Join featured artists, curators, and writers in celebrating the release of the Master Class exhibition catalogue!

With guest essayists including Lisa Wainwright and Michelle Grabner, this expansive volume extends the ideas behind this landmark exhibition which links the last 25 years of SAIC Alumni to the Last American Museum School’s rich 160 history.

In addition to documenting the exhibition, this volume delves into the valuable asset the Art Institute of Chicago has been for SAIC graduates during their studies. As part of the curatorial framework of Master Class, each artist was asked to identify an artist and artwork from the museum’s permanent collection that served as an initial and enduring inspiration. Along with installation views, the catalogue provides context around the lasting impact of the ‘Last American Museum School’ through archival materials from SAIC and images of prominent works in the museum’s collection. Art historians, curators, and the artists themselves have written essays expanding on the impact of these Master works on their contemporary practice—visually, conceptually, and thematically.

About the exhibition

SECRIST | BEACH is pleased to announce the exhibition Master Class: Inside the Last American Museum School with SAIC Painting Alumni. Master Class brings together artworks by more than 65 alums and current students who studied in the Painting and Drawing department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) between the years 2000 and 2025. This exhibition, on view from April 19 through June 21, 2025 at SECRIST | BEACH in Chicago, is guest-curated by SAIC President Emerita Elissa Tenny and SAIC professor, chair of SAIC’s Painting and Drawing department, and art historian Lisa Wainwright.

In 1866 a group of 35 artists founded the Chicago Academy of Design. Their mandate was to create a school to study “life” and “antique” drawing and to run a gallery space within the school. Though the original gallery space was lost in the Great Chicago fire of 1871, by 1879, a new school and gallery opened as the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In 1882, that name was changed to what we know as the Art Institute of Chicago. Since that time, the School and the Art Institute of Chicago have developed a generative dynamic that has greatly impacted the Chicago scene and the larger art world in myriad ways.

On the eve of its 160th anniversary, and little known to many, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is now the only “museum school” in North America. In celebration of this achievement, Master Class dives into the close connection between the museum and the alums of its renowned Painting and Drawing department from the last 25 years. On view in the SECRIST | BEACH space will be an artwork by each of the artists selected. In addition to their own artwork, each artist has been asked to identify an artist and a work of theirs from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Didactics and a video presentation on view in our salon room will guide viewers to those works in the collection.

Curating this exhibition has reminded us––and will express to viewers––the integral and generative link between the School and the museum, highlighting the long histories of public collections and art-making in Chicago.

What becomes apparent in Master Class is the indelible impact these master artworks have provided for two and a half decades of art students. Contextually, placing these works into close (virtual) proximities allows the viewer to comprehend the role a museum has in the cognitive and technical development of artists. Ultimately, the engaging pairings provide insight into the role of looking, sensorial consciousness, historical mapping, institutional awareness and other more surprising discoveries. This exhibition serves as a tangible experience for anyone interested in art history and pedagogy.

Featured artists:
Lindsay Adams, Noelle Africh, Luke Agada, Alberto Aguilar, Latifa Alajlan, Cecilia Beaven, Aviv Benn, Samantha Bittman, Elijah Burgher, Robert Burnier, Nik Cho, Alex Bradley Cohen, Jeane Cohen, Paula Crown, Chelsea Culprit, Tavin Davis, Dana DeGiulio, Austin Eddy, Stephen Eichhorn, Peter Fagundo, Nicola Florimbi, Howard Fonda, Jae Ford, Jonathan Gardner, Magalie Guérin, Antonia Gurkovska, Efrat Hakimi, Andrew Holmquist, Mika Horibuchi, Patrick Dean Hubbell, Steven Husby, Omair Hussain, G.D. Johnson, James Kao, Em Kettner, Minami Kobayashi, Meredith Kopelman, David Leggett, Tony Lewis, MJ Lounsberry, Wangari Mathenge, Kristoffer McAfee, Rodney McMillian, Isabella Mellado, Emily Miller, Jeffly Gabriela Molina, Aliza Nisenbaum, Angel Otero, Ruth Poor, Kaveri Raina, Pedro Trueba Ramírez, Autumn Ramsey, Celeste Rapone, Josh Reames, Clare Rojas, Sterling Ruby, Charlotte Saylor, Claire Sherman, Sumakshi Singh, Cameron Spratley, Keer Tanchak, Sebastian Thomas, Alice Tippit, Orkideh Torabi, Cody Tumblin, Omar Velázquez, Jonathan Worcester, Hiejin Yoo, and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung.

Official Website

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Tags: Alberto Aguilar, Alex Bradley Cohen, Alice Tippit, Aliza Nisenbaum, Andrew Holmquist, Angel Otero, Antonia Gurkovska, Austin Eddy, Autumn Ramsey, Aviv Benn, Cameron Spratley, Carrie Secrist, Cecilia Beaven, Celeste Rapone, Charlotte Saylor, Chelsea Culprit, Claire Sherman, Clare Rojas, Cody Tumblin., Dana DeGiulio, David Leggett, Efrat Hakimi, Elijah Burgher, Em Kettner, Emily Miller, G.D. Johnson, Hiejin Yoo, Howard Fonda, Isabella Mellado, Jae Ford, James Kao, Jeane Cohen, Jeffly Gabriela Molina, Jonathan Gardner, Jonathan Worcester, Josh Reames, Kaveri Raina, Keer Tanchak, Kristoffer McAfee, Latifa Alajlan, Lindsay Adams, Lisa Wainwright, Luke Agada, Magalie Guerin, Meredith Kopelman, Michelle Grabner, Mika Horibuchi, Minami Kobayashi, MJ Lounsberry, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, Nicola Florimbi, Nik Cho, Noelle Africh, Omair Hussain, Omar Velázquez, Orkideh Torabi, Patrick Dean Hubbell, Paula Crown, Pedro Trueba Ramirez, Peter Fagundo, robert burnier, Rodney McMillian, Ruth Poor, SAIC, Samantha Bittman, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sebastian Thomas, Secrist | Beach, Stephen Eichhorn, Sterling Ruby, Steven Husby, Sumakshi Singh, Tavin Davis, Tony Lewis, Wangari Mathenge, West Town