Homan Square

Nichols Tower
906 S. Homan Ave.
10th floor, office
12th floor, classroom

Mon-Wed-Fri: 773.638.2712

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2021_DAY OF SERVICE QR CODE

SAIC at Homan Square is a community of dedicated North Lawndale residents and artists in the historic Chicago neighborhood of Homan Square. Along with artists and scholars from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, we engage audiences and communities in collaborative processes through three areas of focus: Public Programs, Degree Classes, Continuing Studies Classes and an Artist-In-Residence Program.

Hand in hand with the community, our purpose is to identify issues, promote public discourse, and catalyze social change within specific institutions, neighborhoods, and other public contexts. It is a platform to share, support, and amplify what is already there by adding resources and bringing in others.

SAIC's work at Homan Square aspires to engage artists from a variety of disciplines to combine their skills and work with the community to organize projects that integrate studio art practices with civic engagement.

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Homan Square History
Aerial View of Homan Square

Over the past two decades, North Lawndale has mobilized with drive and vision to build a safer and more connected neighborhood at the center of the former Sears, Roebuck and Co. campus—an area that has come to be known as Homan Square.

Read all about Homan Square's History

This is our Community

Nichols Tower also houses seven other community and citywide organizations, a unique structure that helps faculty, artists, students, staff, and participants get to know and collaborate with each other.

Know more about our community

Public Programs

The North Lawndale community is directly engaged through a curriculum of free arts courses offered by SAIC’s Continuing Studies.

Know more about our public programs

Degree Classes

Classes and workshops at SAIC at Homan Square incorporate education in the visual arts with community engagement and social practice. The classes bring contemporary artists to the table of community work with the community for the community.

Know more about our degree classes

Artists-in-Residence

The residency provides three artists per year to work on an project in North Lawndale with a studio space in SAIC campus location of Nichols Tower. They are offered a  stipend, administrative support to build platforms for public participation in their art. Artist are chosen by a community jury and supported with a Lawndale mentor. The artist in residence works with the community to develop creative solutions to local issues and build connections between people and the places they live.

Know our past artists-in-residence

Students working in the Homan Square classroom

Day of Service

Day of Service at Homan Square is a yearly event that usually takes place in mid-March (at the end of Critique Week). SAIC at Homan partners with local North Lawndale organizations, businesses and community organizers to create a space of collaboration between SAIC students and community members. The Day of Service is a great opportunity for students to learn from Chicago residents and use their artistic skills outside of a traditional gallery setting.

Reflecting on the Day of Service 2019

Eric Hotchkiss teaches a public design class for SAIC in Nichols Tower