Photo by Angie McMonigal, Courtesy of the Obama Presidential Center
Six SAIC Community Members Among Commissioned Artists at Obama Presidential Center
When the Obama Presidential Center opens June 19, you won’t have to look far to see the creative impact of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Six SAIC community members are among more than 25 site-specific commissions on the groundbreaking 19.3-acre campus. Featured SAIC community members include alums Lindsay Adams (MFA 2025), Aliza Nisenbaum (BFA 2001, MFA 2005), Jeffrey Gibson (BFA 1995), Rashid Johnson (SAIC 2003–04, HON 2018), and Norman Teague (MFA 2016), alongside Stephanie and Bill Sick Professor of Fashion, Body and Garment Nick Cave. Alum Richard Hunt (BAE 1957, HON 1979) is represented posthumously through Book Bird, a bronze sculpture in the Center's Chicago Public Library branch. For more on the Adams and Nisenbaum commissions, read "Two Alums Bring Color and Creativity to the Obama Presidential Center" in the spring 2026 issue of School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine.
Congratulations to Anne Wilson, Sonya Clark, and Guanyu Xu, named 2026 Guggenheim Fellows.
Sonya Clark (BFA 1993). Photo: Diego Valdez. Professor Emeritus Anne Wilson and Guanyu Xu (BFA 2016, MFA 2019). Photos courtesy of the artists.
Three SAIC community members join the 2026 class of 223 Guggenheim Fellows, selected from nearly 5,000 applicants. Photo: Sonya Clark by Diego Valdez; Professor Emeritus Anne Wilson and Guanyu Xu courtesy of the artists.