The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) proudly showcases the work of its faculty and students in Faculty Projects and Tracing Affinities, opening Friday, December 13, from 4:30–7:30 p.m., at SAIC’s Sullivan Galleries (33 South State Street, 7th floor). Both exhibitions, which are free and open to the public, run through February 15. They open during the final stage of a popular run for another major SAIC exhibition, News from Nowhere: Chicago Laboratory. The Sullivan Galleries will be open Friday and Saturday, November 29–30, so that visitors can enjoy that exhibition over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Curated by SAIC Assistant Director of Exhibitions Morgan Walsh, Faculty Projects [2] presents work by SAIC faculty completed during their sabbatical leave. While on sabbatical faculty have a dedicated time to pursue independent projects. The work presented upon return enriches the SAIC community by expanding conversation between faculty and students through presentation of ideas, research, and results. Featured artists include Calvin Forbes, Doug Huston, Eduardo Kac, BJ Krivanek, George Liebert, Ruth Margraff, Adelheid Mers, Michael K. Meyers, Michael Miller, Frank Piatek, Katherine L. Ross, Katrin Schnabl, Suellen Semekoski, Xavier Toubes, and Ann Tyler.

Tracing Affinities [3] presents new projects by current students and recent alumni selected through portfolio reviews by the SAIC Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies Committee. Organized by Graduate Curatorial Assistants Catalina Acosta-Carrizosa (Dual MA 2015) and Raven Falquez Munsell (Dual MA 2014), this exhibition is the result of the continued conversations, exchanges, and new understandings shared between participating artists and curators. Tracing Affinities suggests connections between the wide range of conceptual and material investigations introduced in recent work by: Kayla Anderson, Jase Flannery, Lindsey French, Aram Han, Kim Harty, Jeremiah Jones, Soohyun Kim, Christina Kostoff, Daniel Luedtke, Billy McGuinness, Rosalina Perez, Sabri Reed, Rose Sexton, Sarah Williams, and Hyounsang Yoo.

News from Nowhere: Chicago Laboratory [4]—a “best bet” for the fall visual art season in both the Chicago Reader [5] and the Chicago Tribune [6]—continues its run through December 21. For this ongoing project Korean artists Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho assembled a remarkable group of thinkers and practitioners to contribute to their research exploring the meaning, social function, and the role of the arts in contemporary times. Called a “brainy musing on the art of survival” by Chicago Sun-Times [7] critic Thomas Connors, the co-generative project is both a stirring exhibition and an open platform for investigation of the world as it is today and as it could be imagined in the future.

New work created by SAIC community members has been incorporated into News from Nowhere since the exhibition opened in September. Core77 reporter An Xiao Mina recently profiled [8] a two-day object design workshop related to the show, the results of which are on view in the exhibition. She notes, “More than an exhibition of speculative design, Moon and Jeon have set up an experience that evolves over time, in close collaboration with their exhibition partners and the School of the Art Institute's student body.”

Faculty Projects + Tracing Affinities
December 14, 2013–February 15, 2014
Opening reception: Friday, December 13, 4:30–7:30 p.m.

News from Nowhere: Chicago Laboratory
through December 21, 2013

Sullivan Galleries
33 S. State St., 7th floor
Free and open to the public Tuesday–Saturday, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Closed November 28, December 22–January 1
312.629.6635
saic.edu/sullivangalleries [9]

ABOUT THE SULLIVAN GALLERIES
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibitions bring to Chicago audiences the work of acclaimed and emerging artists through group exhibitions, artists’ projects, and publications, while providing a forum for exchange among faculty, students, and the public on the discourses of art today. Comprising approximately 30,000 square feet, the Sullivan Galleries are the largest single contemporary gallery space in Chicago’s Loop, and are located in the recently renovated Sullivan Center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The building was originally designed by architect Louis Sullivan and was home to the flagship store for Carson Pirie Scott & Co. for more than a century. The Sullivan Galleries are generally free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information: www.saic.edu/exhibitions [10] | 312.629.6635

Download Release (printer-friendly version): Winter SAIC Exhibitions [11].