About: Timeline
About SAIC
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs to over 3,200 students from across the globe. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC's educational philosophy is built upon a multidisciplinary approach to art and design, giving 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.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has a long history of educating artists and designers in Chicago. As you will see from this timeline, this history is interwoven with the Art Institute of Chicago and the city itself.
| 1866 | SAIC founded as the Chicago Academy of Design; the 35 founding artists intend to run a free school with its own art gallery |
| 1872 | The collecting arm of the school is founded |
| 1879 | School is incorporated as the Chicago Academy of Fine Art |
| 1882 | Name is changed to the Art Institute of Chicago to accommodate a distinct museum and school |
| 1883 | Children's art classes offered to the community |
| 1893 | The Art Institute of Chicago school and museum move into their iconic building on Michigan Avenue built for the World's Columbian Exposition |
| 1934 | Students begin taking liberal arts courses, subsequently enabling SAIC to begin awarding Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 1936 |
| 1936 | SAIC is first art school to be accredited by a regional accrediting association |
| 1940 | First Master of Fine Arts degrees awarded |
| 1944 | SAIC offers its first course in abstract painting, initiating a post-war shift toward forward-looking art production and training |
| 1969 | SAIC's interdisciplinary approach to art education is established, allowing students to determine their own curricula with faculty consultation |
| 1972 | The Department of Art and Technology Studies is founded—the first department of its kind |
| 1972 | Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is established—now named the Gene Siskel Film Center |
| 1993 | First residence hall is constructed to house a growing student population, resulting in a truly urban campus by 2000 |
| 1993–95 | Graduate programs diversified, with the introduction of the Master of Arts in Arts Administration; Master of Science in Historic Preservation; and Master of Fine Arts in Writing |
| 1995 | The Art Institute of Chicago welcomes more than one million visitors to Claude Monet: 1840-1926 during its four-month run |
| 1997 | U.S. News and World Report ranks SAIC #1 fine arts program in its annual Best Graduate Schools edition—SAIC has been consistently ranked in the top three ever since |
| 2001 | SAIC develops technology for Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain, in turn increasing SAIC’s focus on external and civic collaborations |
| 2002 | SAIC is named the "most influential art school in the United States" in a survey of art critics conducted by the National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia University |
| 2004 | SAIC initiates a laptop program for all incoming first-year students, the first program of its kind in a major arts school |
| 2006 | Introduction of new graduate programs in design, including the Master of Architecture; Master of Design in Designed Objects; and Master of Interior Architecture |
| 2009 | SAIC produces the most Fulbright Scholars among all art and design schools |
| Designed by Renzo Piano, the Art Institute of Chicago’s acclaimed Modern Wing opens, increasing the museum’s overall exhibition space to more than one million square feet | |
| 2010 | Ox-Bow, SAIC's summer artists' residency, celebrates its 100th anniversary |
| 2012 | The Leroy Neiman Center opens, providing SAIC with its first campus center |
