by Rowan Beaird

When we think about the creative vision of an artist, we usually consider their work: their paintings and sculptures, their films and installations. But there are many ways that an artist’s creativity takes shape.

For School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) alum Sally Schoch (BFA 1958, MFA 1962), her imagination and talent are evident in her paintings, but they’ve also manifested themselves in every aspect of her more than nine decades of life.

Schoch first came to SAIC in elementary school, taking the train in from Joliet for Saturday classes at the museum. Painting felt like her purpose, and so she enrolled as an undergraduate student in the 1950s—taking classes alongside Richard Hunt (BFA 1957, HON 1979) and Robert Indiana (BFA 1954)—and went on to get her master of fine art degree. At the School, Schoch found a true artistic community. “I was so humbled by the talent that I was rubbing shoulders with,” she said.

After a brief stint in advertising, Schoch got married and turned her full attention to her home, raising four children in Wilmette. She continued painting her still lifes, but she also found different outlets for her creativity, using her art and design skills to connect with her neighbors. She would host puppet shows and craft sessions, inviting more than 40 neighborhood children over every year to construct gingerbread houses. “It really was Camelot,” her daughter Kari said.

In the 1970s, Schoch created the Gregory Street Art Fair in their neighborhood. It was an opportunity to display her paintings, but more than that, an opportunity to bring people together through art. Every neighbor participated in some way, whether through making food, staging games for the kids, or hosting art stands in their yard. “My mother was the Pied Piper,” Kari said. “She organized everybody.”

When her children went off to college, the art fair evolved into open studios that Schoch hosted in her home, giving local artisans a place to sell their work—ceramics, jewelry, weavings, jams—every December. “It was a crazy fest,” Schoch said. “I mean, there were no limitations as far as what you would bring.”

For decades, Schoch has given back to her local community in these ways, but she also continues to support her original artistic community at the School. Since graduating, she’s stayed connected to SAIC as a donor and a true advocate for the arts. When Kari was in high school, they’d take trips every year to see the Fashion Design department’s runway show. “I love to see the creativity that comes out of there,” Schoch said. 

Though she no longer hosts art fairs and open studios, Schoch’s creativity still shines. In recent years, she launched a business with her daughter, Sally’s Nuts, and she always finds time to paint. “That doesn’t happen as often as I would like it to, that’s for sure,” she said. “But I’ll get there, don’t worry.” ■