Can we sign your yearbook? As the semester wraps up and summer appears on the horizon, we have a new issue of School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine with a special yearbook theme—complete with superlatives. Check out our cover story on “Most Likely to Win an Oscar” filmmaker Jennifer Reeder, plus more stories about our SAIC community.
There is no accurate comparison to Jennifer Reeder (MFA 1996). People have tried: she’s often likened to the filmmakers David Lynch and John Waters. Like Lynch, Reeder makes films that are surreal and mysterious, filled with psychological horror and punctuated with dark humor. Like Waters, she embraces camp and cult cinema, blending provocativeness with subversiveness. But, ultimately, Reeder’s work is entirely her own.
As the countdown to graduation draws near, SAIC seniors are getting ready to present their best work, showcasing the results of years of practice and experimentation. These pieces encompass the intimate and public, the known and unknown, becoming—like so much of art—a self-portrait of the artist. Through their work, meet five graduating seniors who span departments, degrees, and mediums, and discover the unique stories about their transformative years at SAIC.
The end of the school year is always bittersweet, and this year, we have an extra reason to wax nostalgic: After 14 years at SAIC, and eight years as president, Elissa Tenny is retiring at the end of the semester. So we asked several SAIC community members to “sign” Elissa’s yearbook with their memories and well-wishes. And from all of us at School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine: have a great summer, stay awesome, never change!
