Jeff Koons (SAIC 1975–76, HON 2008) remembers studying under influential Chicago Imagist, Ed Paschke (BFA 1961, MFA 1970, HON 1990) at SAIC. For Koons, studying at SAIC and working as Paschke's assistant was a transformative experience, and he used that education to become the internationally known artist he is today.
SAIC alum, artist, and writer Emil Ferris (BFA 2008, MFA 2010) has published a monstrous graphic novel. We talked to her to find out what she is reading, listening to, watching, and thinking about.
The yearlong Milan External Partnerships class allows AIADO students to hone their craft here in Chicago, designing and producing a complete collection that eventually debuts at the prestigious Spazio Rossana Orlandi gallery during Milan Design Week.
Edra Soto (MFA 2000) is a Chicago-based artist, educator, curator, and co-director of the artist-run outdoor space THE FRANKLIN. In 2017 alone, her work has been shown at such venues as Sector 2337, the Arts Club of Chicago, Museo de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami. As of September,her work will inaugurate the Commons, a new social engagement space at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Soto told us about some of her favorite places in Chicago.
Artist and educator Valerie Xanos' (BFA 1991, MFA 2018) classroom at Curie High School, a Chicago Public School on the city's South Side strikes a balance between structure and flexibility. Through her guerrilla art approach in the classroom, she empowers students and cultivates a space where they can truly express themselves.
