Student works on print project
Printmedia

Undergraduate Overview

Undergraduate Overview

Undergraduate students who concentrate their studies within Printmedia engage a dynamic learning environment where traditional and contemporary practices are informed by the ever-expanding definition of image making.

Printmedia at SAIC may take the form of conventional approaches such as, intaglio, lithography, silkscreen, book arts and relief, as well as digital printing and fabrication. Alternative and experimental means of production are also explored. Students generate work to be shared, exhibited, performed or situated in site-specific contexts.

Course topics include:

  • Printmedia Practices
  • Artists’ Books, Offset Productions
  • Reproduction and Representation
  • Adventures in Self-Publishing
  • Image Retainer: Print in the Expanded Field
  • Advanced Undergraduate Studio

Undergraduate Admissions Requirements & Curriculum Overview

  • To apply to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), you will need to fill out an application and submit your transcripts, artist's statement, and letters of recommendation. And most importantly, we require a portfolio of your best and most recent work—work that will give us a sense of you, your interests, and your willingness to explore, experiment, and think beyond technical art, design, and writing skills.

    In order to apply, please submit the following items:  

    Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Portfolio

    Submit 10–15 pieces of your best and most recent work. We will review your portfolio and application materials for merit scholarship once you have been admitted to SAIC.

    When compiling a portfolio, you may concentrate your work in a single discipline or show work in a breadth of media. The portfolio may include drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, film, video, audio recordings, sculpture, ceramics, fashion designs, graphic design, furniture, objects, architectural designs, websites, video games, sketchbooks, scripts, storyboards, screenplays, zines, or any combination of the above.

    Learn more about applying to SAIC's Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio, or view our portfolio preparation guide for more information.

  • Studio

    69

    • CP 1010 Core Studio Practice I (3)
    • CP 1011 Core Studio Practice II (3)
    • CP 1020 Research Studio I (3)
    • CP 1022 Research Studio II (3)
    • SOPHSEM 2900 (3)
    • PROFPRAC 3900 (3)
    • CAPSTONE 4900 (3)
    • Studio Electives (48)

    PROFPRAC and CAPSTONE are now required for new incoming students beginning in the 2015-16 academic year.

     

    Art History

    15

    • ARTHI 1001 World Cultures/Civilizations: Pre-History—19th Century Art and Architecture (3)
    • Art History Elective at 1000 level (3)
    • Art History Electives (9)

     

    Liberal Arts

    30

    • ENGLISH 1001 First Year Seminar I (3)
    • ENGLISH 1005 First Year Seminar II (3)
    • Natural Science (6)
    • Social Science (6)
    • Humanities (6)
    • Liberal Arts Electives (6)

     

    General Electives

    6

    • Studio, Art History, Liberal Arts, AAP, or EIS

     

    Total Credit Hours

    120

    * BFA students must complete at least 6 credit hours in a class designated as "off campus study." These credits can also fulfill any of the requirements listed above and be from any of the divisions (Art History, Studio, Liberal Arts, or General Electives).

    BFA With Distinction—SAIC Scholars Program: The SAIC Scholars program is a learning community of BFA students pursuing rigorous study in both their academic coursework and their studio pathways. There are two opportunities for interested students to apply to the SAIC Scholars Program: at the time of admission to the school, and after they have completed 30 credits of study at SAIC. Students pursuing the latter option are required to formally submit an application to the Undergraduate Division. Once admitted to the SAIC Scholars Program, students are required to successfully complete a minimum of six designated scholars courses. Students who complete the program will graduate with distinction.

    BFA in Studio with Thesis Option (Liberal Arts or Visual Critical Studies): BFA students may complete a nine-credit, research-based academic thesis as part of their studies within the 126 credits for the BFA in Studio degree. BFA with Thesis course sequences are offered over 3 semesters through the departments of Liberal Arts or Visual and Critical Studies (VCS). Students who are interested in one of the thesis options should follow the steps outlined below in the beginning of the junior year.

    Requirements for the BFA: Studio Art with Liberal Arts Thesis

    Step One: Students are required to meet with the Chair of the Liberal Arts department in the beginning of their junior year. 

