Jiseon Lee Isbara on the Importance of Working Together

Just like any worthwhile group endeavor, a school is cooperative.

It takes students, faculty, staff, and even families and friends to make education happen. In fact, a school gets better when we focus on what we can achieve collectively. And the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has many examples of how working together enhances the college.

This issue of School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine celebrates all of the ways we’re better together. It includes a feature on how the School has long partnered with the North Lawndale community in Homan Square. There’s stories about how faculty work in teams in the classroom and how some alums build lifelong partnerships. It also spotlights a new collaborative art gallery, a hub for ceramicists, and a communal approach to an artists’ residency.

All this community activity makes it so gratifying to be joining the School as its new president. As I mention in this issue’s profile of me, I truly believe that the vision of what SAIC can be is better when it arises collaboratively, from across the community. Then, working as a team, we’ll make it reality. I can’t wait to see what we create together.

Jiseon Lee Isbara
President ■