saic.edu/comics
Our new Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Comics program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and innovative pathway for aspiring comic artists at one of the nation’s most influential art and design schools.
An interdisciplinary comics education
Recognizing that developing narrative comics is a multi-faceted art form, the Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Comics curriculum ensures students are well-versed in various disciplines. Students are encouraged to explore and experiment across departments, including Printmedia, Painting and Drawing, Writing, and Visual Communication Design.
Foundational comics seminars combined with individually selected studio electives and advisors provide an environment where aspiring comic artists’ creativity and artistic expression can flourish.
World-class facilities
Students in the Comics program have access to a vast array of world-class facilities and resources. These include a comics classroom equipped with drafting tables and digital scanner, screen printing stations, a bookbinding studio, lithography, intaglio/relief and offset presses, and the SAIC Service Bureau offering several binding options, large format and Risograph printing, and much more. A wealth of other campus-wide resources such as gallery spaces, libraries, and other special collections makes SAIC an ideal place to pursue a comics education.
Renowned faculty
The Comics program’s faculty is made up of highly acclaimed professionals in their fields, including nationally and internationally renowned comic artists, authors, and graphic designers. Faculty gather from across disciplines including Printmedia, Painting and Drawing, Writing, and Visual Communication Design to help students cultivate their own unique narrative and artistic voices.
Facilities and Resources
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers the following facilities and resources to students in the School’s MFA in Studio, Comics program:
• Large, well-lit and well-ventilated classrooms with natural and color-correcting lighting
• Comics classroom equipped with drafting tables and digital scanner
• Three critique spaces equipped with digital projectors
• Storage rack space
• Two well-ventilated spray booths (one in the 280 Building and one in MacLean)
• Six display cases for exhibiting artwork
• Shared studio spaces and a large critique space
• Weekly free figure model sessions
• Materials and Techniques StudioLab
• Printmaking facility covering more than 11,000 square feet
• Six Intaglio/Relief presses
• Fifteen screen printing stations with two large format vacuum tables
• Four lithography impression presses
• Offset studio with two Heidelberg offset presses, two risograph printers, and finishing equipment
• Darkrooms for screenprinting, lithography, and intaglio
• Artists’ books/bookbinding studio
• Fully equipped Macintosh computer lab with workstations, scanners, and large/medium format printers
• Access to laser cutters, 3D printers and scanners, CNC routers and other advanced digital and analog technologies
History ARTHI 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art (3) or ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design (3)
course in any area at
Participation in four graduate critiques
Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice: Graduate Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings
Application Process
Submit:
› Online application
› Official college transcripts
› Statement of purpose
› Letters of recommendation
› ePortfolio
› Résumé
Application Deadline: January 10
