One of the great advantages to living in our culturally rich city is the number of colleges and universities we have here. These institutions offer an abundance of resources to those who attend, as well as to those who do not (most of us). A significant portion of Chicago’s creative vibrancy is due to its academic communities.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s terrific lecture series is one that any member of the public can take advantage of - for free!
Stay up to date on who will be speaking by visiting here
Expect to see more than just the name of respected artists on the line up – SAIC’s visiting artist program brings scholars, professors, professionals, designers, and artists together on a regular basis. Some recent guest speakers have included director of the Star Wars films, George Lucas, Berry Mcgee, Richard Tuttle, Wangechi Mutu, Terry Eagleton - one of the world's leading literary critics, and Homi K. Bhabha, director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University.
Wednesday November 2 at 6pm SAIC will welcome Professor Jenni Sorkin, professor of Critical Theory, Media, and Design at the University of Houston, as part of their Distinguished Scholars lecture series. Sorkin’s lecture is titled Ancient Modernisms. She has written several catalog essays on feminist art and material culture topics, which have appeared in sources such as Art Journal, Art Monthly, Freize, and Third Text. She has lectured at a number of institutions including CalArts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami; Textile Museum of Canada and School of Visual Arts, New York.
Sorkin’s lecture is sure to bring good discussion in the follow-up Q&A.
2 weeks later on November 16 SAIC is hosting two events for filmmaker Amar Kanwar.
You can also catch his lecture at 6pm on 11/16. On 11/17 there will be a screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center at 164 N State Street.
Q&A at the Gene Siskel Film Center
Amar Kanwar’s “films explore the politics of power, violence, sexuality, and justice.
His multi-layered installations originate in narratives often drawn from zones of conflict and are characterized by a distinctly poetic approach to the social and political. In retracing history through images, ritual objects, literature, poetry, and song, Kanwar creates lyrical, meditative film essays that do not aim to represent trauma or political situations as much as to find ways through them. Kanwar's work looks deeply into the causes and effects and how they are translated into everyday life and cultural forms (saic.edu/art_design/vap/).”
Remember that at chicagogallerynews.com we have a calendar page where we post events including other institutional events such as the Block museum, Smart museum, Columbia College, University Chicago, SAIC, and more.
All lectures are FREE and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and lectures begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. All seating is first come, first served. Reservations may be accepted for groups of 10 or more made at least two weeks prior to the event.
Sign up here to join the mailing list to receive info on more SAIC public events!
Subscribe