    Step Two: With the Department Chair's approval, the student enrolls in the following courses beginning in the spring term of their junior year:

    • SOCSCI or HUMANITY 3900 Academic Research and Writing (3 credits)
    • LIBARTS 4800 Undergraduate Thesis: Research/Writing I (3 credits)
    • CAPSTONE 4900 Liberal Arts Undergraduate Thesis: Research/Writing II (3 credits)

    Step Three: The completed thesis must be approved by both the Thesis II instructor and the Chair of Liberal Arts. Students must make a formal presentation and participate in the Undergraduate Thesis Symposium in their senior year.

    Requirements for the BFA: Studio Art with Visual and Critical Studies (VCS) Thesis

    Step One: Students are required to meet with the Visual and Critical Studies Undergraduate Coordinator in or by the beginning of their junior year.

    Step Two: With the VCS Coordinator's approval, the student enrolls in the first of the three-course sequence beginning in the spring term of their junior year:

    • VCS 3010 Tutorial in Visual & Critical Studies (3 credits)
    • VCS 4800 Undergraduate Thesis Seminar: Research & Writing I (3 credits)
    • CAPSTONE 4900 VCS Undergraduate Thesis Seminar: Research & Writing II (3 credits)

    Step Three: Completion of thesis must be approved by both the Thesis II instructor and the VCS Undergraduate Coordinator. Students must make a formal presentation and participate in the Undergraduate VCS Thesis Symposium in the senior year.

    Total credits required for minimum residency60
    Minimum Studio credit42

Course Listing

Title Catalog Instructor Schedule

Description

How is print fundamental to artistic practice? Students will have two seven-week sections learning fundamentals, exploring ways in which artists utilize processes to facilitate print media based projects. Projects will encourage students to critically examine how print services concept and context both historically and within the contemporary. Each thematic section is anchored in a specific print process aimed to establish skill acquisition and experimentation. Sections in Room 221 and 222 will concentrate on experimental and innovative processes in Screenprinting and Lithography; the section meeting in Room 223 will explore contemporary practices using Relief, etching, monotypes, stencils, and collagraphs. Faculty will conduct process demonstrations, introduce students to a history of practitioners in the graphic arts, and provide supporting readings. Print processes covered may include screen printing, relief, monotypes, photo plate lithography, book arts. Topics will vary but may include the multiple, seriality, editions, public address, progression of collage, and self-publishing. Learning will be aided with visits to the AIC Department of Prints and Drawings and the Joan Flasch Artists Books Collection

Class Number

1363

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

How is print fundamental to artistic practice? Students will have two seven-week sections learning fundamentals, exploring ways in which artists utilize processes to facilitate print media based projects. Projects will encourage students to critically examine how print services concept and context both historically and within the contemporary. Each thematic section is anchored in a specific print process aimed to establish skill acquisition and experimentation. Sections in Room 221 and 222 will concentrate on experimental and innovative processes in Screenprinting and Lithography; the section meeting in Room 223 will explore contemporary practices using Relief, etching, monotypes, stencils, and collagraphs. Faculty will conduct process demonstrations, introduce students to a history of practitioners in the graphic arts, and provide supporting readings. Print processes covered may include screen printing, relief, monotypes, photo plate lithography, book arts. Topics will vary but may include the multiple, seriality, editions, public address, progression of collage, and self-publishing. Learning will be aided with visits to the AIC Department of Prints and Drawings and the Joan Flasch Artists Books Collection

Class Number

1367

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

How is print fundamental to artistic practice? Students will have two seven-week sections learning fundamentals, exploring ways in which artists utilize processes to facilitate print media based projects. Projects will encourage students to critically examine how print services concept and context both historically and within the contemporary. Each thematic section is anchored in a specific print process aimed to establish skill acquisition and experimentation. Sections in Room 221 and 222 will concentrate on experimental and innovative processes in Screenprinting and Lithography; the section meeting in Room 223 will explore contemporary practices using Relief, etching, monotypes, stencils, and collagraphs. Faculty will conduct process demonstrations, introduce students to a history of practitioners in the graphic arts, and provide supporting readings. Print processes covered may include screen printing, relief, monotypes, photo plate lithography, book arts. Topics will vary but may include the multiple, seriality, editions, public address, progression of collage, and self-publishing. Learning will be aided with visits to the AIC Department of Prints and Drawings and the Joan Flasch Artists Books Collection

Class Number

2024

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223

Description

Students are introduced to basic intaglio methods such as drypoint, soft ground, line etch and aqua tint. Use of specific tools and papers is an essential part of the course. Through examples, discussion and demonstrations students will learn to identify and select methods that suit their expressive needs and concepts.

