Chicago—The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), one of the nation’s leading art and design schools, announced a partnership with EXPO Chicago, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, taking place at Navy Pier from September 18–21.
In its third year, the four-day art fair will showcase 25 special exhibitions and projects featuring work from 140 galleries around the world. Through a partnership with EXPO, numerous SAIC alumni and faculty will be prominently featured at the event.
“The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is proud to partner with EXPO Chicago to offer robust programming designed to spur contemplation and dialogue,” said Lisa Wainwright, SAIC’s Dean of Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “EXPO Chicago brings together a group of diverse thinkers and makers, and we are thrilled to have so many of our alumni and faculty participating and engaging with the international art community.”
EXPO CHICAGO runs September 19–21 from 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. on Sunday. SAIC ID cardholders are admitted free access to the fair. Please present your ID at the will-call desk to obtain a ticket. Following is the full line-up of SAIC’s EXPO programming. For more information on EXPO, please visit expochicago.com.
/Dialogues | expochicago.com_dialogues
/Dialogues offers panel discussions, conversations and provocative artistic discourse with leading artists, curators, designers and arts professionals on the current issues that engage them.
Friday, September 19
11:15 a.m. | The Contemporary Foundation
Elizabeth Smith, Joel Wachs, and Christy MacLear In Conversation
Former SAIC professor and current Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Elizabeth Smith, President of the Warhol Foundation Joel Wachs and Executive Director of the Rauschenberg Foundation Christy MacLear join together to discuss each of their respective foundations’ initiatives within their contemporary practice in order to increase public engagement. The talk will focus on various tactics used by each foundation—bestowing grants to other institutions and artists, legacy programs, and holding talks throughout the year to educate the public on various cultural concerns.
12:45 p.m. | The State of the Midwest Museum
Christopher Atkins, Rose Bouthillier, and Tricia Paik In Conversation
This discussion will present three curators working in prominent Midwestern institutions highlighting their focus on the forward-thinking programming that often surpasses more well-known institutions in bravado and ground-breaking concepts. Participants include Coordinator of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Christopher Atkins, Associate Curator and Publications Manager at MOCA Cleveland Rose Bouthillier, and Curator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art Tricia Paik.
2:00 p.m. | /Dialogues Highlight
Ryan Gander In Conversation with Hamza Walker
Associate Curator and Director of Education at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago and SAIC instructor Hamza Walker (Painting and Drawing) will speak with internationally noted conceptual artist Ryan Gander about his extraordinary practice, including his “Per/Form” installation at CA2M in Madrid and his upcoming exhibition at the prestigious Mostyn Gallery in Wales.
4:00 p.m. | Collecting: Challenges in a New World
Sandra Guthman, R. Hugh Magill, Canice Prendergast, and Dorsey Waxter; moderated by Brook S. Mason
This panel discussion will present diverse viewpoints from a prominent collector, a gallerist, an academic, a lawyer, and a journalist examining the challenges of art collecting and new shifts in the market, and how to access the market in a fast-paced world. Moderated by the U.S. Correspondent for The Art Newspaper, and many other publications Brook S. Mason, panelists will include Collector and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Polk Bros. Foundation Sandra Guthman; Executive Vice President at The Northern Trust, Chicago R. Hugh Magill; Professor of Economics, Booth School, University of Chicago Canice Prendergast; and Principal, Dorsey Van Waxter Gallery and President of the Art Dealers Association of America Dorsey Waxter.
5:30 p.m. | In Conversation: French Curator Exchange
Naomi Beckwith, Guillaume Désanges, and Matthieu Poirier; moderated by Forrest Nash
Moderated by Founder of Contemporary Art Daily Forrest Nash (BFA 2009), this conversation will include Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Naomi Beckwith; independent curator and writer Guillaume Désanges; and Curator of Exhibitions, Reunion des Musées Nationaux Matthieu Poirier discussing a unique curatorial and cultural exchange between Chicago and France happening over the next year.
Saturday, September 20
11:15 a.m. | What Do Your Politics Get From Being In My Art?
Jim Duignan, Michael Rakowitz, and Abigail Satinsky; moderated by Duncan MacKenzie
Moderated by Bad at Sports founder and host Duncan MacKenzie (MFA 2013), this panel discussion examines what our contemporary art world offers to creative activists by looking at what conditions grow the appetite for political engagement within the art world, and what the art world can do for the causes it portrays. Panelists include SAIC alumni and professor, and Associate Director of Threewalls Abigail Satinsky (Dual MA 2009); artist Michael Rakowitz; and artist Jim Duignan. Satinsky, Rakowitz, and Duignan are participating artists in SAIC’s A Lived Practice series. For more information, visit saic.edu/livedpractice.
