School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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Not to be confused with Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Established 1866
Type Private
President Wellington Reiter, FAIA
Faculty 140 full-time 524 part-time
Students 2,990
Undergraduates 2,359
Postgraduates 631
Location Chicago, IL, USA
Campus Urban
Affiliations Art Institute of Chicago
Website www.saic.edu

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, The Art Institute of Chicago. Providing degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels, SAIC has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top graduate art programs in the nation, as well as by Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism survey as the most influential art school in the United States.

SAIC offers a broad and dynamic spectrum of study including art and technology; arts administration; art history, theory, and criticism; art education and art therapy; fashion design; filmmaking; historic preservation and interior architecture; painting and drawing; performance; photography; printmaking; sculpture; sound; time arts (time-based media); video; visual communication; and writing. A comprehensive program in liberal arts emphasizes the critical role that humanities, mathematics, and sciences play in artists' development. SAIC also serves as a national resource for issues related to the position and importance of the arts in society. SAIC has been accredited since 1936 by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design since 1944 (charter member), and by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) since its founding in 1991. It is currently seeking accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board as well.

Its downtown Chicago campus consists of seven buildings located in the immediate vicinity of the Art Institute of Chicago's building. SAIC is in an equal partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago and share many administrative resources such as design, construction, and human resources. The president of the school is Wellington Reiter, FAIA.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1866, a group of 35 artists founded the Chicago Academy of Design in a studio on Dearborn Street, with the intent to run a free school with its own art gallery. The organization was modeled after European art academies, such as the Royal Academy, with Academians and Associate Academians. The Academy's charter was granted in March 1867.

Classes started in 1868, meeting every day at a cost of $10 per month. The Academy's success enabled it to build a new home for the school, a five story stone building on 66 West Adams Street, which opened on November 22, 1870.

When the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the building in 1871 the Academy was thrown into debt. Attempts to continue despite of the loss, using rented facilities, failed. By 1878, the Academy was $10,000 in debt. Members tried to rescue the ailing institution by making deals with local businessmen, before some finally abandoned it in 1879 to found a new organization, named the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. When the Chicago Academy of Design went bankrupt the same year, the new Chicago Academy of Fine Arts bought its assets at auction.

In 1882, the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts changed its name to the current Art Institute of Chicago. The same year, they purchased a lot on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Van Buren Avenue for $45,000. The property's building was leased, and a new building was constructed behind it to house the school's facilities.

With the announcement of the World's Columbian Exposition to be held in 1892–93, the Art Institute pressed for a building on the lakefront to be constructed for the fair, but to be used by the Institute afterwards. The city agreed, and the building was completed in time for the second year of the fair. Construction costs were paid by selling the Michigan/Van Buren property. On October 31, 1893, the Institute moved into the new building. From the 1900s to the 1960s the school offered with the Logan Family (members of the board) the Logan Medal of the arts, an award which became one of the most distinguished awards presented to artists in the US.

Between 1959 and 1970, the Institute was a key site in the battle to gain art & documentary photography a place in galleries, under curator Hugh Edwards and his assistants.

In 2006, the Art Institute began construction of "The Modern Wing", an addition situated on the southwest corner of Columbus and Monroe. The project, designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Renzo Piano, was completed and officially opened to the public on May 16, 2009. The 264,000 square-foot building makes the Art Institute the second largest art museum in the United States. The building houses the museum’s world-renowned collections of 20th- and 21st-century art, specifically modern European painting and sculpture, contemporary art, architecture and design, and photography.

[edit] Ranking

In a survey conducted by the National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia University, SAIC was named the “most influential art school” by art critics at general interest news publications from across the United States.[citation needed]

In 2009, U.S. News & World Report ranked the SAIC third best overall graduate program for fine arts in the U.S. [1]

[edit] Notable alumni

Interrogation II, by Leon Golub 1981.

[edit] Notable Faculty

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Mirth & Girth

Main article: Mirth & Girth

On May 11, 1988, a student painting of Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago, was torn down by some of the city's African-American aldermen — over the protests of many who attempted to block them — based on its content. The painting, titled "Mirth & Girth" by David Nelson, was of Washington clad only in women's underwear holding a pencil.[3] Washington had died on November 25, 1987.

