Jiseon Lee Isbara on the Profound Lessons of Art and Travel

Travel is like art.

Both viewing an artwork and traveling somewhere are opportunities to witness, learn from, and make connections. Through each, we delight in novel sensations while being reminded of the fundamental ways in which we are all the same. This issue of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine celebrates how our vibrant, diverse, and worldwide community finds discovery and connection as we travel the world.

In this travelogue, you’ll hear from Apichatpong Weerasethakul (MFA 1998, HON 2011), who reflects the beauty of Thailand in his films; Jennifer Rochlin (MFA 1999) and Jennifer Guidi (MFA 1998) about the impact of Los Angeles on their work; and Sara Schnadt (MFA 1998), whose work at NASA shapes our understanding of what lies beyond our planet. How the School supports student travel—through study trips, grants, and fellowships—is also featured. And a look at Iraqi-born American Wafaa Bilal’s (MFA 2003) first museum survey shows how his incredibly humane and thoughtful work champions empathy across divides of nationality and political strife.

And that’s perhaps the most profound lesson of travel and art: an increase of empathy. When you experience different cultures and embrace many new ideas, it expands your understanding of the world you are part of. That’s how at SAIC—where each year we welcome emerging creators from about 80 different countries—we are able to build a college of belonging for one another.

Jiseon Lee Isbara
President ■