Curriculum & Courses

Installation of multi prints in pink, black, and metallics.

Graduate Curriculum & Courses

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program at SAIC is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing your individual needs as a student. Following admission through a department, you will design your two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC. You are encouraged to seek out curricular advising as needed from a variety of available sources including the dean, graduate dean, graduate division chair, department heads, academic advising, the graduate admissions office, and your peers.

Area	Credit Hours
Studio MFA 6009 Graduate Projects (21) MFA 6009 Exhibition (3)	24
Seminar Graduate Level Seminar	12
Art History ARTHI 5002 OR ARTHI 5120 (3) Art History Courses, 4000-level or above (9)	12
Electives—any course in any area at 3000-level or above Additional Graduate Projects sections used as electives must be approved by the Graduate Program Advisor Students interested in writing a thesis must take a research methodologies course elective	12
Participation in four graduate critiques
Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice: Graduate Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings. Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the dean of graduate studies.
Total Credit Hours	60

*Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies. The AIADO Department encourages students in their MFA design programs to participate in the AIADO and Fashion Graduate Exhibition.

Degree Requirements and Specifications

Completion schedule: You have a maximum of four years to complete your MFA in Studio degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Students will have access to studios for four semesters only.

Transfer credits: You must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in residence at SAIC. You can request up to 15 transfer credits at the time of application for admission, which are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credits are permitted after a student is admitted.

Art History requirement: MFA students are required to take ARTHII 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design. Art History courses must be at the 4000-level and above.

Undergraduate studio courses: Graduate students are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000-level and above) per semester without permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000-level are allowed only with permission.

Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours

MFA 6009 Graduate Projects

MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advising, an ongoing individual dialogue with a wide range of full-time and part-time faculty advisors, is at the heart of the MFA program at SAIC, encouraging interdisciplinary study across the curriculum. You are required to register for one MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advisor each semester, and we highly recommend you register for two.

In the registration process, you may elect to earn 3 or 6 hours of credit with each advisor. This option is designed to allow for maximum flexibility in designing your program. You can earn as few as 3 and as many as 6 credits with each advisor each semester, thus dedicating a maximum of 12 credit hours to your studio activity. The number of credits you earn has no correlation with the length or frequency of the advising sessions or to faculty assessment of student work.

The remainder of credits required for the full-time 15 credit hour load may include graduate seminars and academic or studio electives. MFA students are urged to take graduate seminars, and an introductory seminar in their department of admission is highly recommended. In addition, the MFA student may choose from all the art history, studio, and academic offerings across the curriculum (including undergraduate offerings above 3000 level) in any given semester to customize their degree experience.

Graduate Critiques

As one of the principle means of assessment each semester, you will be required to participate in Critique Week, a week-long schedule of critiques during which classes are suspended.

Fall semester critiques are organized by department with panels representing the discipline. This provides you with an opportunity to understand the department’s expectations, have your work reviewed from a disciplinary point of view, and to reiterate the expectations for graduate study.

Spring semester critiques are interdisciplinary, with panel members and students from across SAIC disciplines. Interdisciplinary critiques allow for a broad range of responses to your work, and are intended to assess the success of your work for a more general, albeit highly informed audience. Critique panels include faculty, visiting artists, and fellow graduate students.

Graduate Exhibition or Equivalent

At the conclusion of your studies, you will present work in the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition, other end-of-year events at SAIC, or the Gene Siskel Film Center—or arrange with the graduate dean or division chair for an alternative thesis of equal professional quality. Each year more than 200 graduate students exhibit work, screen videos and films, and present time-based works, writings, and performance to a collective audience of 30,000 people.

Students wishing to install work around prevalent themes, strategies or stylistic affinities can participate in a juried and curated section of the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition. A faculty and staff committee conducts extensive studio visits and as a collaborative project with student participants, organizes and installs the show in designated space at the exhibition.

Undergraduate Courses

MFA students are advised to understand the expectations of their faculty when enrolled in undergraduate studio classes. Although graduate students are an asset to the group dynamic, faculty requirements for graduate students in undergraduate classes are variable. The student is responsible for understanding the faculty member's expectations about completion of assignments, attendance, and any other criteria for earning credit. To assure that graduate students are working at degree level, they are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000 level and above) per semester without permission of the dean of graduate studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000 level are allowed only with permission.

