School of the Art Institute

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Begun under the leadership of a group of Chicago artists in 1866, the School continues as one of the largest and oldest visual art and design schools in the nation, and one of only three to retain their original affiliation with a partner museum. The School has evolved from a professional fine art ‘museum school’ to a college that, in addition to the time-honored study of painting, sculpture and printmaking, also embraces the media and time arts, design, and transdisciplinary fields such as visual and critical studies. Graduate studies in art history, theory and criticism; writing; arts administration; historic preservation; art therapy; and art education provide students with the knowledge and skills to present, interpret and preserve art, architecture, and design; to advance the arts; and to help shape our visual culture.

In the support of these diverse programs, it features a unique range of special collections and resources, from the Ryerson and Burnham libraries, first established in 1901, to the Video Data Bank, The Gene Siskel Film Center, the Fashion Resource Center, the Joan Flasch Artist’s Book Collection, and the Roger Brown Study Collection in addition to the extensive collection of art and artefacts at the Art Institute of Chicago.

In surveys of both incoming students and alumni conducted by the Kanes, Parson and Associates Inc. in 2001, alumni cited the strengths of the School and those areas that had the greatest impact on their lives:

• Tutorial based, one on one work with individual faculty
• Concentrated studio work
• Exposure to the museum
• Interaction with classmates and other students

Overall, the School received its highest marks for its encouragement of creativity throughout its programs, for the art history curriculum, and for its resources including the museum and its exhibitions.

The combined corporation of School and Art Institute of Chicago museum provides an extensive, institution-wide infrastructure that allows each department to develop their programs of study while maintaining the highest standards in facilities, resources, programs, and benefits.