The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and school, SAIC has been accredited since 1936 by the Higher Learning Commission, by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design since 1944 (charter member), and by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) since the association's founding in 1991. Additionally it is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. In a 2002 survey conducted by Columbia University's National Arts Journalism Program, SAIC was named the "most influential art school" in the United States.
Its downtown Chicago campus consists of seven buildings located in the immediate vicinity of the AIC building. SAIC is in an equal partnership with the AIC and shares many administrative resources such as design, construction, and human resources. The campus, located in the Loop, comprises chiefly five main buildings: the McLean Center (112 S. Michigan Ave.), the Michigan building (116 S Michigan Ave), the Sharp (36 S. Wabash Ave.), Sullivan Center (37 S. Wabash Ave.), and the Columbus (280 S. Columbus Dr.). SAIC also holds classes in the Spertus building at 610 S. Michigan. SAIC owns additional buildings throughout Chicago that are used as student galleries or investments. There are three dormitory facilities: The Buckingham, Jones Hall, and 162 N State Street residencies.
History
The institute has its roots in the 1866 founding of the Chicago Academy of Design, which local artists established in rented rooms on Clark Street. It was financed by member dues and patron donations. Four years later, the school moved into its own Adams Street building, which was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Because of the school's financial and managerial problems after this loss, business leaders in 1878 formed a board of trustees and founded the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. They expanded its mission beyond education and exhibitions to include collecting. In 1882, the academy was renamed the Art Institute of Chicago. The banker Charles L. Hutchinson served as its elected president until his death in 1924. The school grew to become among the "most influential" art schools in the United States.
Walter E. Massey served as president from 2010–July 2016. The current president is Elissa Tenny, formerly the school's provost.
Academics
SAIC offers classes in art and technology; arts administration; art history, theory, and criticism; art education and art therapy; ceramics; fashion design; filmmaking; historic preservation; architecture; interior architecture; designed objects; journalism; painting and drawing; performance; photography; printmaking; sculpture; sound; new media; video; visual communication; visual and critical studies; animation; illustration; fiber; and writing. SAIC also serves as a resource for issues related to the position and importance of the arts in society.
SAIC also offers an interdisciplinary Low-Residency MFA for students wishing to study the fine arts and/or writing.
Chicago Architects Oral History Project
In 1983, the Department of Architecture began the Chicago Architects Oral History Project. More than 78 architects have contributed.
Demographics
As of fall 2018, the student enrollment at SAIC is demographically classified as follows:
Total Enrollment: 3,640
Undergraduate students: 2,895
Graduate students: 745
Sex:
Female: 74.3%
Male: 25.7%
International and ethnic origin:
International students: 33% (countries represented: 67)
United States students: 67%, further subdivided as follows:
White: 32.6%
Hispanic: 10.4%
Asian or Pacific Islander: 8.9%
African American: 3.3%
American Indian: 0.2%
Multiethnic: 2.8%
Not Specified: 8.4%
Geographic distribution of United States students:
Midwest: 41.2% (includes 8.8% from Chicago)