Course Listing

Title	Catalog	Instructor	Schedule
Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies	2000 (001)	Carina Yepez	Mon 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips. By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.	Class Number 1388	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 902
Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies	2000 (003)	Vanessa Viruet	Mon/Wed 6:45 PM - 9:15 PM In Person
Description This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips. By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.	Class Number 1402	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 902
Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies	2000 (004)	Sofía Fernández Díaz	Tues 3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person
Description This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips. By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.	Class Number 1390	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 902
Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies	2000 (005)	Erica Littlejohn	Wed 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips. By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.	Class Number 1403	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1014
Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies	2000 (006)	Kira Keck	Tues 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips. By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.	Class Number 2137	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1014
Woven Structure Basics	2002 (001)	Jerry Bleem	Tues 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course is an introduction to floor loom hand weaving through the study of basic weave structures, woven image techniques and fiber types. Traditional and experimental use of material and technique will be used to explore double weaves, painted warps and a variety of hand-manipulated techniques including tapestry, brocade and inlay. Students will study the global histories of woven cloth through a variety of readings, presentations, and class discussions. Works by artists such as Diedrick Brackens, Lenore Tawney, and Gunta Stolzl will be discussed as well as writings by thinkers such as Anni Albers, T'ai Smith, Dieter Hoffman-Axthelm as primary points of departure. Students will study basic weaving draft patterns and will complete independent research into artists and techniques of interest. The conceptual and material considerations of contemporary craft-based art will be a major component of this course. Students will produce 2-6 finished weavings over the course of the semester through their exploration and research of a variety of techniques on 4-harness floor looms.	Class Number 1391	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1011
Print for Fabric and Alternative Materials I	2004 (001)	Sarita Garcia	Mon 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description In this course, a wide range of processes for screenprinting onto fabric and alternative substrates are demonstrated, including the use of textile inks, fiber reactive dyes, resist and discharge, and heat transfers of foils and disperse dyes. Students will use hand drawn, computer generated, and photographic images to explore foundational screen print techniques and concepts such as monoprinting, multiples, color relationships, composition, and basic repeat patterns. Interdisciplinary and experimental uses of the printed surface are encouraged throughout the development of personal research and practice. The class is augmented by relevant lectures, readings and visits to AIC, artist studios and galleries. Students present finished and in-process works at three critiques throughout the semester.	Class Number 1401	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 905
Stitch	2005 (001)	Christian Ortiz	Mon 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course explores various approaches to altering, enriching, and transforming the surface of pliable materials and forms. Emphasis is on the surface treatment and its relationship to structure while using conventional and non-conventional materials. Students work with a broad range of hand and machine stitching techniques that can include embroidery, embellishment, piecing, quilting, applique, and working with treatments like paints, dyes, adhesives, and collage. Special attention is paid to the histories of these techniques and how they are being utilized in contemporary art. Technical demonstrations, assigned readings, group discussions, lectures and field trips will augment student learning. The course is structured to support students in the development of their studio arts practice by equipping them with a variety of technical skills and encouraging them to pursue projects driven by their own formal, material, and conceptual concerns. Individual and group critiques are integral to the course. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of samples, critique projects, and reading responses.	Class Number 1396	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Costume Design Location Sharp 1014
