Graduate class of 2020: The Future of Our Plans

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is pleased to launch The Future of Our Plans, an online showcase of work from our graduate class of 2020. This website features current projects, thesis work, and creative reflections on our current moment from more than 150 artists, designers, and scholars. 

The Future of Our Plans is not a traditional exhibition. It recognizes that students are working under profoundly different circumstances due to the global pandemic, and invites them to demonstrate how this both influences their art and shapes how they present their practice. The site includes a system of tags for grouping the presented work around themes addressed by this year’s class, such as identity, social engagement, and justice. Participants include graduates from our Master of Architecture, Master of Art, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Design programs, in an effort to showcase SAIC’s interdisciplinary approach.

Throughout August, the showcase will be activated by a series of programming initiatives. This will include daily viewing recommendations, written reflections on the presented work’s prevailing themes, and a conversation series hosted by faculty, titled Tune In. This series will feature faculty members in conversation with guests, examining the showcase’s themes and trends within the context of contemporary art and culture. Participants will include Associate Professor Delinda Collier in conversation with Robyn Farrell, assistant curator of contemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Professor Lisa Wainwright in conversation with Hamza Walker, executive director of LAXART.

Visit the showcase at saic.edu/gradshow2020.

Please also view SAIC’s spring undergraduate exhibition that launched this spring at sites.saic.edu/bfa2020.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers​, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries​, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate​, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman. Learn more at saic.edu.