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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.
Taking place over seven semesters, the three-year LRMFA program is shaped around the evolving needs of contemporary arts practitioners. In the program, you will spend three consecutive summer residencies on SAIC’s downtown Chicago campus creating, constructing, and critiquing artwork during six-week intensives structured by studio- and classroom-based courses. Supported by faculty based at SAIC, you will spend the spring and fall semesters in between working remotely in your home studio and taking online courses. The degree culminates in a final exhibition in which significant thesis projects and their written accompaniments are 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. Study and experimentation in artists’ research and writing, culminating in a final thesis paper, is an important element of the LRMFA curriculum. A large part of the curriculum is focused on writing and studying artist writings in addition to conducting research relevant to each artist's unique practice.
Upcoming Admissions Events
Graduate Programs Meet and Greet
Thursday, September 19 5:00 p.m. CDT
Join Graduate Admissions for an informal reception. You'll have the opportunity to meet the admissions counselor for your specific program of interest, speak with current SAIC graduate students, and visit the Art Institute of Chicago.
Low-Residency MFA Online Info Session
Thursday, September 12 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. CDT
SAIC's Low-Residency MFA program is open to artists, writers, educators, curators, and historians. Join us online to learn more about the program curriculum, pedagogy and admissions requirements.
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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.
![Side by side black and white headshots of Gregg Bordowitz and Aliza Shvarts](/sites/default/files/styles/1_1_360x360/public/2024-06/gregg_x_aliza_0.jpg.jpeg?itok=VuDYzlgD)
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.
![Low Res MFA Studios](/sites/default/files/styles/1_1_360x360/public/2023-11/steffens_lauren_lowres_2023_8.jpeg?h=9310024c&itok=bbPOc2UK)
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
Administrative Director
Kaitlyn Albrecht kalbrecht@saic.edu
Administrative Assistant
Jennie Bukowski jbukow@saic.edu