Drawn to Print	2016 (001)	Nia Easley	Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description A drawing is made whenever an object in motion touches the surface of another and evidence of their meeting is left behind. Images will be generated by examining a range of traditional and contemporary drawing techniques with an emphasis on analog processes and material exploration. Whether one?s style is gestural and improvisational or systemic and detail-oriented, drawing will be used as a device to access ideas and expand conceptual vocabulary. Printmaking then becomes an extension of the drawing process, infusing a richness of surface, color, texture, and layering. Examining the physical relationship between drawing and printing is a priority, with a focus on direct printing techniques such as monoprinting and heat transfers alongside hand-painting and collage. A strong emphasis will be placed on developing a personal and innovative visual language, as well as challenging notions of scale, site and material. Readings, slide presentations and field trips will focus on course related topics. Students present finished and in-process works at three critiques throughout the semester.	Class Number 1397	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 905
Soft Logic	2018 (001)	Nelly Agassi	Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description Throughout the course students will focus on the idea of softness and develop projects framed with readings on affect, intimacy, ?radical softness?, touch, and ?soft? identities so as to tease out ideas on what it means to be soft. Students will be introduced and encouraged to experiment from texture to form with hand manipulated and machine techniques like reverse needle felting, latch hooking, tucking, stabilizing, boning, armature building, fabric heat manipulating, natural dyeing, flocking, and fringe crocheting. Readings will include Sara Ahmed?s ?Happy Objects?, Alexander Thereoux?s ?Soft Balm, Soft Menace?, and Sianne Ngai?s ?The Cuteness of the Avant-Garde?. Two experimentation samples will be required in order to manifest these conceptual underpinnings through a variety of techniques. These samples act as playful guides that leads to two major projects with written statements. This course also require artist and reading presentations.	Class Number 1398	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Costume Design Location Sharp 1014
Tapestry	2037 (001)		Mon/Wed 6:45 PM - 9:15 PM In Person
Description The class will examine the many possibilities of creating woven forms using a tapestry loom (also called a frame loom). Students will begin by experimenting with the basic techniques of tapestry and plain weave as they explore ways of creating surface, image, texture and various color effects within a woven form. Students will then learn more complex tapestry weaving techniques. A variety of tapestry looms will be considered, including possibilities for constructing looms of varying dimensions and sizes. Contemporary weaving projects, along with historical references, will be presented through discussions, visual presentations, demonstrations, readings, and close-up examinations of woven textiles. This course is open to all levels. Tapestry works by contemporary artists such as Diedrick Brackens, kg, Erin M. Riley, Terri Friedman, Aiko Tezuka, Josh Faught, Julia Bland, Sarah Zapata, and Erasto ?Tito? Mendoza will be shown, together with seminal works by artists whose tapestry works spurred the emergence of the field of fiber in the 1950s through early 1970s: Trude Guermonprez, Anni Albers, Lenore Tawney, Olgs de Amaral, Tadeusz Beutlich, and Magdalena Abakanowicz. Contemporary frame loom weaving will be contextualized through visual presentations and readings exploring relevant histories of weaving across the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, together with examples of present day weaving workshops and institutions like the Museo Textil de Oaxaca (Mexico), the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (Peru),the Manufacture Nationale des Tapisseries Senegal (Senegal), and Sadu House (Kuwait). Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of woven samples, 3 or 4 finished works, reading responses, and short research assignments and/or presentations.	Class Number 2139	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Digital Communication, Community & Social Engagement, Gender and Sexuality Location Sharp 1005
Craft and Object in Contemporary Art	2900 (036)	Stacia Laura Yeapanis	Wed 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description The word 'craft' has been used both as a badge of honor and as a dismissive slur. This seminar will explore the stereotypes, the history and the changing status of craft in relation to contemporary art in America. We will read essays by craft theorists and makers including Marie Lo, M. Anna Fariello, Bruce Metcalf, L.J. Roberts and Namita Gupta Wiggers and watch the PBS Docuseries 'Craft in America' to help us triangulate an ever-shifting definition of craft. Students will bring previously-critiqued, in-process and revised work to 3 critiques, where an emphasis will be placed not just on WHAT objects mean but also HOW they mean. Course work includes weekly free-writing, reading discussions, and several assignments designed to help students articulate their artistic concerns and contextualize their work. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.	Class Number 2141	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Lakeview - 206
