Student works on print project

Graduate Curriculum & Courses

Graduate Curriculum & Courses

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing your individual needs as a student. Following admission through a department, you will design your two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC. You are encouraged to seek out curricular advising as needed from a variety of available sources including the dean, graduate dean, graduate division chair, department heads, academic advising, the graduate admissions office, and your peers.

Studio—MFA 6009 Graduate Projects, Seminars and/or maximum of 12 credits of 3000-level and above studios39  
Art History12  
  • ARTHI 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design(3)
  • Art History Courses, 4000-level or above (9)
 
Electives—any course in any area at 3000 level or above9  
Participation in four graduate critiques 
Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice:* Graduate Exhibition, AIADO or Fashion Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings 
Total Credit Hours60

* Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies. The AIADO Department encourages students in their MFA design programs to participate in the AIADO and Fashion Graduate Exhibition.

Degree Requirements & Specifications

  • Completion schedule: You have a maximum of four years to complete your MFA in Studio degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Students will have access to studios for four semesters only.
  • Transfer credits: You must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in residence at SAIC. You can request up to 15 transfer credits at the time of application for admission, which are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credits are permitted after a student is admitted.
  • Art History requirement: MFA students are required to take ARTHII 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design. Art History courses must be at the 4000-level and above.
  • Undergraduate studio courses: Graduate students are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000-level and above) per semester without permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000-level are allowed only with permission.
  • Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours

MFA 6009 Graduate Projects

MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advising, an ongoing individual dialogue with a wide range of full-time and part-time faculty advisors, is at the heart of the MFA program at SAIC, encouraging interdisciplinary study across the curriculum. You are required to register for one MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advisor each semester, and we highly recommend you register for two.

In the registration process, you may elect to earn 3 or 6 hours of credit with each advisor. This option is designed to allow for maximum flexibility in designing your program. You can earn as few as 3 and as many as 6 credits with each advisor each semester, thus dedicating a maximum of 12 credit hours to your studio activity. The number of credits you earn has no correlation with the length or frequency of the advising sessions or to faculty assessment of student work.

The remainder of credits required for the full-time 15 credit hour load may include graduate seminars and academic or studio electives. MFA students are urged to take graduate seminars, and an introductory seminar in their department of admission is highly recommended. In addition, the MFA student may choose from all the art history, studio, and academic offerings across the curriculum (including undergraduate offerings above 3000 level) in any given semester to customize their degree experience.

Graduate Critiques

As one of the principle means of assessment each semester, you will be required to participate in Critique Week, a week-long schedule of critiques during which classes are suspended.

Fall semester critiques are organized by department with panels representing the discipline. This provides you with an opportunity to understand the department’s expectations, have your work reviewed from a disciplinary point of view, and to reiterate the expectations for graduate study.

Spring semester critiques are interdisciplinary, with panel members and students from across SAIC disciplines. Interdisciplinary critiques allow for a broad range of responses to your work, and are intended to assess the success of your work for a more general, albeit highly informed audience. Critique panels include faculty, visiting artists, and fellow graduate students.

Graduate Exhibition or Equivalent

At the conclusion of your studies, you will present work in the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition, other end-of-year events at SAIC, or the Gene Siskel Film Center—or arrange with the graduate dean or division chair for an alternative thesis of equal professional quality. Each year more than 200 graduate students exhibit work, screen videos and films, and present time-based works, writings, and performance to a collective audience of 30,000 people.

Students wishing to install work around prevalent themes, strategies or stylistic affinities can participate in a juried and curated section of the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition. A faculty and staff committee conducts extensive studio visits and as a collaborative project with student participants, organizes and installs the show in designated space at the exhibition.

Undergraduate Courses

MFA students are advised to understand the expectations of their faculty when enrolled in undergraduate studio classes. Although graduate students are an asset to the group dynamic, faculty requirements for graduate students in undergraduate classes are variable. The student is responsible for understanding the faculty member's expectations about completion of assignments, attendance, and any other criteria for earning credit. To assure that graduate students are working at degree level, they are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000 level and above) per semester without permission of the dean of graduate studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000 level are allowed only with permission.