The painting was returned after a day, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department and the aldermen. The ACLU claimed the removal violated Nelson's First, Fourth, and Fourteenth amendment rights. Nelson ended up receiving a monetary settlement for damage to the painting which occurred during its confiscation.[4]

[edit] What is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?

In February 1989, a student named "Dread" Scott Tyler draped the American flag across the floor for a piece titled "What Is The Proper Way To Display A U.S. Flag?" The piece consisted of a podium with a notebook for viewers to express how they felt about the exhibit. However, the podium was set upon a flag laid on the floor. In order for viewers to write in the notebook, they would have to walk on the flag. Viewers were occasionally arrested at the request of veterans.[4]

The school stood by the student's display in the face of protests and threats. That year, the school's federal funding was cut from $70,000 to $1 and many benefactors pulled donations. Later on, the school would refuse to allow him to display the piece at his MFA thesis exhibition.

The piece has been displayed throughout numerous galleries in the country after this incident including the show "Our Aim Is To Destroy Them!" by the Near NorthWest Arts Council Gallery in 1988.

Dread Scott is often associated with David Nelson due to time between the works, but Scott distances himself from Nelson and has been quoted saying, "[Nelson] doesn't mind promoting racism, doesn't mind promoting homophobia, doesn't mind promoting, you know, the oppression of women. I want to liberate people from all of that."[5]

[edit] Academics

SAIC offers a broad range of fine arts degrees and is interdisciplinary; a selected course of concentration is not necessary.

[edit] Departments of Study

Painting Critique, students critiquing Ben Cowan's work
The Etching Room, etching presses and workstations

Architecture, interior architecture and designed objects
Art education
Art therapy
Art history, theory, and criticism
Art and technology studies
Ceramics
Design for emerging technologies

  • Interactive Design
  • Computer Programming
  • Web Design

Fashion design

  • Headwear design

Fiber and material studies

  • Weaving
  • Print for materials
  • Dye

Film, Video & New Media
First Year Program/Contemporary Practices

  • Core Studio [sections include "Surface"(2D media), "Space" (3D), and "Time" (includes performance and video.)]
  • Research Studio

Liberal arts

  • English
  • Humanities
  • Languages
  • Liberal Arts
  • Sciences
  • Social Sciences

Painting and drawing
Performance
Photography
Printmedia

  • Silkscreen
  • Offset printing
  • Etching
  • Lithography
  • Digital output
  • Book binding

Sculpture

  • Metal work
  • Foundry
  • Wood

Sound
Visual communication

  • Graphic Design
  • Information Design
  • Typographic Design
  • Package Design

Visual and critical studies
Writing

[edit] Undergraduate Degree Programs

B.A. in Visual and Critical Studies
B.F.A. in Studio Arts
B.F.A. in Visual Communication
B.F.A. with an emphasis in Writing
B.F.A. with an emphasis in art History, Theory, and Criticism
B.F.A. with an emphasis in Art Education
B.I.A. Bachelor of Interior Architecture

[edit] Graduate Degree Programs

M.F.A. in Studio Arts
M.F.A. in Writing
M.F.A. in New Arts Journalism
M.A. in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism.
M.A. in Art Education
M.A. in Teaching
M.A. in Art Therapy
M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy
M.A. in Visual and Critical Studies
M.S. in Historic Preservation
Master of Architecture
Master of Architecture with an emphasis in Interior Architecture
Master of Design in Designed Objects
Master of Design in Fashion, Body, Garment


[edit] Other Degrees

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Fashion, Body, Garment
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Arts
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing
Graduate Certificate in Art History, Theory, and Criticism

[edit] Grading System

SAIC does not utilize a standard grading system. All academics are marked as credit no credit meaning C or above is pass, and below a C is fail.[1] It is a practice intended by the school to encourage exploration and growth without worry for failure at the bias of a professor. Most students are drawn to this unconventional structure since art cannot always be graded like traditional academics. This grading system is dependent upon a student's personal ambition and requires more effort from the student as there are no marks for the student to use as academic measures or comparisons to peers.

