The Bee and the Acorn

Classics

By: Paula Susan Wallace

Narrated by: Hannah Chiclana

"In 1977, the world was ready for something new," writes Savannah College of Art and Design president and founder Paula Wallace. "All around us, dreamers were dreaming up new ideas: Star Wars, The Clash, Apple. I was nearing thirty and...wondered if I could do more." What happened next would change the face of higher education.

An engaging, moving, and inspiring memoir, The Bee and the Acorn traces the journey of Wallace and her family to the historic Georgia coastal town of Savannah, where they set about creating a new university for the arts. The tiny college would be a radically different kind of institution, buzzing with progressive ideas about what education could be and what it should do for students. Nearly 40 years later, SCAD has become one of the largest and most highly regarded arts universities in the world.

Established in 1978, the Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 academic degree programs in 42 majors at locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Hong Kong; Lacoste, France; and online via SCAD eLearning. SCAD enrolls more than 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 100 countries. The university’s innovative curriculum is enhanced by professional-level technology, equipment, and learning resources, as well as opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and collaborative projects with corporate partners. In 2014, the prestigious Red Dot Design Rankings placed SCAD in the top ten universities in the Americas and Europe.

©2016 Paula Susan Wallace (P)2019 Paula Susan Wallace

Hope, Beauty, Bravery. Worth It!

I went on the SCAD visitor tour when I was in Savannah and found myself tearing up at Paula’s vision and story. It reminded me of my own desires for something more beautiful and my own loss of an educational experience that was very much not about me. Her story, the story of SCAD is so uplifting and restorative of hope that those of us who see the world differently can create and be successful at something that follows our heart. It’s an easy listen. Only drawbacks are there’s a bit of narrator splicing that doesn’t match previous sections and some overstating of facts / numbers about SCAD towards the end but doesn’t detract too much. Highly recommend overall! I cannot wait to go back to Savannah to explore all the museums and events she talks about in the book!

WOW! A+++

If Paula wasn't amazing enough with her courage, tenacity, creativity, and accomplishments... but she can write with a creative flair that give so much context and texture in the listen. And the reader with her rich emotions and characters... what a joy to experience. This school convinced me, a man with an architecture and construction background to believe in the viability of art school. Sure this book was great but my son and I went to SCAD day last month and there was so much positive energy and excitement at that school, with so many programs and insights into connecting the student with their career, I was overwhelmed and astonished. We stopped ou search for art college when we came here. I knew this was a place worthy to carry the mantle of Art College and a place where I literally felt jenuine trust that could care for and continue the journey of art exploration, for my one of a kind son. What a treasure is SCAD! THANK YOU PAULA!!!!!