Course Listing

Title Catalog Instructor Schedule

Description

How is print fundamental to artistic practice? Students will have two seven-week sections learning fundamentals, exploring ways in which artists utilize processes to facilitate print media based projects. Projects will encourage students to critically examine how print services concept and context both historically and within the contemporary. Each thematic section is anchored in a specific print process aimed to establish skill acquisition and experimentation. Sections in Room 221 and 222 will concentrate on experimental and innovative processes in Screenprinting and Lithography; the section meeting in Room 223 will explore contemporary practices using Relief, etching, monotypes, stencils, and collagraphs. Faculty will conduct process demonstrations, introduce students to a history of practitioners in the graphic arts, and provide supporting readings. Print processes covered may include screen printing, relief, monotypes, photo plate lithography, book arts. Topics will vary but may include the multiple, seriality, editions, public address, progression of collage, and self-publishing. Learning will be aided with visits to the AIC Department of Prints and Drawings and the Joan Flasch Artists Books Collection

Class Number

1396

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

How is print fundamental to artistic practice? Students will have two seven-week sections learning fundamentals, exploring ways in which artists utilize processes to facilitate print media based projects. Projects will encourage students to critically examine how print services concept and context both historically and within the contemporary. Each thematic section is anchored in a specific print process aimed to establish skill acquisition and experimentation. Sections in Room 221 and 222 will concentrate on experimental and innovative processes in Screenprinting and Lithography; the section meeting in Room 223 will explore contemporary practices using Relief, etching, monotypes, stencils, and collagraphs. Faculty will conduct process demonstrations, introduce students to a history of practitioners in the graphic arts, and provide supporting readings. Print processes covered may include screen printing, relief, monotypes, photo plate lithography, book arts. Topics will vary but may include the multiple, seriality, editions, public address, progression of collage, and self-publishing. Learning will be aided with visits to the AIC Department of Prints and Drawings and the Joan Flasch Artists Books Collection

Class Number

1401

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

How is print fundamental to artistic practice? Students will have two seven-week sections learning fundamentals, exploring ways in which artists utilize processes to facilitate print media based projects. Projects will encourage students to critically examine how print services concept and context both historically and within the contemporary. Each thematic section is anchored in a specific print process aimed to establish skill acquisition and experimentation. Sections in Room 221 and 222 will concentrate on experimental and innovative processes in Screenprinting and Lithography; the section meeting in Room 223 will explore contemporary practices using Relief, etching, monotypes, stencils, and collagraphs. Faculty will conduct process demonstrations, introduce students to a history of practitioners in the graphic arts, and provide supporting readings. Print processes covered may include screen printing, relief, monotypes, photo plate lithography, book arts. Topics will vary but may include the multiple, seriality, editions, public address, progression of collage, and self-publishing. Learning will be aided with visits to the AIC Department of Prints and Drawings and the Joan Flasch Artists Books Collection

Class Number

1408

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223

Description

In this course students are introduced to stone lithography. Through this planographic printing process it is possible to translate hand-drawn and hand-painted images into multiples and/or multi-color pieces. Emphasis is placed on gaining a thorough understanding of the techniques and principles of lithography through class demonstrations, instruction, individual projects, discussion and critiques.

Class Number

1397

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

Students learn traditional and experimental approaches to relief printmaking. Techniques covered are woodcut, linocut, wood engraving, relief etching, monoprints, and other press and hand-printing relief processes.

Class Number

2186

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223

Description

In this course, students acquire technical proficiency in the various stencil printing methods. Individual exploration and development in the medium is encouraged and supported by individual instruction and group critiques.

Class Number

1398

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

In this course, students acquire technical proficiency in the various stencil printing methods. Individual exploration and development in the medium is encouraged and supported by individual instruction and group critiques.

Class Number

1405

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

Students learn methods used in making intaglio prints. Demonstrated techniques include etching, drypoint, and engraving, as well as a variety of experimental approaches to plate making and printing.

Class Number

2064

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 223, 280 Building Rm 203

Description

For the beginning student this course offers a concentrated introduction to the entire stencil making and printing process. The advanced student may explore the more sophisticated techniques of digital and photographic stencil-making, photo-mechanical darkroom and printing work.

