OPEN CALL: Low-Residency MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts (Low-Res MFA) program is a transdisciplinary course of study designed for 21st-century artists, writers, and educators looking for rigorous engagement, artistic community, and the flexibility of a self-directed schedule.

Over the course of the seven-semester MFA program, a rotating core of SAIC faculty delivers on-campus and online instruction. Students attend three consecutive six-seek summer sessions in-person in Chicago structured around weekly seminars, colloquia, and studio visits with faculty and visiting artists. During the spring and fall semesters between summer residencies, students work remotely from their home studios, and participate in asynchronous online courses and one-on-one advising. The degree culminates in a written thesis, and an exhibition, lecture, or performance presented to the public in the final summer.

As a program that brings together artists of all disciplines, the Low-Res MFA is primarily a deeply conceptual and discursive program that emphasizes dialogue in community. The curriculum is scaffolded through the concept of “poetics,” from the Greek poiema, meaning “a made thing.” What unites students and faculty in the Low-Res MFA is the exploration of what it means to make things: conceptually, materially, and relationally. The Low-Res MFA prepares makers of all kinds to chart their own unique professional trajectories. Our alumni receive prestigious awards such as Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships; exhibit and perform at major international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale; found residencies, galleries, and collectives; publish across genres; and are tenured at art schools and universities across the country.

The application deadline for summer 2026 is January 10. Visit saic.edu/lowres for more information and to apply.

Visiting Artists & Scholars Lecture Series
A hallmark of the Low-Res Program, the Visiting Artists & Scholars (VA&S) lecture series brings world-renowned artists and scholars from all disciplines to Chicago during the six-week summer residency period. Invited speakers deliver a lecture open to the entire SAIC and Chicago community and the general public. Speakers then hold studio visits and participate in a colloquium exclusively for Low-Res MFA students. Past lecturers include Emily Apter, Wafaa Bilal, Rizvana Bradley, Elaine Byrne, Patty Chang & David Kelley, Jennifer Doyle, Aruna D’Souza, Rosalyn Deutsche, Adriene Edwards, Andrea Fraser, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Holly Hughes, Xandra Ibarra, Jamilla James, Jennie C. Jones, Zoe Leonard, Glenn Ligon, Fred Moten, Eileen Myles, Trevor Paglen, Sondra Perry, Yvonne Rainer, Michael Rakowitz, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Sara Reisman, Guadalupe Rosales, K.ari.n Schneider, Meredith Talusan, Lynne Tillman, Carmelita Tropicana & Ela Troyano, Wu Tsang, avery r. young, Molly Zuckerman Hartung and many more. Watch past lectures here.

Faculty
The Low-Res MFA provides students the opportunity to work with world-renowned practitioners committed to interdisciplinary arts research and practice. Drawn from different departments across SAIC, the core Low-Res MFA faculty represent a broad range of practices, experiences, and areas of expertise. Current faculty include: Giovanni Aloi, Irina Adina Bucan, Julietta Cheung, Tyler S. Coburn, D. Denenge Duyst-Akpem, Assaf Evron, Corrine Fitzpatrick, Mark Jeffery, Kelly Kaczynski, Jennifer Dorothy Lee, Betelhem Makonnen, Judd Morrissey, Nathanaël, John Neff, Dushko Petrovich, Daniel Ricardo Quiles, Andrea Ray, Aliza Shvarts, Pamela Sneed, Asha Iman Veal, Andrew Yang, and Hamza Walker.

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman. Learn more at saic.edu.