[edit] Campus Life

The main campus is set in downtown Chicago, also known as the Loop. SAIC uses three main buildings which are the Michigan (112 S. Michigan Ave.), the Sharp (37 S. Wabash Ave.), and the Columbus (280 S. Columbus Dr.). SAIC also has additional buildings throughout Chicago that are used student galleries or investments.

[edit] Visiting Artists Program

Founded in 1868, the Visiting Artists Program (VAP) is one of the oldest public programs of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Formalized in 1951 with the establishment of an endowed fund by Flora Mayer Witkowsky, the Visiting Artists Program hosts public presentations by artists, designers, and scholars each year in lectures, symposia, performances, and screenings. It is a decidedly eclectic program that showcases artists working in all media including sound, video, performance, poetry, painting, and independent film, in addition to significant curators, critics, and art historians.

The primary mission of the Visiting Artists Program is to educate and foster a greater understanding and appreciation of contemporary art through discourse. VAP maintains a long-standing commitment to ethnic and gender diversity and has been at the forefront of the movement toward a more socially engaged and theoretically informed aesthetic dialogue.

Recent visiting artists have included Richard Tuttle, Andrea Fraser, Omer Fast, Rirkrit Tiravanija, DJ Spooky, Kalup Linzy, Elizabeth Peyton, Mel Chin, Thomas Hirschhorn, Raymond Pettibon, Rodney Graham, Isaac Julien, Dave Hickey, Vito Acconci, and many many others.

Additionally, the Distinguished Alumni Series brings alumni back to the community to present their work and reflect on how their experiences at SAIC have shaped who they are today. Recent alumni speakers include Joe Zucker, Sanford Biggers, Suzie Silver, and Joshua Mosley, just to name the four most recent.

[edit] Galleries

  • Betty Rymer Gallery - The Betty Rymer gallery is named in honor of Betty Rymer, the late wife of SAIC Board of Governors member Barry Rymer. In 1989, Mr. Rymer made a major contribution to SAIC's Advancement Program and the gallery is a dedication to her memory and interests. It is located in the 280 South Columbus Drive building. It is run similarly to Gallery 2, but the process for exhibition is less intense with more student workers involved. Since it is on campus, it also receives more student traffic.
  • Sullivan Galleries (formerly Gallery 2) - Relocated to the 7th floor of the Sullivan Center in 2008, Gallery 2 was an off-site space offered through their 847 West Jackson Avenue building. Its former location did not lend itself to high traffic, and the new location at 36 S. Wabash, in the midst of the SAIC "campus", features updated and more accessible facilities. It is run by the school's non-teaching faculty and student workers. The gallery also annually hosts the Undergraduate and Graduate Thesis exhibitions (respectively, the BFA and MFA shows), as well as the highly publicized SAIC Fashion Show. During the rest of the year, it is a highly advanced undergraduate and graduate student program for exhibition, closely resembling the conventions professional galleries.
  • Student Union Galleries (LG Space, Gallery X) - The Student Union Galleries (SUGs) is SAIC's fully student-run gallery system. Paid student directors maintain the galleries with assistance from a faculty adviser. A volunteer student committee assists in maintenance and the selection of exhibitions. They have two locations: LG Space of the 37 South Wabash Avenue building; and Gallery X of the 280 South Columbus Drive building. The two locations allow the galleries to cycle two shows simultaneously, each with three shows per semester. They also maintain their own website.[2]

[edit] Student Organizations

[edit] ExTV

ExTV is a student-run time-arts platform that broadcasts online and on campus. Its broadcasts are available via monitors located throughout the 112 S. Michigan building, the 37 S Wabash building, and the 280 S. Columbus building. It is available on campus and off campus at extvsaic.org and on cantv.

[edit] F Newsmagazine

F Newsmagazine is a student-run newspaper with both paid and volunteer positions. The magazine is a monthly publication with a run of 12,000 copies. Copies are distributed throughout the city, mainly at locations frequented by students such as popular diners and movie theaters, and is also online.

It was awarded Best in Overall Design by the Student Society of News Design in its 2008 design contest, as well as a number of other awards for its designers.

