Kaylani J. McCard was awarded the 2021 Savageau Award for a Master of Fine Arts design student on June 10 during a virtual opening celebration of the annual Arts and Humanities Graduate Exhibition at UC Davis. McCard (also known as Kaylani Juanita) is a freelance picture book illustrator and writer with a focus on counter-storytelling based on her experience as a biracial Black woman. McCard strives to create new ways for people to imagine themselves.

McCard received a Coretta Scott King 2021 Illustrator Honor for her Illustrations in Magnificent Homespun Brown, as well as a Stonewall Book Award for When Aidan Became a Brother. Some of her clients include Chronicle Books, Tilbury House, Lee and Low and many more. Also in 2021, the San Francisco Public Library selected McCard as the Summer Stride Artist, an annual summer learning, reading and exploration program for all ages. 

Dan Tran was awarded an honorable mention for his thesis ”RECASTING: resilient, bio-based alternatives for concrete & ceramics.” Central to his exhibit is the debut of Aperiodic Table, a bi-modular, reconfigurable sculpture in which each module is made from a different biogenic cement composite (BCC) formula. Its geometry is based on Penrose tiling, resembling the aperiodic micro-scale aggregate crystallization patterns which occur in cements. Like the periodic table of elements or community quilt projects, it’s a multi-phase, collaborative project which artists/scientists will add new BCCs to and reconfigure over time. 

Established in 2019, the Savageau Award is aimed at furthering the career of a graduating M.F.A. design student and to encourage, recognize and celebrate creative and original contributions to the discipline of design. It is named for Ann Savageau, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Design from 2007 to 2014.