Area performers, storytellers and art activities related to the Geechee-Gullah culture and inviting the participation of neighborhood associations including Cuyler-Brownsville, Tatemville and the communities of Sandfly and Pinpoint.

Jamal Toure, a griot or living historian, is founder of The African Spirits of Day Clean -an organization dedicated to preserving the history and culture of African Americans. Toure will present a living history exhibit based on the Geechee-Gullah culture.

Louise Cohen , a fifth generation native Hilton Head Islander, is a captivating storyteller and speaker of Gullah—a language she grew up speaking. As rooted as she always was on this history-rich sea isle, with its gentle beaches and sanctuaries of oak forest that echo with the praise of her ancestors, Louise found that something was missing. It has become Louise’s mission to tell the stories of her people.

Culture Music by DJ Shaka Zulu, a Reggae DJ heard weekly on WHCJ Radio.

Named in honor of the man whose talent still endures in Savannah, the William Jay Society (WJS) is a group of young professionals aged twenty-one and older who support Telfair Museums. Society members enjoy art-related social activities while volunteering their time and creativity to broaden the influence of the museum in Savannah and the surrounding community.

Name: Sammi
Nominated by: Abigail Miller

Samson, AKA Sammi, is a lovable orange tabby. Not quite a kitten yet not quite a cat, Sammi enjoys tumbling with his doggy pal Peluche (a 15lb Pomeranian.) This mischievous kitty is known to hide hair ties and pounce on passerby’s feet. He enjoys the company of people and other animals and purrs quite loudly when petted.

Images by John Alexander

SCAD presents “Spectrum,” the annual summer sales exhibition featuring works by SCAD students, faculty, staff and alumni. “Spectrum” highlights SCAD artists who use color in inventive and unexpected ways. Works encompass a range of disciplines including architecture, photography, film, sculpture, painting, drawing and printmaking that explore the subject of color – emphasizing or challenging it as a form of artifice, enhancement, embellishment or veil. For more information, visit scadexhibitions.com.

The Savannah College of Art and Design will host the 2011 Game Developers eXchange, the Southeast’s premier game development conference, May 13 in Savannah. This year’s keynote speaker is SCAD graduate CJ Cowan (B.F.A., computer art, 1998), who is currently the director of cinematics at Bungie Studios, the creator of award-winning Halo. Cowan was a cinematic designer on Halo 2 and directed the cinematics teams of Halo 3, Halo: ODST, and Halo: Reach.

“GDX is a great opportunity for game admirers in the Southeast to interact with award-winning industry veterans to gain an inside look into the ever-growing world of game development, ” said Luis Cataldi, chair of the interactive design and game development department. “Topics this year will cover AAA game art, compelling game design, production best practices and more.”

Now in its seventh year, GDX brings together game development professionals, educators, students and game enthusiasts to share in the experiences of game development. Experts present a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the inner workings of the game industry as it continues to grow and mature. Speakers this year include:

· Joe Halper, director of production at Virtual Heroes

· Lina Song Halper, senior game programmer at Epic Games

· Greg Foertsch, project art director at Firaxis Games

· Chris Cherubini, lead artist at Respawn Entertainment

· Navid Khonsari, owner at iNk Stories

· Mark Behm, artist at Valve software

· Lee Fraser, technical specialist at Autodesk

The conference offers a mix of sessions focusing on game art, design and production disciplines. Game art sessions focus primarily on visual aesthetics of game development. This includes visual storytelling through environment art, game cinematic crafting, visual experience crafting, interactive animation and more. Game design sessions will focus on the story, flow, pacing, interaction, rule sets, and gameplay mechanics that make up the gaming experience. The game production sessions will offer insights into the nuts and bolts of game development and what it takes to bring specific games to market.

Registration for SCAD students and alumni is $45, and general registration is $60. For more information or to register for GDX, visit scad.edu/gdx.

The Savannah Scottish Games are held among stately, moss-draped live oaks on the campus of Bethesda Home for Boys, overlooking the Moon River. The Savannah Scottish Games are a wonderful way to celebrate and experience Celtic heritage.Events include piping competition, bagpipe bands, highland dancing competition, Scottish heavy athletics, Scottish immigrant re-enactors, modern Celtic music, border-collie herding and obedience demonstrations, and children’s events.

Also available are delicious Scottish & American foods, vendors offering Celtic wares, genealogists eager and willing to answer questions, and the backbone of all Scottish Games, clan tents that offer information about their clans while seeking and welcoming long-lost distant relatives.

Visit the website for more information.

All businesses interested in joining the Chamber are invited to attend the Chamber/Visit Savannah Open House where guests will learn about the Chamber and Visit Savannah, have an opportunity to meet Chamber/Visit Savannah staff and learn why it is important for the business community to have a unified voice. Light refreshments will be served.

Cost: Free and open to business representatives that are interested in joining the Chamber

Contact: R.S.V.P. (required) to Susan Smith, 912.644.6434 or SSmith@SavannahChamber.com