Class Number

2245

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223

Description

In this course students are introduced to stone lithography. Through this planographic printing process it is possible to translate hand-drawn and hand-painted images into multiples and/or multi-color pieces. Emphasis is placed on gaining a thorough understanding of the techniques and principles of lithography through class demonstrations, instruction, individual projects, discussion and critiques.

Class Number

1364

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

In this course, students acquire technical proficiency in the various stencil printing methods. Individual exploration and development in the medium is encouraged and supported by individual instruction and group critiques.

Class Number

1365

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

Students learn methods used in making intaglio prints. Demonstrated techniques include etching, drypoint, and engraving, as well as a variety of experimental approaches to plate making and printing.

Class Number

2243

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223

Description

In this studio course, students will explore relief printmaking techniques using woodblocks, linoleum, found-objects, foam, monoprints and digital processes. Students will learn how to properly carve, ink, and print blocks in order to create editions as well as experiment with non-traditional formats. Students will be exposed to the rich history of relief printmaking through traditional and contemporary examples, specifically works from AIC and SAIC collections. Returning students will expand upon previous projects and develop new approaches to exploring content and understanding relief techniques. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of artists from the long and rich history of relief printmaking. We will examine artists who work traditionally within the medium, as well as artists who depend upon contemporary technology to create prints. Some of the artists we will explore in this course include Durer, Hokusai, Masereel, Mendez, Zarina and Baumgartner. Over the course of the semester, students will create 10-20 prints that show an understanding of the various relief techniques demonstrated by the instructor. Students will also participate in a print exchange folio at the end of the course. Projects will be critiqued throughout the semester.

Class Number

1372

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223

Description

Artists’ Books is a beginning/intermediate level course that focuses on the fundamental techniques of bookbinding so as to be able to design and produce one or an edition of artists’ books and boxes. The class begins by learning a range of traditional binding techniques, discussing material choices, and learning about the history of artists’ books. Later on breaking out of the box to take risks, explore concepts and unconventional materials will be strongly encouraged for individual projects. In addition, the intention of this class is to meld your own studio work and personal expression with the form of artists’ books.

Class Number

1366

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

Artists’ Books is a beginning/intermediate level course that focuses on the fundamental techniques of bookbinding so as to be able to design and produce one or an edition of artists’ books and boxes. The class begins by learning a range of traditional binding techniques, discussing material choices, and learning about the history of artists’ books. Later on breaking out of the box to take risks, explore concepts and unconventional materials will be strongly encouraged for individual projects. In addition, the intention of this class is to meld your own studio work and personal expression with the form of artists’ books.

Class Number

1370

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision. Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.

Class Number

2244

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 203

Description

This class introduces students to the concepts and production of distributable artists’ projects. Working closely with faculty, students develop projects to be printed on the Heidelberg offset press and Risograph machines. Multiples such as prints, books, zines, posters, stickers, cards, and packaging are examples of potential projects that utilize these high-volume printing processes. Image creation methods include digital, photo, collage, and hand-drawing. Adobe Creative Suite and a variety of binding and packaging techniques will be demonstrated. Through hands-on examples, readings, and visits to special collections, such as the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, a wide range of printed work and distributable projects will be shared and discussed. Over the semester, students can expect to complete a number of multi-color offset and risograph projects and participate in two critiques.

Class Number

1368

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

This class introduces students to the concepts and production of distributable artists’ projects. Working closely with faculty, students develop projects to be printed on the Heidelberg offset press and Risograph machines. Multiples such as prints, books, zines, posters, stickers, cards, and packaging are examples of potential projects that utilize these high-volume printing processes. Image creation methods include digital, photo, collage, and hand-drawing. Adobe Creative Suite and a variety of binding and packaging techniques will be demonstrated. Through hands-on examples, readings, and visits to special collections, such as the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, a wide range of printed work and distributable projects will be shared and discussed. Over the semester, students can expect to complete a number of multi-color offset and risograph projects and participate in two critiques.

