Art Connects Us, Volume 23

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
Volume 15
Volume 16
Volume 17
Volume 18
Volume 19
Volume 20
Volume 21
Volume 22

At NASA, Alum Sara Schnadt is Helping to Figure Out if There’s Life on Mars
Alum Sara Schnadt (MFA 1998) is drawing on her work as a performance artist to support her efforts building a software platform that disperses data from NASA’s Perseverance rover. “As an artist, you’re trained to focus on the concept and acquire any tools and methodologies to research that idea,” Schnadt said. “You could say that is the core skill set of a conceptual artist. I simply applied all that to this." read more

SAIC’s Performance Department Connects with New Audiences Over Zoom
The Chicago Reader spotlighted Old Ways New Tools, the Performance department’s three-day spring festival. In countless ways, these performances—which were broadcast over Zoom—speak to the reality of our current moment. "It strikes me that we can't go into the white-walled spaces: we can't be in the museum, the gallery, the theater," shared Corey Smith (MFA 2021). "The local is all you have. You have the community around you." read more

At Sibyls Shrine, Alum Jessica Gaynelle Moss Stages an Exhibition on Black Motherhood
In the exhibition Sibyls Shrine: Taking Care, alum Jessica Gaynelle Moss (MA 2015) is curating a photography exhibition about the self-care practices of Black mothers in Pittsburgh, which—according to a study from Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission—was named “arguably the most unlivable city for Black women” in the country. Moss hopes the show can help women develop sustainable arts practices and build community. read more