They then flew to Washington, D.C., to assist with the two-day installation of the tree and its ornaments.

“I don’t think I have ever felt so patriotic,” Zurcher said.

Millsap, whose father served in the military for 30 years, agreed: “I felt like I was doing my civic duty, giving back to my country in my own way using my own skill set.”

Like most SCAD projects, this historical achievement involved collaboration and coordination across the fibers department, shopSCAD, Working Class Studio and other departments of the university.

“It’s great that SCAD got to be a part of this,” Dwyer said, “and I’m lucky to be a part of SCAD.”

All of the participating artists described the experience as an honor, an unprecedented opportunity – one that is still not fully comprehensible.

“I never in a million years would have imagined I would be creating work for the president and the first family,” Sexton said. “SCAD highlights the students with a  national platform and give us opportunities we wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

Watch a White House video and a YouTube video about the White House Christmas Tree.

View the full article here.