Welcome to SCAD Lacoste

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SCAD Lacoste

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Welcome to the Savannah College of Art and Design's Lacoste location. My name is Cal Pyrch and I received my bachelors degree in Illustration from SCAD. I'll be one of your virtual tour guides today. Before we begin today's tour, let me describe just a few of the tools you can use to explore our campuses. To move along the tour route, simply click the forward facing arrow located below in the center of the screen. Here, you will also find a complete list of all the tour stops. The next stop button allows you to move ahead on the tour, while the previous stop button, allows you revisit your last destination. At each tour stop, be sure to take advantage of the 360, photo, and video options to see additional images, videos and panoramic views of each location. Now you're ready to explore the SCAD Lacoste. Let's get started! SCAD's residential study-abroad location in Lacoste, France, offers immersion in the rich culture of Provence … a storied region that has attracted artists since the 15th century. Spilling down the hillside below the ruins of the château of the Marquis de Sade, Lacoste is a charming and picturesque community with vistas spanning the vineyard and orchard-filled Luberon Valley to the east of Avignon. SCAD Lacoste consists of more than 30 buildings dating from the 11th to the 19th centuries. In true SCAD style, these revitalized, historic spaces, now classrooms, studios, and technology labs, offer a variety of modern amenities while still retaining their original charm. SCAD Lacoste also features a 5,200-volume library, art galleries, a retail boutique, dining halls, and on-site housing. Large, airy studios dedicated to painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography and digital imaging add to the Lacoste experience.

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Welcome to Maison Basse. The broad valley between the villages of Lacoste and Bonnieux … Maison Basse is a standing testament to medieval European life and earlier agrarian activities. Maison Basse … and much of the surrounding area … belonged to the family of the Marquis de Sade until the French Revolution in the late 18th century. Archaeological evaluations indicate that the site was continuously inhabited from prehistory through the 1960s. In the tradition of stewardship long maintained by the university at each of its locations, SCAD remains committed to the preservation of this cultural landmark for its students and as a precious reminder of the unique heritage and remarkable beauty of the Provençal region. Now revitalized, the Maison Basse serves as housing, as well as a space for studio classes, seminars, lectures and demonstrations in the former farmhouse and barn.

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Café des Artistes, one of SCAD Lacoste's dining halls, is located near La Place de la Poste in a former bakery and barn. Here, students, faculty, and visiting artists can grab a delicious meal of local fare throughout the day. The adjoining high-walled veranda fitted with bistro tables and chairs beckons guests to delight in al fresco dining.

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Perched on a hill overlooking the Luberon Valley, this SCAD Lacoste dining hall boasts an exterior terrace with breathtaking views.

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Step through the guard gate, the original entrance to the village of Lacoste, to arrive at Maison Olivier, a student residence at SCAD Lacoste. This former 16th-century guard house was integral to the village's protection system which included the gate, guard tower, and rampart walls. Today, Maison Olivier contains living and studio spaces for SCAD Lacoste students.

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The French affiliate of the university's SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta, SCAD FASH Lacoste cultivates cultural and creative exploration, enthralling visitors with critically acclaimed exhibitions by internationally renowned fashion designers, filmmakers, and photographers. Illuminating contemporary innovations as well as storied legacies, the museum celebrates fashion as a universal language, garments as important conduits of identity, and film as an immersive and memorable medium.

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The SCAD Lacoste Admission and History center — housed inside a 17th-century kitchen — holds artifacts SCAD preservationists discovered while restoring the SCAD Lacoste facilities. Inside, you'll find a treasure trove of village relics like Roman carvings and coins, medieval artifacts, World War II bullets, and a 16th-century cannonball.

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The lofty, rock-lined ledges, and verdant terrace gardens of the Pfriem Complex afford sweeping views of the lush Luberon Valley with its patchwork lavender meadows, golden fields of towering sunflowers, and meandering country roads. Ideal for both outdoor entertaining and academic activities the spacious Pfriem Terrace provides ample room for visitors and guests to mingle comfortably. SCAD Lacoste students often use these open areas as impromptu studio spaces, perfect for painting, drawing and dramatic performance.

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SCAD Lacoste's three-story library is housed in the village's former boulangerie, or bakery, a structure that dates back to the 17th century. The cozy interior features an original domed stone oven on the ground floor, an area that now serves as an intimate reading area. The carefully curated 5,200-volume library — specially tailored for courses offered in Lacoste — allows students to delve into research or pore over tomes for inspiration.

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Unveiled in celebration of SCAD Lacoste's twenty-year anniversary, La Promenade de Sculptures is a permanent installation embodying the ingenuity of 10 SCAD artists. Curated by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace and chief operating officer Glenn Wallace, and organized by SCAD Museum of Art associate curator Ben Tollefson, the works pay homage to the beauty and magic of the Luberon Valley.

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This is the Pitot Housing Complex. Named after a local farming family with traceable roots to the days of the Marquis de Sade's inhabitation of the Chateau, the Pitot Housing Complex currently houses students and professors. SCAD Lacoste offers unique student accommodations with details and structures preserved to remain true to the architecture of Provence.

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In 2019, the Theatre du SCAD opened in the restored eighth-century barn of La Maison Basse. This 100-seat venue supports classroom instruction, film screenings, and local and regional events.

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A sign of community independence, the belfry and its iron bell tower were built in 1793 atop a private dwelling that was once a small medieval watchtower. The passage under the vault leads out of the village to the chateau. Each day, the clock is wound, and the bell rings in two sets in case the first set of rings was not fully heard, villagers and now students can stop, listen, and count the second set to learn the hour.

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Hidden from the street, the Chemin Parc terrace offers yet another amazing view of the Luberon Valley. SCAD Lacoste students often use this open area as an impromptu studio, perfect for painting, drawing and dramatic performance. The spacious terrace also serves as an excellent venue for outdoor receptions and celebrations.

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Maison Forte is an 11th-century armory … and has the distinction of being the oldest building in the village. The arched open space lends itself to lecture-style classroom configurations while the piano and pitch-perfect acoustics make Maison Forte an excellent rehearsal and concert space. Screenings, lectures, presentations, and the occasional talent show are all held here.

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Breathtaking outdoor spaces abound in Lacoste's rural setting and the Olivier Terrace is no exception. Adjacent to Maison Olivier, this 16th-century guard outlook affords sweeping views of the Petit Luberon mountain range. From here, you can take in the sights of the limestone-capped Mount Ventoux, known by cycling enthusiasts as the "Giant of Provence."

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Overviewing the village of Bonnieux, Maison Fortune stands next to a boules courtyard where students can participate in one of Provence's traditional games — La Pétanque.

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Located a few steps from the studios and across from the Café de France, the mayor's office is central to the village life. From birth certificates to marriage ceremonies, every important French life event includes the mayor's involvement.

Welcome to SCAD Lacoste

SCAD Lacoste

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Maison Basse

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Cafe des Artistes

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Le Beauregard

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Guard Gate

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SCAD FASH Lacoste

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Admissions and History Museum

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Pfriem Terrace

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Library / Boulangerie

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Promenade de Sculptures

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Pitot Area - Student Housing

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Theatre du SCAD

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Belfry

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Chemin Parc

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Maison Forte

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Olivier Terrace

Maison Fortune and Boules Courte

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Mayor's Office

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