Advanced Woven Structures: Hand and Digital	3002 (001)	Kira Dominguez Hultgren	Wed 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This intensive studio course will focus on weaving and its relation to the evolving landscapes of contemporary art, cultural production, and identity. Working with multi-harness floor looms, students will engage rigorous conceptual questions in abstraction, figuration, sculptural form, spatial intervention, performative action, technology, and language to develop a mature body of woven work. Vocabulary will be expanded through the study of complex woven constructions, digital drafting, and dye processes. Feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches to weaving will be introduced and encouraged. Designed for advanced students, this course engenders an interdisciplinary weaving practice by blurring the boundaries between fiber, critical craft, painting, material culture, sculpture, textile history, architecture, and technology studies. Students will consider the history and the future of the field through a varying roster of artists including significant figures such as Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Olga de Amaral alongside contemporary generations such as Sonya Clark, Miguel Arzabe, Diedrick Brackens, Erin M. Riley, Josh Faught, Samantha Bittman, and Cecilia Vicuña. This work will be supported by texts that typically include Anni Albers, Legacy Russel, T'ai Smith, Julia Bryan-Wilson, and César Paternosto. Critical discussion of core texts and individualized research will occur in tandem with weekly studio activity. Students will produce a series of studies and 2 - 4 fully realized woven works that will be developed through in-process discussions and presented in major critique settings. Prerequisites Open to Juniors/Seniors & Grad Students	Class Number 2405	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1011
Advanced Stitch	3005 (001)	Melissa Leandro	Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description In Advanced Stitch- Students pursue a strong personal direction while continuing to develop a technical vocabulary and conceptual concerns. Moving across hand stitching and embroidery to using free motion sewing machines, the long arm quilting machines and digital embroidery machines, the class explores themes of gesture, line, speed, slowness, process, and materiality, with an emphasis on surface manipulation and scale. Group critiques encourage individual goals and develop an ongoing dialogue about contemporary issues. Field trips, group discussions, visual presentations, and readings will augment this studio-focused course. Course work will vary but typically includes critique projects, samples, and reading responses. Prerequisites FIBER 2005 or Sophomore Level	Class Number 1395	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1014
Permeable Membranes	3016 (001)	Jade Yumang	Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description A membrane is a thin, typically planar structure or material that separates two environments, be those physical, molecular, or cultural. This class investigates this transitional space, and the potential for movement and transgression through it. Membrane structures are developed as surfaces, forms, and spatial relationships through techniques like chenille quilting, free motion sewing with a soluble membrane, nuno felting, papermaking in 2D and 3D, resist wax dyeing (batik), dip and wick dyeing, fabric burnout (devore) through silkscreening, protein/cellulose combination dyeing, and jacquard crocheting. Readings on conceptual permeability will include Jean Baudrillard?s ?Simulacra and Simulations?, Andrew Ballantyne?s ?Remaking the Self in Heterotopia?, Homi K. Bhabha?s ?On `hybridity? and `moving beyond??, and Roger Cardinal?s ?Secrecy?. Techniques will be divided into three major projects with written statements. This course also requires artist and reading presentations.	Class Number 1394	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 902
Digital Jacquard Weaving: Zeroes and Ones	3017 (001)	Danielle Andress	Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description The computer driven Jacquard goes beyond the limitations of a floor loom by interfacing with a computer to allow for direct control of individual threads. This course explores the historical and conceptual interstices of digital technology and hand weaving through the use of this loom Utilizing Photoshop and Jacquard weaving software, students will realize projects that begin with digital source material and result in hand woven constructions. The strongly debated connection between the Jacquard loom?s use of punched cards and the history of computers will be central to the course, as will the contemporary use of the loom as a new media tool. Studio work will blend work at the computer, weaving on the loom, reading, research and critical discussion. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.	Class Number 1408	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Digital Imaging Location Sharp 1011
The Unpainted Picture	3028 (001)	Diana Guerrero-Maciá	Wed 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This studio course will consider how to compose a picture plane with a variety of materials including paper collage, fabric piecing, applique, heat press, direct dye application and other handwork, to create line and form. Students will make use of drawing and form invention methods including stitching and dying, in conjunction with, or in place of, painted surfaces. Projects and critiques will address the critical use of compositional elements and materials within the picture plane.	Class Number 1404	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 904
Chemical Aftertaste: reactive processes for screen printing	3029 (001)		Tues 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description In this class, students will learn reactive processes for use in screen printing on fabric and pliable materials. Reactive processes are those that will chemically or physically alter the nature of the printed cloth and include; fiber reactive dyes, devoré or the burning away of fibers, bleaching and removing of color, and the sublimation of color from one surface to another. Screen printing will be the primary method of creating works, yet a broad disciplinary approach is encouraged. Assignments will be framed to address concepts of alchemy and instability, and include readings of works by; Georges Bataille, Anthony Vidler, Luce Irigaray, Yve-Alain Bois and Rosalind Krauss. Students will create three studio intensive projects for class critiques. Prior screen printing experience is recommended.	Class Number 2394	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 905
