Faculty Sabbatical Triennial

This fall, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Galleries will be presenting the SAIC Faculty Sabbatical Triennial exhibition, featuring a wide range of work across multiple disciplines by 35 SAIC faculty who have completed a sabbatical or other paid leave over the past three academic years.

In contrast with the previous three-year cycle of sabbaticals, these post-pandemic years have allowed faculty to travel around the world, attend residencies in person, and engage with others face to face. Not surprisingly, much of the work presented here reflects the physical world around us—from environmental concerns and the effects of climate on the landscape and living beings to the consequences and materiality of the built world. Social engagement and storytelling play important roles in many of the artists’ practices, producing works that explore personal and collective memories, migration, family heritage, diasporic identities, and more. Other faculty look to push the boundaries of disciplines and blur the lines between lived experience and fantasy.

The 2025 edition of the Triennial marks the second in a series dedicated to faculty work, which occurs every three years at SAIC Galleries as the featured exhibition of the fall semester. Participating faculty include Marzena Abrahamik, Giovanni Aloi, Claire Helen Ashley, Jonas N.T. Becker, Jeremy Biles, Sara Black, Jerry Bleem, John Bowers, Tom Burtonwood, Odile Compagnon, Tirtza Even, Pablo Garcia, Gaylen Gerber*, Susan Giles, Michelle Grabner, Adam J. Greteman*, Diana Guerrero-Maciá, Rebecca Keller, Piotr Michura, Frédéric Moffet, Judd Morrissey, Marlena Novak, Tyson Reeder, Sarah Ross, Alison Ruttan, Roberto Sifuentes*, Shawn Michelle Smith, Chris Sullivan, Savneet Talwar, Christine Tarkowski, Jim TerMeer, Jan Tichy, Lan Tuazon, Amy Vogel, and Adrian Wong.    

*Participating with a program or performance/not in gallery show.

The 2025 SAIC Faculty Sabbatical Triennial is organized by Director of Exhibitions Staci Boris with Senior Exhibition Manager Carlos Salazar Lermont, and Graduate Curatorial Assistants D Coates, Callie Elms, Mikayla Hernandez Guevara, and Soo Kim.

Programs & events
Extended viewing and remarks: Friday, September 5, 5–7pm
SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St. 

Frédéric Moffet: You're Too Lovely to Last
Thursday, September 11, 6pm
Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. 
Artist and filmmaker Frédéric Moffet presents three new films alongside works by Jamie Ross, Zuqiang Peng, and Amina Ross. Titled after a Billie Holiday lyric, the program explores beauty, impermanence, desire, and loss. Followed by a conversation with John Neff. Presented in partnership with SAIC's Conversations at the Edge series. 

Jerry Bleem Story Time: Wednesday, October 8, 4pm
SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St., Lower Level 2. 
Demonstration of artist’s books.

Reading and performance: Friday, October 24, 4–6pm
SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St.
Reading by Chris Sullivan from his ongoing diary and performance by Judd Morrissey and Ava Aviva Avnisan with Doug Rosman.

#Exsanguination: Performance by Roberto Sifuentes
Date and location TBD
Produced by Defibrillator Gallery. DFBRL8R is a roving international platform for performance art based in Chicago.

Queers Teach This: Adam J. Greteman in Conversation With Erica Meiners
Date and Location TBD

SAIC Galleries Admission & Hours
Free and open to the public. Public visitors must present a state-issued ID at the security desk. Monday–Saturday 11am–6pm. SAIC Galleries will be closed from November 24 to 29 for the Thanksgiving Break.