SCAD Museum of Art
Museum · Savannah ·
Contemporary art in historic railroad depot, rotating global exhibits
Contemporary art in historic railroad depot, rotating global exhibits
"Spotlighting both emerging and established artists, this museum houses a robust permanent collection of 4,500 works by Alicia McCarthy, Arturo Alomar, and Beauford Delaney, alongside rotating exhibitions—large-scale paintings by Michi Meko that focus on “the African American experience of navigating public spaces, particularly in the American South” are on view until early January 2026." - Lindsay Cohn
"The Savannah College of Art and Design is partly to thank for the city’s youthful, vibrant art scene — and the SCAD Museum is a great way to pay homage to its students. With new exhibitions on display every academic quarter and a handful of permanent art collections, this museum highlights the talents of SCAD scholars." - Karen Norian
"A contemporary art museum affiliated with the Savannah College of Art and Design that mounts a rotating series of contemporary exhibitions throughout the year and highlights the city's creative energy." - Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel is a writer with more than eight years of experience editing and writing for both brands and online publications—with a particular focus on travel, fashion, and lifestyle. She’s also the founder of the travel site justpacked.com. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"The United States’ oldest surviving railroad depot is the setting for one of Savannah’s newest art museums: the SCAD Museum of Art, which saw a major expansion in 2011. You might think that trying to put a modern spin on an 1853 antebellum building could go quite badly, but the end result is lovely. The long, low building features restored Savannah gray brick, a towering glass atrium, and some glassy exterior touches. There’s a lot going on inside, too: Sculptural representations of city skylines made up of tables and kitchen knives by Latin American artist Carlos Garaicoa; group exhibits exploring the profound influence of Mexican sculptor Elizabeth Catlett; and a showcase of work by Virginia Jackson Kiah, a painter and civil rights activist with long ties to the university. Other names over the past decade have included Kehinde Wiley, Nick Cave, and Ebony G. Patterson." - Ariel Felton, Sam Worley
"What’s this place all about? The United States’ oldest surviving railroad depot is the setting for one of Savannah’s newest art museums: the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Museum of Art, which wrapped its major expansion in 2011. You might think that trying to put a modern spin on an 1853 antebellum building could go quite badly, but the end result is quite a lovely thrill to behold. The long, low building features restored Savannah gray brick, a towering glass atrium, and some glassy exterior touches; somehow, though, it all works. There’s a lot going on inside, too, with galleries on the first floor displaying a rotating, thoughtful collection of contemporary art; the second floor is mostly academic space. What will we see here? The art here is always rotating, though curators are able to draw from a deep well of the museum’s permanent collection, which emphasizes African American art, 19th- and 20th-century photography, and more. There is, in fact, one permanent piece here that you should seek out: a bronze medallion, embedded in the lobby floor, that honors Ellen and William Craft. The Crafts, held in slavery in antebellum Macon, Georgia, devised an ingenious plan of escape: Light-skinned Ellen posed as a white slave owner; William, her property. Together they passed through this very building—arriving by train from Macon, then boarding a steamship to Charleston. Continuing north, they made it safely across the Mason-Dixon Line. What other kinds of exhibits rotate through? The exhibits are curious and thought-provoking; sculptural representations of city skylines comprised of tables and kitchen knives by Latin American artist Carlos Garaicoa, group exhibits exploring the profound influence of Mexican sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, and a showcase of work by Virginia Jackson Kiah, a painter and civil rights activist with long ties to the university. Other names over the past decade have included Kehinde Wiley, Nick Cave, and Ebony G. Patterson. What did you make of the crowd? Students going this way and that—there are SCAD classrooms on the second floor, and you might see kids studying in the courtyard—but don’t expect huge crowds. There’s room for all. Gift shop and café: obligatory, inspiring—or skip? Shopping and dining converge at Tad, a small cafe just off the lobby. There are better places to eat in Savannah, but if you’re dying for a quick bite you can avail yourself of a pretty decent sandwich or grain bowl. The place to really check out is shopSCAD, on Bull Street; the gallery displays eye-popping student creations, from candles and jewelry to prints. How much time do we need here? It'd be hard to spend more than 90 minutes without taking lengthy breaks in the courtyard. The museum is also pretty centrally located in Savannah, so if you're strolling about the historic district, you could easily incorporate it into your route." - Sam Worley, Ariel Felton