The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is among the top art schools in the US. Founded in 1866 as the Chicago Academy of Design, SAIC is currently the largest school-museum campus in the entire United States and the largest accredited school of art and design in the country. Here are a few quick facts that make SAIC so incredible.
Training Brilliant Undergrad and Grad Artists
SAIC boasts comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs as well as post-baccalaureate and professional certificates, and an entire school of continuing studies. Undergraduate programs culminate in a BFA in an array of programs that includes the humanities and all of the fine arts.
Similarly, SAIC graduate programs convey MFA degrees in the fine arts as well as master’s degrees in teaching, new arts journalism, art education and the science in historic preservation. As of 2019, there is one available dual graduate degree: a combined MA/MA in arts administration/policy and modern/contemporary art history.
Location, Location, Location
SAIC’s location gives it tremendous appeal and power, contributing to its rightful place as one of the top art schools in the US. Situated in downtown Chicago, the institute’s very address automatically capitalizes on the type of local diversity that is also represented among the student body.
SAIC’s location also makes it quite accessible to local inhabitants and travelers seeking the SAIC’s year-round offering of shows and events. Graduate installations, the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Conversations at the Edge series make for an exciting, dynamic calendar of happenings open to the public.
If you can’t stop and stay for an event, SAIC student art sales are a wonderful way to spot and snag up-and-coming talents. The annual spring sale happens every April and is open to the public. Proceeds go directly to the featured student artists and designers.
The Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series is an exciting way to meet and experience the work of SAIC’s many notable graduates, a juicy list that includes Nancy Spero and Grant Wood.
