WELCOME

Welcome to the 2025 Graduate Shows and Festivals at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It is my pleasure to introduce you to an extraordinary diversity of art and design, unfolding in multiple exhibitions over the next six months. The exhibitions and festivals you’ll experience throughout the spring and summer terms represent not only individual triumphs but also the collective commitments of this graduating cohort. Each piece embodies countless hours of reflection, discourse, experimentation, and dedicated resources. These works make visible what was previously unseen and illuminate new ways of understanding. Our studio, design, and academic environments thrive on collaboration and constructive dialogue, where individuals develop their practice through meaningful exchange. Artists and designers create not in isolation, but within a vibrant and nurturing community. In our contemporary society, it is vital that artists, designers, and scholars engage deeply with the challenges of this moment, challenging given histories and perspectives, and inspiring new ways of seeing and thinking. Your engagement with these works adds another vital dimension to their meaning. We welcome you to explore, reflect, and share in this dynamic dialogue.

–Delinda Collier, Dean of Graduate Studies