12:45 p.m. | In Conversation: The Network as Form
Pablo Helguera and Christian Viveros-Faune In Conversation with Bad at Sports
Bad at Sports will speak with SAIC alumni artist Pablo Helguera (BFA 1993) and widely published writer and critic Christian Viveros-Faune. This panel will discuss Helguera’s connections between the different regions of the Americas and his infamous project, “The School of Panamerican Unrest,” in conjunction with his work in SAIC’s exhibition A Proximity of Consciousness: Art and Social Action.
2:00 p.m. | In Conversation: (Im)possible Matters
Franklin Sirmans In Conversation with Tavares Strachan
Curator of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Franklin Sirmans discusses artist Tavares Strachan’s conceptual installations that investigate science, technology, mythology, history, and exploration. Strachan’s work represented the Bahamas in the 55th Venice Biennale.
3:30 p.m. | /Dialogues Highlight: The Impact of Performance Art
Eric Shiner In Conversation with RoseLee Goldberg
Performa Founder and Director RoseLee Goldberg will speak with the Director of the Andy Warhol Museum Eric Shiner about the importance of live performance in the work of many contemporary artists today, as well as its rising significance in museum programming and exhibitions.
5:00 p.m. | In Conversation: ART21–Season 7
James Cohan and Arlene Shechet In Conversation with Bad at Sports
Bad at Sports will speak with Owner of James Cohan Gallery and Art21 board member James Cohan and Art in the Twenty-First Century Season 7 artist Arlene Shechet.
Sunday, September 21
11:30 a.m. | /Dialogues Highlight: The Open Road
Justine Kurland and Alec Soth In Conversation with Denise Wolff
Artists Justine Kurland and Alec Soth will speak with Aperture Photobook Editor Denise Wolff about The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip, the first survey book to consider the American road trip as a photographic genre. The book presents some of the best-loved photography, and the story of the open road as photographer’s muse.
1:00 p.m. | Sculpture/Culture
Orly Genger and Hank Willis Thomas In Conversation with Marilu Knode
Artists Orly Genger (Post-Bac 2002) and Hank Willis Thomas will engage in a conversation with Laumeier Sculpture Park Executive Director Marilu Knode focusing on the unique role that public sculpture and collaborative projects play in popular culture.
SAIC @ EXPO Booth
Curated by SAIC faculty member José Lerma (Painting), SAIC’s booth features students from the Photography, Performance, and Painting and Drawing departments, among others. The booth will feature some of the most talented young artists producing work in Chicago today, including Bachar Bachara (MFA Photography 2015), Simon Belleau (MFA Photography 2015), Chanhee Choi (MFA Fiber and Material Studies 2015), Billy Feldman (MFA Film, Video, New Media Arts 2015), Michal Samama (MFA Performance 2015), Leonard Suryajaya (MFA Photography 2015), and Sara Tabatabaie-Raissi (MFA Painting and Drawing 2015).
IN/SITU | expochicago.com/in-situ
Situated throughout the exposition floor, IN/SITU provides a dynamic opportunity for the exhibiting galleries to showcase large-scale installations, site-specific and performative works by leading international artists. IN/SITU is organized by Director and Curator, Renaud Proch, of Independent Curators International (ICI). SAIC alumni involved with IN/SITU are Elijah Burgher (MFA 2004), Robert Burnier (MFA 2015), Scott Carter (MFA 2011), and Cheryl Pope (MDes 2010). For more information on In/Situ, click here.
Also at EXPO
Special Projects:
- Bling Bling, 6018 North features Steve Atkins (MFA 2014), Lise Haller Baggesson (MAVCS 2013), Murat Adash (MFA 2014), and Alice Berry (1980 BFA).
- Five Equals Lines, but not a Pentagon features Monika Wulfers (MFA 1973).
- EXPO Video features Eric Fleischauer (Instructor, Film, Video, New Media, and Animation) and Jason Lazarus (Adjunct Assistant Professor, Photography)
About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate programs to more than 3,200 students from around the globe. SAIC also provides adults, high school students, and children with the opportunity to flourish in a variety of courses, workshops, certificate programs, and camps through its Continuing Studies program. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC’s resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. For more information, please visit saic.edu.
