FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE SAIC SAIC Faculty Blend Artistic Practice and Teaching

Advanced education in the arts is a significant commitment of both talent and resources. SAIC faculty and staff are critical to ensuring students are successful, supported, and have the resources to thrive. Last year, they went above and beyond, supporting the School by making gifts totalling over $27,000 to priorities such as the Fund for SAIC, scholarships, and wellness.

A key group of dedicated friends at the School who are helping close the resource gap for students pursuing a practice in fashion is the Fashion Council. Through the council’s support, 16 undergraduate and three graduate students were able to complete their world-class education in fashion design, and enter the professional world ready to contribute as citizen artists and designers who will shape our collective future.

“This is the next generation of artists and creators, and I’m interested in seeing and experiencing what their vision is going to look like. I’m interested in what they bring to the table, helping them problem solve and establish a particular point of view.”

$72,100

Funds disbursed to fashion students

88

Faculty and staff donors

Beyond being excellent educators and experts in their fields, SAIC faculty are generous themselves, engaging in professional practice and enriching the entire arts ecosystem with their time, talent, and expertise. In June, SAIC’s Fashion Council celebrated the generous spirit of Stephanie and Bill Sick Professor of Fashion, Body and Garment Nick Cave. He gave council members and friends a guided tour of his retrospective exhibition, Forothermore, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

During the tour, Cave illuminated the social justice and aesthetic intentionality of his distinctively powerful, purposeful, and playful practice. He brings that same engagement and care to his artworks; to his collaborative, community-situated studio, Facility; and to his teaching. It is why students are so eager to study with him. At the post-tour reception, Cave reflected on his own experience receiving scholarships as a student, noting how impactful both the financial support and the vote of confidence were in his own conviction that he could not only make art but also make a difference through his practice.