Chicago Trib: SAIC Molds Artists Through New Tools, Traditional Principles

SAIC was recently featured in a story in the Chicago Tribune's Blue Sky Innovation section about our educational approach of merging old and new techniques and technology in the classroom. The story noted that students at SAIC embrace cutting-edge technology, pushing the school to acquire this technology and the faculty to become proficient in its use. SAIC's Director of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, Jonathan Solomon says, "This doesn’t fundamentally change what we do, but it opens up an extraordinary range of options to a student who's looking to take an idea and put it on paper or who has a relatively complex idea and wants to rationalize it."

Traditional techniques such as sketching are critical, Solomon adds, a thought reiterated by Chair of Fashion Design, Anke Loh. She says faculty help students to learn both traditional and new techniques, advising them to let their ideas guide them to the tools. Conrad Hamather (Fashion) says, "You can't comprehend new technology if you don't understand the hand of the craftsman before you." The story also features SAIC faculty members Mary English (AIADO), Mie Kongo (Ceramics), and Eia Radosavljevic (Fashion), and includes a slideshow of our students at work.