In addition to participating in thesis or culminating shows at SAIC Galleries or applying for exhibitions at the student-run SITE Galleries, students may apply for exhibition opportunities in the Sharp Building’s Wabash Window and in other alternative spaces around campus through the INCUBATOR exhibition program. SAIC Galleries also offers a juried exhibition opportunity in the summer called New Work that is open to currently enrolled students. Information about additional exhibition and presentation opportunities are periodically posted to this page; check back often!

Organizing Off-Campus Exhibitions and Programs

On occasion SAIC faculty and student groups self-organize programs and exhibitions of student work in off-campus spaces, SAIC requires that such projects follow specific guidelines for approval. Please see the SAIC policy guidelines and checklist.

INCUBATOR

INCUBATOR, a division of the Department of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies, gives currently enrolled undergraduate, graduate, Low-Res, and post-bacc SAIC students opportunities to share their work across campus in non-traditional exhibition formats. These alternative spaces offer room to engage in exhibition-making from new and creative approaches. We encourage students to use INCUBATOR as an opportunity for experimentation and to share your practice with the SAIC community.

INCUBATOR is run by a team of graduate curatorial assistants working for the Department of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies who facilitate independently submitted student proposals and lead collaborative curatorial projects.

  • The Wabash window and the first floor lobby of the Sharp Building are the primary spaces designated for INCUBATOR projects. We encourage current SAIC students from all degree programs to apply for our three to four exhibition slots for fall 2024 through SlideRoom. The deadline for this application is April 15 at 11:59 p.m.

    To show your work in our 280 Building space please complete this Google form. This Google form is a rolling application process, so there are no deadlines, and submitting this form does not guarantee an exhibition. INCUBATOR GCAs will review submissions as they come in and contact students whose proposals are of interest to discuss next steps. Students (and faculty, if a class or department project) that are selected for INCUBATOR are required to be present to install and deinstall their work, with assistance from the INCUBATOR team.

  • Graduate Curatorial Assistants (GCAs) support departmental, course-related, and student driven projects through the Exhibitions Department. INCUBATOR GCAs review submissions, coordinate projects, and also have the opportunity to initiate curated exhibition projects and programs that include work by artists who have submitted proposals or that they find themselves. These projects receive an additional level of curatorial and installation support from GCAs. Co-learning is a guiding tenet of INCUBATOR, and as such, GCAs are always available for ongoing feedback and collaboration throughout the exhibition-making process. If you are interested in learning more about the INCUBATOR GCA program, please email Joseph Josué Mora, Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Staff Advisor to SITE Galleries and INCUBATOR at jmora1@saic.edu

NEW WORK

NEW WORK Summer Group Exhibition at SAIC Galleries

This spring, continuing undergraduate and graduate students can apply for a summer group exhibition at SAIC Galleries called New Work. The Exhibitions & Exhibition Studies Faculty & Staff Advisory Committee reviews submissions and selects 10 artists to participate. This exhibition is organized by SAIC Galleries’ Graduate Curatorial Assistants and will be open from June 20 to July 20, 2024. Selected students must be available to install and deinstall their work over the summer.

The application period for this exhibition has closed. Chosen artists will be notified in the coming weeks. 

For questions about New Work, please email exhibitions-saic@saic.edu.