Low-Residency MFA
The Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts (Low-Res MFA) program is a transdisciplinary course of study designed for 21st-century artists, writers, and educators looking for rigorous engagement, artistic community, and the flexibility of a self-directed schedule.
Over the course of the seven-semester MFA program, a rotating core of SAIC faculty delivers on-campus and online instruction.
- Students attend three consecutive six-week summer sessions in-person in Chicago structured around weekly seminars, colloquia, and studio visits with faculty and visiting artists.
- During the spring and fall semesters between summer residencies, students work remotely from their home studios, and participate in asynchronous online courses and one-on-one advising.
- The degree culminates in a written thesis and exhibition presented to the public.
Bringing together artists across all areas of practice, the Low-Res MFA is primarily a deeply conceptual and discursive program that emphasizes dialogue in community.
2025 Summer Residency Dates
In-person attendance is mandatory for the entire six-week residency period as well as orientation.
Mandatory Orientation: Friday June 13, 2025
Classes: Monday, June 16–Friday, July 25, 2025
Visiting Artists & Scholars Series
A hallmark of the Low-Res program, the Visiting Artists & Scholars lecture series brings world-renowned artists and scholars from all disciplines to Chicago during the Low-Res MFA six-week summer residency period. Speakers deliver a public lecture open to the entire SAIC and Chicago community.
10 Years of Low-Res
Low-Res celebrated its 10th anniversary! To mark this milestone, inaugural director, Gregg Bordowitz, joined new director, Aliza Shvarts, for a public on-campus conversation. Their discussion delved into the program’s origins and explored questions of transdisciplinarity, politics, and the future of arts pedagogy as a mechanism for social change. Thank you to all the students, alumni, faculty, and friends who joined us for this very special event.
Core Faculty
The Low-Res MFA provides you the opportunity to work with world-renowned practitioners committed to interdisciplinary research and practice. The program is taught by core SAIC faculty as well as a rotating international roster of visiting artists, scholars, writers, critics, curators, and historians, who engage students in seminar, small group, and one-on-one instruction.
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Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts Department
37 S. Wabash Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60603
Director
Aliza Shvarts ashvarts@saic.edu
Assistant Director & Graduate Coordinator
Kelly Kaczynski kkaczynski@saic.edu
Graduate Coordinator
John Neff jneff1@saic.edu
Senior Administrative Director
Aaron Kissman akissman@saic.edu
Administrative Director
Jennie Bukowski jbukow@saic.edu
Administrative Assistant
Isra Pate ipate@saic.edu