School of the Art Institute of Chicago

school, Chicago, Illinois, United States

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July 23, 2026

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The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private institution in Chicago, Illinois, offering undergraduate and graduate programs with approximately 3,000 students. It has a rich history, established as the Chicago Academy of Design in 1866 and renamed the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1879 before becoming the School of the Art Institute in 1882.1

SAIC is affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago, a renowned museum with extensive collections of European, American, and Asian art, particularly noted for its Impressionist and 20th-century works. The school's libraries, the Ryerson Library and Burnham Library, merged in 1957, supporting the educational and artistic endeavors of its students.1

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Roger Brown
Early influences
…a few classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He then studied at Chicago’s American Academy of Art to become a commercial artist, another path he ultimately rejected. In 1965 he became a full-time student at SAIC, earning a B.F.A. in 1968 and an M.F.A. in…
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…a few classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He then studied at Chicago’s American Academy of Art to become a commercial artist, another path he ultimately rejected. In 1965 he became a full-time student at SAIC, earning a B.F.A. in 1968 and an M.F.A. in…
Read More