In recent years, F Newsmagazine has won the Pacemaker Award and Online Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press and Newspaper Asssociation of America, as well as Silver and Gold Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Best Website from the Illinois College Press Association.

[edit] Free Radio SAIC

Free Radio SAIC is a student-run volunteer internet radio station.[3]

[edit] Student Government

The student government of SAIC is unique in that its constitution resembles a socialist republic, in which four officers hold equal power and responsibility. Elections are held every year. There are no campaign requirements. Any group of four students may run for office, but there must always be four students.

The student government is responsible for hosting a school-wide student meeting once a month. At these meetings students discuss school concerns of any nature. The predominant topic is funding for the various student organizations. Organizations which desire funding must present a proposal at the meeting by which the students vote whether they should receive monies or not. The student government cannot participate in the vote: only oversee it.

The student government is also responsible for the distribution of the Peanut Butter & Jelly Fund, Welcome Back to School Party, Monthly Morning Coffees, Open Forums, Barbecues in the Pit (the outdoor area at the entrance of the 280 S Columbus Building), Holiday Art Sale, and a Materials Event. In the past Student Government has accomplished such things as campus-wide recycling, and access to the Chicago Transit Authority's U-Pass.

[edit] Property

This is a list of property in order of acquisition:

  • 280 South Columbus (Classrooms, Departmental Offices, Studios, Betty Rymer Gallery)
  • 37 South Wabash (Classrooms, Main Administrative Offices, Flaxman Library)
  • 112 South Michigan (Classrooms, Departmental Offices, Studios, Special Events Ballroom)
  • 7 West Madison (Student Residences)
  • 162 North State (Student Residences)
  • 164 North State Street (Gene Siskel Film Center)

SAIC also owns these properties outside of the immediate vicinity of the Chicago Loop:

  • 1926 North Halsted (Gallery Space) in Chicago. A property donated by artist Roger J. Brown.
  • Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency - proudly affiliated with SAIC - located in Saugatuck, Michigan

SAIC leases:

  • 36 South Wabash Leasing the 12th floor. (Administrative Offices, Architecture and Interior Architecture Design Center)
  • 36 South Wabash Leasing the 7th floor. (Fashion Design Department, Gallery 2)

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ "America's Best Graduate Programs 2008". U.S. News & World Report. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/art/search. Retrieved 2007-05-31. 
  2. ^ Faye, Marcia, "Art Paul: The art of designing Playboy", iitmagazine (Spring 2009)
  3. ^ Sneed, Michael (1988-07-04). "Untitled". Chicago Sun-Times. http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB36DE58EA8BDAC&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=AA98CDC331574F0ABEAFF732B33DC0B2. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  4. ^ a b Dubin, Steven (1992). Arresting Images, Impolitic Art and Uncivil Actions. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-90893-0. 
  5. ^ Dubin, Steven (1992). Arresting Images, Impolitic Art and Uncivil Actions. Routledge. pp. 104. ISBN 0-415-90893-0. 
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United States: Art Academy of Cincinnati • Art Center College of Design • The Art Institute of Boston • California College of the Arts • California Institute of the Arts • Cleveland Institute of Art • College for Creative Studies • Columbus College of Art and Design • Cooper Union • Corcoran College of Art and Design • Cornish College of the Arts • Kansas City Art Institute • Laguna College of Art and Design • Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts • Maine College of Art • Maryland Institute College of Art • Massachusetts College of Art and Design • Memphis College of Art • Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design • Minneapolis College of Art and Design • Montserrat College of Art • Moore College of Art and Design • Oregon College of Art & Craft • Otis College of Art and Design • Pacific Northwest College of Art • Parsons The New School for Design • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts • Pennsylvania College of Art and Design • Pratt Institute • Rhode Island School of Design • Ringling College of Art and Design • San Francisco Art Institute • School of the Art Institute of Chicago • School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston • School of Visual Arts • University of the Arts (Philadelphia)

International: Alberta College of Art and Design • Burren College of Art • Emily Carr University of Art and Design • Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University • Ontario College of Art & Design • Osaka University of Arts • Victorian College of the Arts

Coordinates: 41°52′46″N 87°37′26″W / 41.87944°N 87.62389°W / 41.87944; -87.62389

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