Cloth at Scale	3036 (001)	Danielle Andress, Emily Winter	Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This intensive studio course focuses on planning, experimentation, and production of woven works on traditional floor looms, computer-interfaced looms, and semi-industrial Dobby looms housed between the weaving studios in Fiber and Material Studies and The Weaving Mill (TWM), an artist-run industrial weaving studio in Humboldt Park which blends design, production, textile education and research-based practice. This course introduces students to experimental weaving designs, unconventional methods and materials, and the opportunity to produce their ideas at scale with access to the fully mechanized Dobby looms at The Weaving Mill. Students will engage in rigorous studio practices, material culture research, and practical applications of their work. While conceptual questions around making will be central to the coursework, students will also be supported in identifying and researching the socio-economic and political ramifications of working in the language of woven cloth. Readings may include works by Hito Steryl, Rosalind Krauss, Jen Hewett, Anni Albers, T¿ai Smith, Peter Stallybrass, Karl Marx. Over the course of the semester, students will produce a range of individually-motivated woven samples and studies, eventually working within the production parameters of the industrial looms at TWM to design and produce yardage for installation, object design, and artists¿ projects. Additionally, students will work alongside members of the W.E.F.T. program, a textile studio for adults with developmental disabilities run by TWM, broadening discussions around labor, value, ability and access	Class Number 2140	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Community & Social Engagement, Art/Design and Politics, Sustainable Design Location Sharp 1011
Cloth at Scale	3036 (001)	Danielle Andress, Emily Winter	Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This intensive studio course focuses on planning, experimentation, and production of woven works on traditional floor looms, computer-interfaced looms, and semi-industrial Dobby looms housed between the weaving studios in Fiber and Material Studies and The Weaving Mill (TWM), an artist-run industrial weaving studio in Humboldt Park which blends design, production, textile education and research-based practice. This course introduces students to experimental weaving designs, unconventional methods and materials, and the opportunity to produce their ideas at scale with access to the fully mechanized Dobby looms at The Weaving Mill. Students will engage in rigorous studio practices, material culture research, and practical applications of their work. While conceptual questions around making will be central to the coursework, students will also be supported in identifying and researching the socio-economic and political ramifications of working in the language of woven cloth. Readings may include works by Hito Steryl, Rosalind Krauss, Jen Hewett, Anni Albers, T¿ai Smith, Peter Stallybrass, Karl Marx. Over the course of the semester, students will produce a range of individually-motivated woven samples and studies, eventually working within the production parameters of the industrial looms at TWM to design and produce yardage for installation, object design, and artists¿ projects. Additionally, students will work alongside members of the W.E.F.T. program, a textile studio for adults with developmental disabilities run by TWM, broadening discussions around labor, value, ability and access	Class Number 2140	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Community & Social Engagement, Art/Design and Politics, Sustainable Design Location Sharp 1011
Sculptural Basket Weaving	3037 (001)	Kate Smith	Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description In this studio course students will explore basket weaving techniques and their interconnectedness to the history and traditions of the craft. The class will utilize both traditional and non-traditional methods and materials to investigate new ways of creative expression while carrying the long, multi-cultural basket weaving tradition. Readings may include Revered Vessels: Custom and Innovation in Harari Basketry and Hybrid Basketry: Interweaving Digital Practice within Contemporary Craft. Students will be introduced to Native North American basket weaving and the ancient baskets of both Egypt and Israel to bring an understanding of the contemporary craft through its historical origins. Artists such as Hayakawa Shokosai, the Campana Brothers, and Ruth Asawa will be a point of reference for the class as a way to connect their own conceptual framework to this traditionally utilitarian craft. Students should expect to produce a variety of technique-based samples as well as a midterm and a final culminating project. This course requires an artist presentation and assigned readings. Students will reflect on the readings with written responses to connect contemporary works with historical craft.	Class Number 1411	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Art/Design and Politics Location Sharp 902
