SAIC Beat: Recent Episodes
F Newsmagazine
F Newsmagazine's Jason Rodriguez (MFA 2022, Writing) and Darien Ridenour (BFA 2022) profile School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) students, faculty, and alumni whose work revolves around a common theme.
SAIC Beat was created by Dustin Lowman (MFA 2020, Writing) and Luis Lopez Levi (MA 2020, New Arts Journalism).
In our one and only, extended cut episode of season 7, we talk with Architect Duo Dickenson and SAIC Professor Douglas Pancoast about the changing landscape of architecture in our society today. But it's not just about buildings. It's about us.
In the second episode of this season, we take a peek inside Patient Info—a DIY artist space here in Chicago that retains the structure of its former purpose: a doctor's office. To get a better understanding of the space and how its intact history converses with the work showcased in the venue, we sat down with MFA student and Director of Patient Info, Brian Jucas.
Patient Info Instagram: @patientinfo
Patient Info Website: patientinfo.club
SAIC BEAT Instagram: @saicbeat
In this two-part season, we speak with SAIC students working beyond the studio, outside the institute—After hours. Our first episode follows BFA student Katherine Skwira-Brown as she guides us through the complicated creation process of her Terrain Biennial exhibition piece, 'Porch Portal'.
Katherine’s Instagram: @katskiraart
SAIC BEAT Instagram: @saicbeat
Terrain Biannual website: https://terrainexhibitions.org
After exploring the history of SAIC's first dormitory as a former Playboy mansion, we had a lot of questions about how to talk about sex and sex work in the institutional space. So, in this follow-up episode, we speak with Shawné Michaelain Holloway, an SAIC professor and alum who recently taught a course titled "Sex and Gender in New Media." A large part of Shawné's instruction involves a critical engagement with existing ideas of sex and gender, so we asked her to share her observations about how these conversations have evolved over the years.
For more information about Shawné's creative and educational practice, visit http://www.shawnemichaelainholloway.com/
In this two-part season, we’ll explore how conversations about sex, gender, and sex work have evolved at SAIC over the years. Our first episode recounts the story of SAIC’s first residence hall — the original Playboy mansion — and poses some of the questions we can ask now, as artists and students.
When the U.S. put sanctions on Syria in December of 2019, Sami Ismat (MFA 2020) questioned this sequence of events through a performance that brought participants into the mind of a whistleblower. In this final episode of Season 4, Sami explains why exposing injustice is not always foolproof.
MFA first year Zhisheng Wu describes a project he worked on with residents of a shantytown in Southern China to preserve their memories after the demolition and reconstruction of their home. His sculpture, titled Message Wall, combined the bricks from the fallen town and the dreams and wishes of its residents into a single form to honor the community’s roots.
To learn more about Zhisheng's work visit http://www.wuzhisheng.art/
Artist, researcher and School of the Art Institute of Chicago Art Education professor Nicole Marroquín describes a critical moment of activism among Black and Latinx Chicago youth in the early 1970s — the Harrison and Froebel High School student uprisings, which were a grassroots response to racial injustice in the city’s public education system and beyond.
Background music in this episode includes:
“Backed Vibes” and “Study and Relax” by Kevin Macleod
Brontë's stories:
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At 14, her likeness landed on a Japanese billboard
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While shopping for a tartan bag, met someone whose famous ancestor killed her famous ancestor
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Got dumped at a military ball in an English castle
Which is honest? Which are deceitful, falsehood-laden subterfuge? Click play to find out!
Possible band names arising from our conversation:
The On-Again, Off-Again Boyfriends
Naval Rave
Illegal Tweed
Anna's stories:
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Introduced to Canada by a moose in heat
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Followed on Twitter by Coco Peru, drag queen extraordinaire
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Rescued from a sewer grate by power-drill-touting dad
Which one is the truth? Which two are dirty, dirty lies? Listen to find out!
Possible band names arising from our conversation:
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Normal Dads
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The Meese Have Eyes
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Tension Tamer
Laura Meyer (MFA 2021, Writing) dreamed of being the first female in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. After touring internationally under the stage name Cygne for more than a decade, she wearied of the road, and decided to make a change. Laura tells us the story of her Dylanesque origins, the ecstasy and desolation of the road, and what you do when you're at risk of outliving your dream.
Laura's songs in this episode (check out Cygne on Spotify):
"Scars," from Passenger (2015)
"Miracles" and "All Roads" from Let it Breathe (Softly) (2017)
What do Diogenes, Frank Sinatra, and Phillip Corner have in common? Simon Anderson, associate professor in SAIC's Art History department, weaves them — and many others — into a wide-ranging challenge to the idea of "making it."
Janet Desaulniers, co-creator of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)'s MFA Writing program, received a contract to publish a short story collection at the ripe old age of 25. The book, titled What You've Been Missing, ended up taking 20 years to publish. We talk with Janet about the thrills and perils of early success — of making it before you've made yourself.
By the time she was 16, Tricia Park was a professional violinist. Labeled and marketed as a child prodigy, teenage Tricia toured constantly, playing 70-80 concerts a year. But when, in her early 20s, she aged out of the "child prodigy" range, concert numbers decreased, and she was faced with a major, unforeseen transition. In this episode, we explore the many ways she has adapted to post-child-prodigy life, including her MFA thesis, a novel exploring her Korean heritage.
Music in this episode:
Violin Sonata No. 18 in G Major K. 301, 1st Movement - Mozart
Performed by Tricia Park (violin) and Conor Hanick (piano)
Source: Tricia's YouTube channel
Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor BWV 1001, Adagio - Bach
Performed by Tricia Park (violin) and recorded exclusively for SAIC Beat
“Red Prairie Dawn” and “Sandy Boys” - Traditional
Performed by Tricia & Taylor, violin/fiddle duo composed of Tricia Park and Taylor Morris
Source: Tricia & Taylor’s YouTube Channel
Jill DeGroot (MA 2020, New Arts Journalism) wanted to be a marine — well, she wanted to play flute in the U.S. Marine Corps band. Early in her life, playing flute gave Jill sense of fulfillment, which gave rise to a passion and competitiveness for the instrument in and out of school band. For many years, Jill considered the flute her "calling," but while studying flute at DePaul University, disillusionment set in. The last few years have seen Jill shift from traditional classical music to the ultra-contemporary New Discipline, and also to journalism, which she uses to commemorate ephemeral concert experiences. Jill's story suggests that a "calling" has as much to do with what life wants from you as what you want from life.
Featuring "Throw Me To You And Back Again" by Jesse Marino, performed by Riley Leitch and Jill DeGroot. Audio courtesy of the artists.
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School of the Art Institute of Chicago undergrad Emma Collins (BFA 2019) recounts her experience balancing two kinds of studio work — art school and indie rock. Emma's schoolwork is a blend of fibers, fashion, and performance, and she also plays a myriad of roles in the Chicago-based outfit Jungle Green. Helmed by songwriter Andrew Smith, Jungle Green accounts for themselves on Bandcamp thus: "VARIETY = INFINITE POSSIBILITIES."
Jungle Green Songs in the Episode:
1:30 — "All My Life" listen/buy
4:28 — "I Love You, Ooo Ooo" listen/buy
8:34 — "Happiness" listen/buy
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SAIC
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Jungle Green
Lemon Twigs