Class Number

2002

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

Advanced exploration is encouraged in the screenprinting medium. Emphasis is placed on individual experimentation, development and the refinement of technical skills. Processes offered include large format printing, 4-color separation, and other advanced traditional photographic and digital techniques.

Prerequisites

PRINT 2005 or 2008 Pre-req

Class Number

1371

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

This course offers advanced exploration with visual and written material in paged sequence. Ideas are encouraged within a broad range of possibilities, via the format of the artist' book. The development of a major project is encouraged.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: PRINT 2018 or PRINT 3007.

Class Number

1777

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

This interdisciplinary studio class investigates the intersection of printmedia, artists? multiples and packaging as an entry point into making and thinking about multiples as a format for studio production. The history of artists? multiples (loosely defined as small-scale editioned or multiply produced three-dimensional works) includes many examples that use, or appropriate, printed elements and packaging in some way. This history, along with our daily experience of packaging (the many boxes, folders, labels, pamphlets, flyers and cartons found in nearly every aspect of contemporary life) offers a wealth of connections to consider and work from. Students will be introduced to a range of printing and paper construction techniques within the Printmedia studio. These include plate-based lithography (with hand-drawn, digital and photo options) and pattern layout for packaging along with other selected tools and techniques. In addition, students will have the opportunity to use SAIC labs such as the Service Bureau and digital fabrication centers. Examples, short readings, and a visit to the Joan Flasch or other related collections will support project development and discussion. Students can expect to complete three to five projects and participate in two critiques.

Class Number

1778

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

Students will be asked to respond through screenprinted work in a variety of formats, to art works, of their choice, in the museum collection. Reproductions of, re-representation of and re-evaluation of known works will encourage students to critically engage the museums collection while developing their own studio vocabulary and technical abilities.

Class Number

1369

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

In the last twenty years, the Risograph machine has become a powerful tool in the hands of artists and self-publishers. Students in this course will learn advanced methods of printing, spot color layering and color-separation along with becoming immersed in the rich global culture of RIsograph printing and publishing. The class will consist of demonstrations, lectures and presentations on current Risograph practitioners, visits with artists and publishers, trips to school collections and the prodigious production of strange and beautiful printed objects. Lectures and readings may include the work of artists Sigrid Calon, Lale Westvind, Joe Kessler, and the publishers Colorama, Perfectly Acceptable, Colour Code, The Charles Nypels Lab, Animal Press, Tan and Loose, and others. Students will be expected to produce 3-4 projects demonstrating technical proficiency and contextual grounding. These projects will be refined during regular one-on-one meetings and discussed in three group critiques. The course will culminate in a show of student work.

Class Number

1781

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

This intermediate studio will explore Lithography as an expanded practice for creating fine art prints that are both innovative and experimental. The course will focus on both individual and collaborative projects to expand the notions and practice of traditional lithography by combining it with other artistic practices. Students will be introduced with advanced printing processes including multi-color printing using stone and aluminum plate, photo and wood lithography, and monotype/monoprints. Use of laser and vinyl cutters to combine with traditional lithography will also be explored.

Class Number

1373

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

Students will develop professional practices including collaborative and independent work situations, via roles as commissioned artist, master printer, or artist-designer. Students will seek real-world clients to complete assignments, foster relationships with graphic designers, small presses, or their artist peers. Contemporary alternative print production and distribution models such as the integration of art, music and publishing prevalent in DIY scenes (1990s and 2000s), to emerging artist multiple/subscription programs and book/print fairs will be also be studied.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: 2900 course

Class Number

1783

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing, Collaboration, Community and Locality, Comics and Graphic Novels, Social Media and the Web

Location

280 Building Rm 203
Three screen prints using purple, yellow and pink ink.

Freshman and Transfer Deadline: June 1

Learn More

Elise Seigenthaler, "Hippocampus, Gateau d’annversaire, and Mom’s Shoes," 2019, photography, screen print, thread, bed sheets / fabric