Deep Fried: dyeing to weave	3041 (001)	Danielle Andress	Tues 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course explores traditional and unconventional dyeing processes as the starting point for woven projects and is open to all levels of weavers and dyers. Students will dye yarn and pliable materials while learning techniques such as; warp and weft painting, ikat, and immersive dyeing as critical steps for color-driven loom weaving. This course includes the use of chemical acid and fiber reactive dyes as well as foundational, 4-harness weaving approaches. Each student will work on a dedicated 4-harness table top loom and be guided in planning and winding warps, dressing looms, and executing select weaving drafts. Traditional dyeing in woven structures will be examined through works by foundational weavers such as; Lee ShinJa, Lenore Tawney, and Rowland Ricketts. The conversation will expand to include contemporary and experimental artists using linear-based dyeing techniques; Lena Kolb, Melissa Cody, Thúóng Hoài Trân, TIGRA TIGRA, Terri Friedman, and Diedrick Brackens. Studio coursework will be augmented with texts considering the histories of dyeing and weaving practices, the politics of materials, and textile/fiber based critical theory. The course structure includes weekly studio assignments, reading, research presentations, workshops, and several extended individually focused projects to be presented in class critiques.	Class Number 2395	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity, Economic Inequality & Class, Art/Design and Politics Location Sharp 904
Contextualizing Textiles	3043 (001)	Jerry Bleem	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This research studio will use the collection of the SAIC Textile Resource Center (TRC) as material for research and studio work. Textiles are rooted in complex and fascinating global histories and contexts, and the class invites students to investigate them through research, personal and familial experiences, and sharing knowledge. Relying on the TRC's collection of over 600 textile objects and 2,000 books, students will begin by examining an object or group of objects to learn more about their contexts, cultures, materials, processes, uses, stories, and ancestries. Filters that might be used to consider these textiles include agriculture, industry, cultural identity and expression, commerce, capitalism, colonialism, anthropology, inventions and tourism. Guided personal inquiry via research and production will shape the course. Readings and discussions will acquaint students with various methodologies to help uncover their meanings and stories. Formal class meetings will be augmented with individual meetings with the instructor, and the director of the Textile Resource Center. Students will create studio work in response to the objects under study, rooted in the students¿ studio interests and practices. Students will also share their research and investigations in assignments including discussions and presentations. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.	Class Number 2393	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity, Art/Design and Politics, Museum Studies Location Sharp 1005
Knitworks: Sustainability & Community	3045 (001)	Jennifer Michelle Plumridge	Wed 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course teaches students hand and machine knitting with an emphasis on sustainable materials and practices. Themes of waste, re-use, recycling, and the redesign of pliable materials will serve as foundational concepts around which students will center their making. Students will learn hand and machine knitting techniques, how to read and write knit and pattern languages, steeking, unraveling existing knits, rehanging yarn to reclaim fiber, needle felting for knits, crochet, crewel work, and hand-stitching techniques. Historic and contemporary knits will be encountered through visits to SAIC¿s Textile Resource Center and the Art Institute of Chicago¿s Textile collection. Artists presented in relation to public action, community building, and sustainable studio practices include the works of Magda Sayeg, Ernesto Neto, Wells Chandler, Jesse Harrod, and Orly Genger. Class discussions will address texts by Alden Wicker and Rebecca Burgess, and consider local and global community fiber/textiles programs in relation to environmentalism. Assignments include readings, media viewing, discussions, explorations of knit stitches, and midterm and final studio assignments. Students will use existing and alternative raw goods and pliable materials, re-engineering them to create a range of project outcomes including 2-D and 3-D works, installations, performances and public actions.	Class Number 2392	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Community & Social Engagement, Art/Design and Politics, Sustainable Design Location Sharp 902
How to be an Artist at Night	3900 (001)	Jess Atieno Ounga	Tues 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This professional practice course that focuses on preparing for all things life after school. As scaffolding throughout the course we will explore the text, How to be an artist at night by Raqs media collective to explore a range of questions and themes in art practice at the intersection of contemporary life. What constitutes an education for the real world? How do we grow a community that supports and is in conversation with our work? What are the professional skills we need to sustain our practice outside the studio? How do we write about, talk about and present our work? What are the practices of self care we can cultivate to fuel our creativity? Other readings will include teaching to transgress- Bell Hooks, The Artist's Guide: How to make a living doing what you love- Jackie Battenfield, The Social Production of Art- Janet Wolff. We will also watch and respond to short films. Course work will vary but will typically include writing an artist statement, bio and exhibition proposal. Prerequisites Prerequisite: 2900 course	Class Number 1577	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Public Space, Site, Landscape, Exhibition and Curatorial Studies, Social Media and the Web Location Lakeview - 205
