Join us for talks featuring today's most influential practitioners and thinkers.

Founded in 1868, the Visiting Artists Program is one of the oldest public programs of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Formalized in 1951 with the establishment of an endowed fund by Flora Mayer Witkowsky, the Visiting Artists Program has featured over 1,000 international artists, designers, and scholars representing more than 70 countries through a diverse mix of lectures, screenings, conversations, and readings. The primary mission of the Visiting Artists Program is to educate and foster a greater understanding and appreciation of contemporary art and culture through discourse. 

An invaluable resource for students, the Visiting Artists Program is central to SAIC's interdisciplinary curriculum. In addition to public lectures, visiting artists engage with SAIC students through studio critiques and roundtable discussions, providing direct access to leading experts in their fields. 

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Upcoming Events

Recent Events

Douglas Kearney Lecture
March 12, 2024

Fernando Laposse Lecture
March 5, 2024

Stephanie Dinkins
February 6, 2024

Jacolby Satterwhite in Conversation With Jada-Amina
November 14, 2023

Tuan Andrew Nguyen Lecture
November 7, 2023

Tuan Andrew Nguyen Screening
November 1, 2023

Cannupa Hanska Luger
October 24, 2023

Raven Chacon
October 17, 2023

Rebecca Morris
Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series
October 3, 2023

Guadalupe Maravilla
September 12, 2023      

Audience member asking question.
Emil Ferris

Emil Ferris Lecture, Art Institute of Chicago Rubloff Auditorium, February 2020

Jeffrey Gibson

Jeffrey Gibson Lecture, Art Institute of Chicago Rubloff Auditorium, October 2019

Stefan Sagmeister group critique with SAIC's Visual Communication Design Department

Stefan Sagmeister group critique with SAIC's Visual Communication Design Department students at the Chicago Design Museum

Visitor Information

Location

The Art Institute of Chicago
Fullerton Hall
111 S. Michigan Ave.
(entry via Michigan Ave. only)

Admission

All lectures are free, non-ticketed, and open to the general public unless otherwise noted.

Parking

Public parking is available in the East Monroe Street and Millennium Park garages. The entrance is on Columbus Drive at Monroe and the garage includes accessible parking. Please call 312.616.0600 for lot and rate information. Limited street parking and public transportation are also available. For more information about visitor parking, visit the Art Institute of Chicago's Directions and Parking.

Accessibility

All events will be live captioned by Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services. The auditorium is wheelchair accessible and hearing assisted devices are available. For additional access requests, including ASL interpretation or audio description, visit saic.edu/access.

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Eddie Opara. Photo: Jerzy Rose.

Explore Past VAP Events & Recordings

Contact Us

Visiting Artists Program

37 S. Wabash Ave., suite 1220
Chicago, IL 60603

Phone: 312.899.5185

Director

Andrea Pierro

Program Coordinator

Amanda Mendelsohn