Art Connects Us, Volume 15

At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), our community has responded to the current moment as true citizen artists.

Their work demonstrates a belief in our interconnectedness as people and our shared responsibility to make positive change. We know headlines may be overwhelming these days, so below you’ll find good news highlighting the incredible efforts of SAIC’s artists and designers to forge and deepen connections with our communities.

We hope it inspires you for the week ahead.

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10
Volume 11
Volume 12
Volume 13
Volume 14

SAIC Community Members Design Billboards in Response to Political Landscape
SAIC community members Terry Berkowitz (MFA 1973), Mel Chin (HON 2020), and Dread Scott (BFA 1989) were selected to take part in Ministry of Truth: 1984/2020, a project mounting 20 billboards by 20 artists around New York City. The billboards present a platform for artists to reflect on the harrowing state of US politics in reference to George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984. read more

Faculty Member Aram Han Sifuentes Reimagines the Act of Voting
In honor of the 2020 presidential election, the Skirball Cultural Center is presenting Associate Professor, Adj. Aram Han Sifuentes’s (MFA 2013) The Official Unofficial Voting Station: Voting for All Who Legally Can’t. This project, staged virtually for the first time, “reimagines the act of voting as it could be: broad, inclusive, and cause for celebration.” read more

Alums and Faculty Develop Projects to Elevate BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Histories
Several SAIC faculty and alums were chosen to participate in Re:place, an inaugural residency program that will support a “yearlong excavation of BIPOC and QT+ histories and futures” in Chicago. Projects by Abraham Avnisan (MFA 2015); Associate Professor Mark Jeffrey; Associate Professor Judd Morrissey, Faculty, Adj; Joshua Rios (MA 2013); and Santiago X (MFA 2018) will culminate in a series of public site-specific performances. read more