Timeline: Timeline

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 its 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 Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is established—now 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
1993-1995     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 their 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