Hamza Walker: 2026–27 Bill and Stephanie Sick Distinguished Visiting Professor

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) welcomes Hamza Walker as the 2026–27 Bill and Stephanie Sick Distinguished Visiting Professor. 

Hamza Walker is director of The Brick (formerly LAXART), a nonprofit alternative art space in Los Angeles. Walker has been chasing the same high for over three decades. Ever since seeing avant-garde concerts and performances in late ‘80s Chicago, he has felt compelled to share a boundless curiosity about art. In the ensuing years, Walker has curated dozens of exhibitions ranging from solo to thematic exhibitions, from the production of new work to career surveys. Recent exhibitions include MONUMENTS, co-curated with Bennett Simpson and Kara Walker, and co-organized with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2025/2026; Gregg Bordowitz, This Is Not A Love Song, 2025; Betsy Paige Smith, Unshade Me Of You, 2025; Nikita Gale, Takers, 2022; Ari Marcopoulos and Joe McPhee, Alone Together, 2021; Kandis Williams/Cassandra Press’ The Absolute Right to Exclude, 2021; and Postcommodity’s Some Reach While Others Clap, 2020.

As SAIC’s 2026–27 Bill and Stephanie Sick Distinguished Visiting Professor, Walker will present a free public lecture through SAIC’s Visiting Artists Program on September 28 at 6pm CT in Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago. Details may be found by visiting saic.edu/vap. In spring 2027, Walker partners with professor Lou Mallozzi to teach "Lost & Found & Lost Again," an interdisciplinary seminar challenging students to radically destabilize and shift in their practice while maintaining their core focus and values. The touchstone is the music of Miles Davis, who made a radical jump from all-acoustic “cool” jazz to electric jazz-rock-funk in 1967, a move that alienated some critics and musicians while simultaneously engaging new audiences, social discourses, and musical territories. The social, technological, and material contexts of Miles’s strategizing can inform current practice in an ever-fragmenting cultural, economic, and social sphere.

Established in 2006 by a generous gift from Bill and Stephanie Sick of Winnetka, Illinois, the Bill and Stephanie Sick Distinguished Visiting Professorship enables internationally renowned artists and designers to visit and teach at SAIC. Previous Bill and Stephanie Sick Distinguished Visiting Professors include Bruce Mau, Jaume Plensa, Bill Fontana, Catherine Opie, Andrea Zittel, Theaster Gates, Chris Ware, Ann Hamilton, Laura Owens, Amanda Williams, Nayland Blake, Ebony G. Patterson, Shirin Neshat, Walter Hood, Raven Chacon, and most recently Lee Mingwei. 

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For nearly 160 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program ranked number two in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world, and adults, teens, and kids in our Continuing Studies classes have the opportunity to explore their creative sides, build portfolios, and advance their skills. Notable alumni and faculty include Georgia O’Keeffe, Nick Cave, David Sedaris, Cynthia Rowley, Michelle Grabner, Richard Hunt, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Jeff Koons. Learn more at saic.edu.