Chicago Undergraduate National Portfolio Day: October 5
Representatives from more than 60 undergraduate art schools and universities will be available to discuss your work and assist you in pursuing an education in the visual arts.
Graduate National Portfolio Day: October 18
Prospective MFA students are invited to receive feedback on their portfolios and learn more about the curricula, faculty, and application procedures from a number of colleges.
Last Chance to Register for Fall ACE Courses
Register now for fall art and design courses for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adults.
Curious. Bold. Ambitious.
You're ready to take risks and challenge others. You're open to change — and want to change things. This is your playground.
#2 Fine Arts Program in the U.S.
U.S. News & World Report
Best Grad Schools
Meet Aidan Anne Frierson, Artist and Storyteller
Recent graduate Aidan Anne Frierson (MFA 2025) is many things: a storyteller, educator, artist, and daughter of Chicago. Her work threads together personal history and collective memory, grounded in the textures of Black life and legacy.
MEET AIDAN ANNE FRIERSON, ARTIST AND STORYTELLER
Recent graduate Aidan Anne Frierson (MFA 2025) is many things: a storyteller, educator, artist, and daughter of Chicago. Her work threads together personal history and collective memory, grounded in the textures of Black life and legacy.
A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO PAPERMAKING
For Lyte as a Rock, Frierson embedded bamboo earrings bought from a South Side beauty store into handmade paper. Denim jeans—including pairs belonging to her parents—were broken down, pulped, and colored with natural pigment.
COTTON, MEMORY, AND RECLAMATION
Frierson’s relationship with cotton and place—what she calls “a radical act of reclamation”—is as intellectual as it is intimate. “This material doesn’t have to feel like a trap,” she said. “We interact with it every day, in the same ways that I feel like I interact with my ancestors every day. It feels like a point of connection and understanding.”
What Is This?
Why SAIC?
Three of our students share what brought them to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Tess Shoshana
"The freedom to choose what you learn and how you learn."
Leo Dai
"I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now without Chicago."
Antane Phillips
"The museum, I have now seen it as my second classroom."
Upcoming Events
August 25 - December 06
SAIC Galleries Street Level, SAIC Galleries Lower Level 2
July 20 - October 01
October 05
School of the Art Institute of Chicago 280 South Columbus Dr. Chicago, IL 60603
