Art Bash 2019, art show gallery space filled with people admiring pieces of art.

Exterior shot of the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Class of ‘23: Peak Memories

Study Trips, Critiques, and Friends for Life

What makes for four unforgettable years? Some graduating seniors sum it up. On the list: soaking up the sun in the museum’s sculpture gardens and blowing fuses while blow drying papier-mâché.
Interior shot of students gathered around the lounge outside CAPX offices.

Chicago’s Cultural Landscape

At SAIC, you’re part of a community of faculty, alums, and students who fuel Chicago’s cultural life—and have done for decades. Today they’re behind many of the city’s most exciting hubs. Located in old manufacturing buildings, apartments, and backyards, these spaces are rooted in Chicago’s history of community building. Through an emphasis on space-making, SAIC's extended community is creating a richer and more inclusive future for the city by providing neighbors with easy access to art and design, and emerging artists with opportunities to showcase their work. Take a look.

A mural in a parking lot with trees and cars.

Hyde Park Art Center

SAIC alum Don Baum (SAIC 1942–43) helped turn the 1939 Fifth Ward Art Guild into a hub for Chicago artists.

City street with buildings, cars, and trees.

Commitment to Chicago

In 2021, Artists Run Chicago 2.0 celebrated the work of 50 local artist-run spaces.

Street view of a building showing store hours on the door.

The Design Museum of Chicago

Design brings communities together at this museum founded in 2012 by faculty member Tanner Woodford.

Lobby with marble floors, and a light green ceiling featuring a skylight.

DuSable Museum of African American History

Founded in 1961 by SAIC’s Dr. Margaret Burroughs (BA 1942, MA 1948, HON 1987), this is one of the first US museums devoted to preserving and studying Black history and culture.

Outdoor space featuring trees, and a white structure.

The Franklin

Edra Soto’s (MFA 2000) and Dan Sullivan's backyard project space, The Franklin, is a place for local artists to engage with the community.

Street view of the Irving Park exhibition space the Facility.

Facility

Stephanie and Bill Sick Professor of Fashion, Body and Garment Nick Cave and partner Bob Faust's Facility, a city block–sized creative incubator and exhibition space in Irving Park, is also where the duo live and work.

A student pinning up a sketch on a wall of various drawings of outfits.

Undergraduate Exhibition

At the Undergraduate Exhibition every fall and spring semester, SAIC seniors completing undergraduate degrees exhibit innovative, cross-disciplinary work that challenges assumptions in the art and design world.

SAIC Meets ART on THE MART

Associate Professor Jan Tichy gave students in the Art and Technology / Sound Practices and Photography departments an opportunity of a lifetime—creating digital installation work for ART on THE MART’s winter programming.

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Art on the Mart on display
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The Opportunity

Associate Professor Jan Tichy gave students in the Art and Technology / Sound Practices and Photography departments an opportunity of a lifetime—creating digital installation work for ART on THE MART’s winter programming.

Read about the project and students’ experience here.
Art on the Mart on display

The Site

ART on THE MART is one of the world’s largest digital installation sites, spanning the 2.5 acre facade of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. A screen of that size and the vibrant riverwalk location brought on creative challenges for all students.
Read more on the production process.
Art on the MART lights up the merchandise mart building

The Students

Collaborative pair Rio Usui and Cyrus Spurlock created Gaze at the Moon, an exploration of the relationship between architecture, space, and humanity.

Read about their collaboration experience.
The Analog class together

The Experience

“It’s a really rare opportunity to be in a class while doing a public art project together,” said student Haeun Lee. With her collaborative partner Fionn Kelly, Lee embraced the opportunity the course offered.

Read about their piece 'Fragmented Flow.'
The word Analog spans a building

What Is This?

For more than 155 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars.
Read The Latest
Three SAIC students smile as they sit on the steps of SAIC's campus.

Making Way for Tomorrow's Artists, Designers, and Scholars

Sonja Mott, Riley Gunderson, Daniel Villalobo.
Artist and professor Maria Gaspar seated at table

Maria Gaspar

Maria Gaspar.
The prestigious Setouchi Triennale is held every three years across 12 islands in the Seto Inland Sea. One of the contemporary art festival’s main goals is to revitalize the rural region in a sustainable and creative way.

The Details of Life

Setouchi Triennale
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Student Made, Student Run

    The Student Community

    The SAIC community is tight-knit, and whether you live on campus or in one of Chicago’s neighborhoods, you’ll have many opportunities to connect beyond the classroom and studio — from student groups to all-school barbecues and fashion shows to lectures by visiting artists and designers.

    2017 International Orientation, ballroom filled with students seated around round tables.

    Places to Live

    As a resident of one of our three residence halls, you can immerse yourself in a community of fellow artists and designers, live right in the heart of Chicago's Loop, and enjoy conveniences you won't find in most student apartments. With 24-hour security and live-in staff, you can feel supported as you live and learn.

    A student sits in a windowsill reading a book in the 162 North State Residence Hall.

    Things to Do

    More than 50 student groups and a full schedule of events help give SAIC its nonstop energy. Take part in school-wide events, join groups that reflect your passions—and start one yourself—or contribute to SAIC’s award-winning F Newsmagazine or Free Radio SAIC. You can also explore exhibition opportunities at two student-run SITE Galleries.

    Students at outdoor tables.

    Staying Healthy

    Health is more than physical well-being. It’s the whole of you—body and mind. That’s why SAIC’s Wellness Center offers a full range of counseling and health services, plus meditation sessions, fitness center discounts, and the Disability and Learning Resources Center.

    Students sitting at cafe tables outside reading, talking, and working.
    Participants on the Full Circle Workshop working at the site of Soil Lab’s Ceramic Workshop at the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

    Making Community

    SAIC students collaborate with local residents and artists in Chicago's historic Homan Square neighborhood to catalyze social change. Working hand-in-hand with the community, students organize projects like Community Care Sessions and Youth Workshops that integrate studio art practices with civic engagement.

    Learn about Homan Square
    An image of Millennium Park.

    Safety at SAIC

    SAIC is located in Chicago's bustling Loop, the heart of the city. Our campus is near Millennium Park, multiple tourist attractions, and a thriving theater district. For enhanced safety, SAIC students also have access to campus escorts and ride services.

    Campus Safety

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