Class Number

1873

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 222

Description

In this studio course, students will explore relief printmaking techniques using woodblocks, linoleum, found-objects, foam, monoprints and digital processes. Students will learn how to properly carve, ink, and print blocks in order to create editions as well as experiment with non-traditional formats. Students will be exposed to the rich history of relief printmaking through traditional and contemporary examples, specifically works from AIC and SAIC collections. Returning students will expand upon previous projects and develop new approaches to exploring content and understanding relief techniques. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of artists from the long and rich history of relief printmaking. We will examine artists who work traditionally within the medium, as well as artists who depend upon contemporary technology to create prints. Some of the artists we will explore in this course include Durer, Hokusai, Masereel, Mendez, Zarina and Baumgartner. Over the course of the semester, students will create 10-20 prints that show an understanding of the various relief techniques demonstrated by the instructor. Students will also participate in a print exchange folio at the end of the course. Projects will be critiqued throughout the semester.

Class Number

1874

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 203, 280 Building Rm 223

Description

Artists� Books is a beginning/intermediate level course that focuses on the fundamental techniques of bookbinding so as to be able to design and produce one or an edition of artists� books and boxes. The class begins by learning a range of traditional binding techniques, discussing material choices, and learning about the history of artists� books. Later on breaking out of the box to take risks, explore concepts and unconventional materials will be strongly encouraged for individual projects. In addition, the intention of this class is to meld your own studio work and personal expression with the form of artists� books.

Class Number

1400

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

Artists� Books is a beginning/intermediate level course that focuses on the fundamental techniques of bookbinding so as to be able to design and produce one or an edition of artists� books and boxes. The class begins by learning a range of traditional binding techniques, discussing material choices, and learning about the history of artists� books. Later on breaking out of the box to take risks, explore concepts and unconventional materials will be strongly encouraged for individual projects. In addition, the intention of this class is to meld your own studio work and personal expression with the form of artists� books.

Class Number

2184

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

This class introduces students to the concepts and production of distributable artists� projects. Working closely with faculty, students develop projects to be printed on the Heidelberg offset press and Risograph machines. Multiples such as prints, books, zines, posters, stickers, cards, and packaging are examples of potential projects that utilize these high-volume printing processes. Image creation methods include digital, photo, collage, and hand-drawing. Adobe Creative Suite and a variety of binding and packaging techniques will be demonstrated. Through hands-on examples, readings, and visits to special collections, such as the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, a wide range of printed work and distributable projects will be shared and discussed. Over the semester, students can expect to complete a number of multi-color offset and risograph projects and participate in two critiques.

Class Number

1399

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

This class introduces students to the concepts and production of distributable artists� projects. Working closely with faculty, students develop projects to be printed on the Heidelberg offset press and Risograph machines. Multiples such as prints, books, zines, posters, stickers, cards, and packaging are examples of potential projects that utilize these high-volume printing processes. Image creation methods include digital, photo, collage, and hand-drawing. Adobe Creative Suite and a variety of binding and packaging techniques will be demonstrated. Through hands-on examples, readings, and visits to special collections, such as the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, a wide range of printed work and distributable projects will be shared and discussed. Over the semester, students can expect to complete a number of multi-color offset and risograph projects and participate in two critiques.

Class Number

1402

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

A cool structure isn�t enough. Form and function matter. With various degrees of complexity, one can vary and confuse the way a narrative is arranged. This course is designed to introduce exclusive, hands-on artmaking experiences with various photo processes and non-traditional bookmaking techniques. This course is tailored to meet the needs of students seeking both new methods of image-making processes in photography and unique structures of various book types. Students will be challenged to work with images by constructing their narratives into book structures. This class will cover a wide range of photographic processes (Cyanotype, Brown-toned Print, Various Transfer Methods, Traditional Gelatine Silver Print) and non-traditional bookmaking techniques (Simple Folds Book, Accordion Book, Stab-binding, Drum-leaf binding, Flag Book, Waterfall FlipBook, Unique Fold Book, Portfolio Case). Visits to Joan Flasch Artists' Books Collection take place frequently when needed. The class provides slide presentations and several individual and group critiques. Taking chances, pushing boundaries, improvising, and experimenting with these new alternative techniques will be heavily explored when students develop their final projects. The outcome of the class is a work where content and structure form a complete aesthetic. Students will be expected to produce minor books, zines showing proficiency in both book building, photographic projects and the appropriateness of their choices. Sharing of ideas will come from regular show-and-tells of what has been done and work in progress working toward a final coherent book project. Assessment and aid will also stem from individual meetings. From these contacts examples mainly from the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection but also specific tailored readings.

