SGA Art Camp Takeover
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may have been up North training with Team Canada for the World Cup during the offseason, but his mind was still on his OKC community. The Thunder guard combined his passion for fashion and giving back by providing scholarships to 30 students in Oklahoma City to attend Camp Contemporary at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.
The young artists spent the week at SGA’s Camp Contemporary Takeover learning about street art, fashion wear and sneaker design – all areas that are near and dear to Gilgeous-Alexander’s heart.
At the start of the week, each student was given a pair of blank Converse sneakers that they would spend each day designing and customizing. With the help of a trained artist, the students went through the process of creating a concept, sketching, designing, drawing and painting their creations onto their sneaker canvas. By the final day of camp, each student hit the runway to present their one-of-a-kind sneakers in a fashion show.
SGA may have been hundreds of miles away, but his presence was certainly felt throughout the week. Each day the students were surprised with a special delivery of assorted Thunder swag and Converse gear – from baseball hats and fanny packs to wristbands and frisbees.
Gilgeous-Alexander even sent the students a video welcoming them to the SGA Camp Contemporary Takeover and saying, “I’m super excited for the pictures on Friday. I hope you guys have an amazing week!”
Gilgeous-Alexander was voted GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Year in 2022 and has since loved using his gift of fashion and creativity to give back in Oklahoma City. Back in December he hosted 17 students from a local non-profit to a sneaker customizing workshop at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center – his first taste of what combining his enthusiasm for fashion and his beloved Oklahoma City community could do.
“It was a great opportunity to give back to the community, connect with some kids, and connect with something I love to do and have a passion for,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in December. “It makes it more genuine and authentic.”