160 Years of Making... Community: Celebrating the LeRoy Neiman Center
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) alums have been making history over the last 16 decades! In our “160 Years of Making” series, we’re celebrating the people that shaped the School, Chicago, and the art world at large. Watch for more profiles as we honor this historic anniversary.
Light fills the lobby of the LeRoy Neiman Center, reflecting off bold, layered color that stretches across the walls. Students move through the space between classes, some stopping to sketch, others gathering with friends or settling in to work. The LeRoy Neiman (SAIC 1946–50, HON 2006) mural sets the tone of the space, creating an environment that feels active, open, and shared.
At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the LeRoy Neiman Center is a space shaped by students. The center opened in 2015, funded by Neiman and his wife, Janet (HON 2015). The first floor includes event space and a street-level gallery for SITE Galleries, and the second floor houses a café and lounge, which often hosts programs and events ranging from open mic nights to film screenings. The center supports both quiet work and spontaneous interaction, bringing together people across disciplines. The atmosphere shifts throughout the day, but it consistently remains a place where students can reset, connect, and create alongside one another.
Born in 1921, Neiman studied at SAIC after serving in World War II and went on to build a career defined by vivid, expressive paintings of sports, nightlife, and public life. Janet was also deeply connected to the School, and together they established the LeRoy Neiman Foundation to support arts education. Even though they are no longer with us, their contributions continue through the foundation’s ongoing support of SAIC, helping sustain scholarships, student opportunities, and the spaces that define daily life on campus.
That continued support is felt in the Neiman Center every day. The thriving student space reflects a long relationship between the Neimans and SAIC, one rooted in generosity and student access. As SAIC student Bruno Martinez shares, “The Neiman Center feels like a crossroads and a central hub that allows me to connect, bond with people outside my focus, and make connections that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”
The LeRoy Neiman Center continues to evolve through student presence, carrying forward a legacy shaped by art, philanthropy, and community.
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A piece from Judith Geichman's solo show.
A piece from Judith Geichhman's solo show.