Class Number

1879

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Graphic Design, Art and Science, Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

A cool structure isn�t enough. Form and function matter. With various degrees of complexity, one can vary and confuse the way a narrative is arranged. This course is designed to introduce exclusive, hands-on artmaking experiences with various photo processes and non-traditional bookmaking techniques. This course is tailored to meet the needs of students seeking both new methods of image-making processes in photography and unique structures of various book types. Students will be challenged to work with images by constructing their narratives into book structures. This class will cover a wide range of photographic processes (Cyanotype, Brown-toned Print, Various Transfer Methods, Traditional Gelatine Silver Print) and non-traditional bookmaking techniques (Simple Folds Book, Accordion Book, Stab-binding, Drum-leaf binding, Flag Book, Waterfall FlipBook, Unique Fold Book, Portfolio Case). Visits to Joan Flasch Artists' Books Collection take place frequently when needed. The class provides slide presentations and several individual and group critiques. Taking chances, pushing boundaries, improvising, and experimenting with these new alternative techniques will be heavily explored when students develop their final projects. The outcome of the class is a work where content and structure form a complete aesthetic. Students will be expected to produce minor books, zines showing proficiency in both book building, photographic projects and the appropriateness of their choices. Sharing of ideas will come from regular show-and-tells of what has been done and work in progress working toward a final coherent book project. Assessment and aid will also stem from individual meetings. From these contacts examples mainly from the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection but also specific tailored readings.

Class Number

1879

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Graphic Design, Art and Science, Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 113

Description

This course will look at the inseparable link between comic stories and how they are reproduced. In the first half of the semester, we will gain familiarity with screenprint and risograph printing techniques, look at historical and contemporary examples of how artists employ print technology to tell stories and do in-class exercises. In the second half, students will produce their own printed comics and discuss them in group critiques.

Class Number

1876

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Comics and Graphic Novels, Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

This intermediate studio will explore Lithography as an expanded practice for creating fine art prints that are both innovative and experimental. The course will focus on both individual and collaborative projects to expand the notions and practice of traditional lithography by combining it with other artistic practices. Students will be introduced with advanced printing processes including multi-color printing using stone and aluminum plate, photo and wood lithography, and monotype/monoprints. Use of laser and vinyl cutters to combine with traditional lithography will also be explored.

Class Number

2185

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 221

Description

This course introduces students to the use of RISOgraph image duplication as a creative, independent publishing tool. Attention will be paid to ways artists' publishing has publishing has been used to bypass traditional cultural and institutional gatekeepers, to foster community, as well as the distribution of independent ideas and content. Studio work will be supplemented with readings, visits to SAIC special collections and class discussion addressing contemporary and modern artists. Studio experimentation and research will be encouraged.

Class Number

1404

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Area of Study

Comics and Graphic Novels, Books and Publishing

Location

280 Building Rm 220

Description

This seminar is designed to provide practical and aesthetic dialogue for students, centered around the production of works on paper. Classes will be held often in the Jean and Steven Goldman Study Center, where the focus will be first hand experience of works in the collection of the Art Institute, providing an overview of the History of Prints and Drawings. Through contact with artists and art workers, we will discuss issues of professional presentation, conservation tips, and strategies for professional life beyond school. Included is a field trip to a private collection in Chicago focused on the work of younger artists, giving students valuable insight into why and how people collect. The format will be split between discussion of participants' work and the study of printed art and drawing, especially focused on the period after 1900.

Class Number

1406

Credits

3

Department

Printmedia

Location

280 Building Rm 203

Take the Next Step

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 800.232.7242 or gradmiss@saic.edu.