SAIC

Charles White wins a scholarship to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Charles White graduates from SAIC.

Jim Nutt briefly attends college at the University of Kansas, then the University of Pennsylvania, then Washington University in St. Louis. He eventually settles on the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where he meets his future wife, Gladys Nilsson.

Karl Wirsum is awarded a full ride to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Gladys Nilsson and Jim Nutt meet at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), which they both attend.

Five recent SAIC graduates including Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, and Karl Wirsum coin the term Hairy Who while working on a title for their group exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center. The name is in reference to Chicago radio station WFMT’s art critic Harry Bouras.

Jim Nutt earns his BFA from SAIC.

After visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, José Antonio Aguirre changes his focus and enrolls in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

José Antonio Aguirre earns his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Judith Barry teaches a class about video and performance at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and creates the video Space Invaders with SAIC students at the home of Laura Kipnis.

Gladys Nilsson accepts a teaching position at SAIC.

Rebecca Morris moves to Chicago and earns a Post-Baccalaureate Studio Certificate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 1992.

Kori Newkirk earns his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Rebecca Morris earns her MFA from the SAIC.

Rebecca Morris works in the Painting and Drawing Department at SAIC.

Jessica Jackson Hutchins meets Rebecca Morris at SAIC when Morris was working in the Painting and Drawing Department.

Amanda Ross-Ho earns her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Jessica Jackson Hutchins receives her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sterling Ruby moves to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where he meets fellow student Aaron Curry.

Aaron Curry attends SAIC and receives his BFA in 2002 alongside friend and classmate Sterling Ruby. Curry fondly remembers teachers Barbara Rossi and Karl Wirsum.

Rodney McMillian earns his Post-Baccalaureate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sterling Ruby works at the Video Data Bank, an organization cofounded by SAIC. In Ruby’s words: “I wasn’t exposed to a lot of video art until I started my employment as a secretary at the Video Data Bank. Prior to Chicago, I studied at a four-year foundation program in Pennsylvania where I did figure and still life drawing for eight hours a day. Needless to say, there was no video art in the curriculum. After being promoted from the VDB front desk, I learned how to edit and wound up dubbing endurance-based performance art for eight hours a day. I was holding the [Vito] Acconci, [Lynda] Benglis, and [Bruce] Nauman master tapes and it was a nice opportunity to learn the history of video art in parallel to watching the history of performance art.”

Sterling Ruby earns his BFA from SAIC.

Kori Newkirk holds a dual teaching appointment at SAIC and Otis College of Art and Design.