Sustainable Practice/Sustainable Life	3900 (001)	Stacia Laura Yeapanis	Fri 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This professional practice seminar emphasizes sustainability (emotional, economic, and environmental) as key for living artists. Each student will develop a sustainable work flow for organizing opportunities, documenting expenses, and applying for exhibitions, grants and residencies. Emphasis will be placed on sustainable material sourcing, both for environmental concerns and our own economic needs. Discussions and readings will revolve around how to keep making art, even when life gets in the way. Students will learn practical skills that serve their work (tweaking artist statements for various opportunities, developing and maintaining a website, ongoing research ) along with stress-management techniques (organized work flow, time-management, knowing when to take a break and how to rest more effectively, peer-to-peer support, dealing with rejection). This course will address the myriad ways studio artists get paid outside the commercial gallery system via recorded interviews with living artists. Readings include 'Art and Fear' (David Bayles and Ted Orlando) and 'Artists Gotta Eat and Other Things We Forget to Remember' by Tempesst Hazel. Past Visiting Artists have included Selina Trepp, who uses and reuses the material in her studio, and Sadie Woods, who is an artist, curator and DJ. Similar Visiting Artists will be chosen in future semesters. Each student will create a personal opportunities database, create a submission for the opportunity of their choice, write an artist statement, bio and CV, build a portfolio website, give an artist talk and develop a sustainable plan for sourcing materials and managing stress. Prerequisites Prerequisite: 2900 course	Class Number 1576	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Public Space, Site, Landscape, Exhibition and Curatorial Studies, Social Media and the Web Location MacLean 301
Advanced Woven Structure	4003 (001)	Kira Dominguez Hultgren	Wed 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This intensive studio course will focus on weaving and its relation to the evolving landscapes of contemporary art, cultural production, and identity. Working with multi-harness floor looms, students will engage rigorous conceptual questions in abstraction, figuration, sculptural form, spatial intervention, performative action, technology, and language to develop a mature body of woven work. Vocabulary will be expanded through the study of complex woven constructions, digital drafting, and dye processes. Feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches to weaving will be introduced and encouraged. Designed for advanced students, this course engenders an interdisciplinary weaving practice by blurring the boundaries between fiber, critical craft, painting, material culture, sculpture, textile history, architecture, and technology studies. Students will consider the history and the future of the field through a varying roster of artists including significant figures such as Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Olga de Amaral alongside contemporary generations such as Sonya Clark, Miguel Arzabe, Diedrick Brackens, Erin M. Riley, Josh Faught, Samantha Bittman, and Cecilia Vicuña. This work will be supported by texts that typically include Anni Albers, Legacy Russel, T'ai Smith, Julia Bryan-Wilson, and César Paternosto. Critical discussion of core texts and individualized research will occur in tandem with weekly studio activity. Students will produce a series of studies and 2 - 4 fully realized woven works that will be developed through in-process discussions and presented in major critique settings. This course facilitates self-directed investigation of concept and technique in hand weaving. Prerequisites FIBER 2002 or Junior & above	Class Number 1392	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1011
Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio	4005 (001)	L Vinebaum, Kira Dominguez Hultgren	Tues/Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event. Prerequisites Open to students at Junior level and above.	Class Number 1393	Credits 6	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1001
Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio	4005 (001)	L Vinebaum, Kira Dominguez Hultgren	Tues/Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event. Prerequisites Open to students at Junior level and above.	Class Number 1393	Credits 6	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1001
Advanced Print for FMS in the Expanded Field	4007 (001)	Jess Atieno Ounga	Fri 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This class enables students to develop personal conceptual concerns and expand their existing knowledge of a range of print processes within the expanded field of FMS. Independently guided projects will be based on students' proposals and the development of conceptual inquiries in conjunction with appropriate methods and material. Students will advance their printing techniques at it relates to their individual directions. Advanced techniques include; large scale, repeat structures, color layering, CMYK and experimental alternative processes. The relevance of screen-printing, what it offers the expanded field of contemporary art/design practice and issues of display and installation will be discussed and explored. Students work within the communal studios that are FMS (print, dye, and sewing labs, and the Textile Resource Center) creating a foundational peer driven atmosphere. Writing will be practiced and discussed in relation to an artist statement and project proposals. Student driven research guides project development and is supported with critiques, readings and exhibition visits. Students present finished and in-process work at several critiques over the course of the semester. Prerequisites FIBER 2004 or Junior & above	Class Number 1405	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 905
