2015 MFA Show
April 25–May 13
Reception: Friday, April 24, 7–9pm
Sullivan Galleries, 33 South State Street, 7th floor
The MFA Show is the culminating presentation of MFA candidates and an opportunity for new and ambitious work to be presented to the public. For more than six months, graduating MFA candidates work with a team of three distinguished Guest Curators and seven Graduate Curatorial Assistants to envision the exhibition. This invested approach allows for dialogue, process, and collaborative decision-making to guide the curatorial teams as they work together with more than 100 participating artists to bring the MFA Show to fruition over time. This year’s Guest Curators are Allison Peters Quinn, Director of Exhibitions at the Hyde Park Art Center; Lucía Sanromán, an independent curator and writer; and Hamza Walker, Director of Education and Associate Curator for the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago.
Master of Science in Historic Preservation thesis presentations
Thursday, April 23, 5–9pm
The LeRoy Neiman Center, 37 South Wabash Avenue
Nine graduating students in the Historic Preservation program will present their final theses, followed by a student, alumni, and faculty reception.
IMPACT graduate performance festival
April 25–26, 7pm
SAIC Performance Space 280 South Columbus Drive, room 012
Graduate students completing their degrees in Performance at SAIC present a festival weekend of live works, which cross the borders of theater, movement, and the visual arts, and collectively present a vision of the next wave of performance art.
Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory, and Criticism and Dual Degree Master of Arts thesis symposium
April 29–30, 10:30am–7:30pm
SAIC Ballroom, 112 South Michigan Avenue
Students in the final year of the MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History and Dual-Degree in Art History and Arts Administration programs present their thesis work before the department’s faculty and students. Sven Spieker, Professor of Germanic and Slavic Languages at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will deliver the keynote presentation “Wither the ‘Educational Turn?’ An Apology for Didactic Art” on April 29 at 4pm.
Art Education graduate symposium
Friday, May 1, 9am–4pm
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 North State Street
Students graduating with a Master of Arts in Art Education will present their thesis research.
SAIC Graduate and Undergraduate Film, Video, New Media, Animation, and Sound Festival
May 6–8, 4–10pm
Reception: Friday, May 8, 7–8pm
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 North State Street
This program features the work of the next generation of film, video, and new media artists, including innovative live-action shorts, animation, feature-length narrative and nonfiction works, and experimental digital and audio pieces.
Master of Arts in Teaching and Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Art Education apprentice teaching presentations
Thursday, May 7, 4–8pm
Sharp Building, 37 South Wabash Avenue, room 404
Graduating students from the Master of Arts in Teaching and BFA in Art Education programs will discuss their apprentice teaching experiences.
MFA Writing program reading
Tuesday, May 12, 5:30pm
SAIC Ballroom, 112 South Michigan Avenue
Graduating students from the SAIC’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing program read selections from their work. Join us for a surprising evening including, but not limited to, fiction, nonfiction, and text off the page. Discover what writing becomes when students adapt the practices of their studio artist peers.
About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their fields.
