Low-Residency MFA Exhibition
July 6–26, 2026
SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St.
Reception: Wednesday, July 8, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
July 6–26, 2026
SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St.
The Low-Residency MFA Exhibition and accompanying events are the culminating presentations of MFA candidates in SAIC’s class of 2026 and an opportunity for the public to experience their new and ambitious work in the SAIC Galleries.
Artists include: Yoanna Ball, Heidi Carlsen, Miguel Chavez, Lisa J. Croner, Lucinda Esh, Elise Gagliardi, Brian Guerin, k guyot, simone körner, Kathleen Korotzer, Karl Albert Lairtus, Stephanie LenWar, J Maskrey, Nell Pimentel, Carol Schrader, Ginger Brooks Takahashi, Aimée Suárez Netzahualcóyotl, Christine Vermeer, and Carl Joe Williams.
The 2026 Low-Res MFA cohort at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago approaches artistic practice as a relational act: one rooted not in singular objects or fixed meanings, but in systems of exchange between bodies, materials, histories, and environments. Across installation, performance, painting, sculpture, sound, scent, and social practice, these artists construct spaces that ask viewers to move through uncertainty rather than resolve it. . .
Situated Study is a project organized by Miguel Chavez, Brian Guerin, J Maskrey, Nell Pimentel and Christine Vermeer. It grew out of our professional practices course taught by Mark Jeffery and Judd Morrissey during the summer of 2025. In this course, we were considering the questions: “How do we put things together?” and “How can we be together?”
These questions drew us to curate a show that could bring the entire cohort together over the academic year. We came up with Situated Study: a project that asked each classmate to provide another peer with a prompt for creating an art piece.
As participants in Situated Study, our peers drew a postcard from a hat, which became their secret individual from the 2026 cohort. Before the end of 2025, each participant was instructed to write this individual a postcard with 5 instruction points to create an art piece that would be included in a collaborative exhibition in the summer of 2026. The postcards were mailed out, complete with a personalized drawing on the front. Once the secret individual received the postcard, it was their assignment to complete the piece before returning to Chicago in June 2026.
Including Situated Study in our thesis exhibition showcases the Low Residency Master of Fine Arts class of 2026’s desire to be together over time and space. In a unique rhythm of coming together and being apart during our studies, we have all grown into new ways of being together and putting things together.
SAIC Galleries welcomes the SAIC community and members of the public to visit the galleries in person. Admission is free.
*All visitors to SAIC Galleries must show a state-issued picture ID.
SAIC Galleries
33 E. Washington St.
Gallery Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 26, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public with state-issued photo ID.
Monday, June 22, 9:00 a.m.
MacLean Center, 112 S. Michigan Ave., room 707 or Virtual via Zoom
THE EVENT OF THE POEM: César Vallejo Between Language, History, Art, and Translation panel discussion facilitated by LRMFA 2026 candidate Yoanna Ball.
Wednesday, July 15, 4 – 6 pm
SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St.
Join us for an evening of short performances and activations within the exhibition.
Saturday, July 18, 3:30 p.m.
SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Ave.
Thesis Screening: As the Dust by Stephanie LenWar
A music video about love, loss, and what comes from the ashes.
Screening followed by discussion with Professor Mark Jeffery.
Wednesday, July 22, 6 p.m.
SAIC Performance Space, 280 Building, room 012
The Empty Pocket: created and performed by Heidi Carlsen
Work in-progress
The Empty Pocket is a surreal fairytale of a hand-me-down peacoat that begins as protective and shifts to threatening. A Woman and a Peacoat sail an oceanic adventure provoking shifts in perspective. When crossing the line becomes more important, silence is broken.
The 2026 Low-Residency MFA Exhibition is organized by Kelly Kacsynski, Low-Residency MFA program assistant director; Trevor Martin, executive director of exhibitions; and Graduate Curatorial Assistants Callie Elms (Dual MA, 2027) and Helena Blue Rodriguez (Dual MA, 2028) with support from Steven Plaxco, director of exhibition operations; Carlos Salazar Lermont, senior exhibition manager; Christian Gutierrez, exhibition manager; Sheila Cronin, audiovisual systems manager, events and exhibitions; Mila Zekic, audio visual systems supervisor; and the student staff of the Department of Exhibitions and the Department of Media Integrated Technology Solutions.