Digital Jacquard Weaving: Zeroes and Ones II	4017 (001)	Danielle Andress	Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description The computer driven Jacquard goes beyond the limitations of a floor loom by interfacing with a computer to allow for direct control of individual threads. This course explores the historical and conceptual interstices of digital technology and hand weaving through the use of this loom. Utilizing Photoshop and Jacquard weaving software, students realize projects that begin with digital source material and result in hand woven constructions. The strongly debated connection between the Jacquard loom's use of punched cards and the history of computers is central to the course, as is the contemporary use of the loom as a new media tool. Studio work blends work at the computer, weaving on the loom, reading, research and critical discussion. A personal laptop computer is required for this course. This course is a continuation of FIBER 3017.	Class Number 1409	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1011
Micro/Macro Textiles: Artist Research	4018 (001)	Isaac Facio	Sat 1:00 PM - 3:45 PM In Person
Description This seminar will use the Textile Resource Center as source material to explore artist research practices. An emphasis will be placed on slow looking and hands-on study of objects to gain an understanding of textile and fiber structures, material choices, modes of fabrication and production, while assessing larger frames of cultural context, meaning and metaphor. Through thoughtful guided close observation, we will learn about the complex lives of objects and the stories that they tell us to inspire and act as a foundation for our own creative work. Classroom guests will include artists and scholars from areas in conservation, science and technology, and anthropology to extend our perspectives in how we view and understand objects. We will take field trips behind the scenes at the Art Institute, and also address topics in fiber morphology and mechanics, microscopy, collections care, exhibition, installation, curation, and collections management. Students will be expected to develop studio work, written research, and class presentations. Exploring these materials through drawing, notation, photography, video, live action, and remaking will be considered. Prerequisites Open to students at Junior level and above.	Class Number 1399	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Exhibition and Curatorial Studies Location Sharp 1003
Advanced Papermaking	4027 (001)	Andrea Peterson	Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM In Person
Description This course will instruct advanced students to explore personal concepts through projects utilizing traditional methodology and contemporary paper art processes to create new works of art in a unique medium. The contemporary processes will include pulp imaging, watermarking, fiber manipulation through restraint drying, as well as others processes discovered by the individual artists by trial by extensive studio work. The malleability of the material will allow new methods of making, created at the moment, due to the nature of the individual projects at hand. Since this a fairly new and unique field of studio work We will review and discuss professional artists and studios working in the field of paper arts through websites, images, writings and professional reviews, such as David Hockney¿s pool series using pulp imaging as medium, Lesley Dill¿s using it as a type of performative language and Arlene Shechet¿s utilizing the medium to create maps of ritual places into sculptural forms embodying reliquary and vessel as figure. We will have group critiques as well as individual critiques to assist in the creation of a body of work. Students will participate in 3 critiques toward a progressive completion of a body of artwork. Prerequisites Open to students at Junior level and above.	Class Number 1406	Credits 3	Department Fiber and Material Studies Area of Study Public Space, Site, Landscape, Art and Science, Sustainable Design Location Sharp 1014
Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio	4900 (001)	L Vinebaum, Kira Dominguez Hultgren	Tues/Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event. Prerequisites Prerequisite: 3900 course	Class Number 1400	Credits 6	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1001
Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio	4900 (001)	L Vinebaum, Kira Dominguez Hultgren	Tues/Thurs 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event. Prerequisites Prerequisite: 3900 course	Class Number 1400	Credits 6	Department Fiber and Material Studies Location Sharp 1001

Take the Next Step

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242, or gradmiss@saic.edu.

Graduate Curriculum & Courses

Degree Requirements and Specifications

MFA 6009 Graduate Projects

Graduate Critiques

Graduate Exhibition or Equivalent

Undergraduate Courses

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