Art Connects Us, Volume 33

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

Our community's work demonstrates a belief in our interconnectedness as people and our shared responsibility to make positive change. Below you’ll find just a few of the stories that build our optimism, reignite our passion, and fill us with hope for the future.

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
Volume 23
Volume 24
Volume 25
Volume 26
Volume 27
Volume 28
Volume 29
Volume 30
Volume 31
Volume 32

Alum Richard Hunt Creates Bronzeville Monument to Ida B. Wells
Alum Richard Hunt (BA 1957, HON 1979) created a monument in honor of the crusading journalist, activist, and researcher Ida B. Wells. The monument, entitled Light of Truth, represents Wells’s multifaceted work and legacy. It’s located in Chicago’s Bronzeville community, on the land where the neighborhood’s Ida B. Wells homes once stood. read more

Alum Chris Ware Celebrates Comics at the Chicago Cultural Center
Artist, writer, and alum Chris Ware (SAIC 1991–93, HON 2019) and Chicago Cultural Historian Emeritus Tim Samuelson curated and designed the Chicago Cultural Center’s newest exhibition. Chicago: Where Comics Came to Life (1880–1960) spans almost a century of content from Chicago’s early comics scene, including pieces from Ware and Samuelson’s own collections. read more

Alum Beth Herman Adler Creates Covid Houses in Response to Pandemic
Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, alum Beth Herman Adler (SAIC 1973–77) created Covid Houses: a series of small, house-like structures made out of folded paper with a single candle inside. Each uniquely patterned house signifies a month of the pandemic. “The houses were my diary for this period, keeping track of the progress of the virus,” she shared. read more

In Her Wax Sculptures, Alum Hyun Jung Jun Explores the Ephemeral Nature of Art
Since her time at SAIC, alum Hyun Jung Jun (MFA 2019) has been enamored with ephemeral materials, such as the flour and sugar she uses in her elaborate, edible cakes. In her latest exhibition in East Garfield Park, she’s shaped candles into moth-like figurines. “I actually want people to burn these, I want them to perish,” Jun shared. “Really to just disappear.” read more