List of School of the Art Institute of Chicago people

This is a list of notable people affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago or the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

Animation

 * Walt Disney, animator, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)

Comics, cartoons
• Gene Ahern (1895–1960), comics, cartoonist

• Jeffrey Brown, cartoonist

• John Churchill Chase, cartoonist (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)

• Fred Ellis, political cartoonist (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts) (did not graduate)

• Hal Foster, creator of the comic strip Prince Valiant

• Herblock, political cartoonist (Herb Block)

• Ed Holland, cartoonist

• Shaw McCutcheon, editorial cartoonist

• Bill Mauldin, political cartoonist (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)

• Chris Ware, alternative cartoonist

• Gahan Wilson, cartoonist (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)

Designers

 * Charles C. Dawson, illustrator, book designer
 * Robert E. Paige, designer
 * Art Paul, graphic designer
 * Norman Teague, designer
 * Herbert Temple Jr., art director

Fashion
• Sky Cubacub, fashion designer

• Halston, fashion designer

• Maria Pinto (fashion designer)

• J. Morgan Puett, fashion designer, multimedia artist

• Cynthia Rowley, fashion designer

• Jasmin Shokrian, fashion designer

Filmmakers
• Vincente Minnelli, filmmaker

• Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, filmmaker

• Miguel A Reina, filmmaker

• Anne Rosellini, film producer

• Hong Sang-soo, film director

• Apichatpong Weerasethakul, filmmaker

• Orson Welles, filmmaker

• Son Suk-ku, actor and film director

• Chung Mong-hong, filmmaker

Jewelers and light metal artists

 * Eileen Abdulrashid, artist, enameler

Illustrators
• Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson, illustrator

• Margaret Brundage, illustrator (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)

• Bradshaw Crandell, illustrator and portraitist (attended classes)

• Edward Gorey, illustrator

• Frank Xavier Leyendecker, illustrator

• J. C. Leyendecker, illustrator for over 300 Saturday Evening Post covers.

• Dom Orejudos, erotic artist, ballet dancer, and choreographer

• Edward A. Wilson

Painters
• Gertrude Abercrombie (1909–1977), surrealist painter

• Ivan Albright, painter

• Scribner Ames (1908-1993), painter and sculptor

• Frances Badger, muralist

• Don Balke, painter

• Gina Beavers (born 1974), bas-relief painting

• Enella Benedict, realism and landscape painter

• Thomas Hart Benton, painter

• Willard Bond (1926–2012), painter, watercolorist

• Jessie Arms Botke, painter

• Roger Brown (B.F.A. 1968, M.F.A. 1970), painter

• Edward William Carlson, painter

• Eleanor Coen, painter

• George Cohen, painter

• Frederick Carl Frieseke, painter

• Eve Garrison, painter

• Leon Golub, painter

• Barbara Grad, painter, co-founder of Artemisia Gallery

• Jennifer Guidi, painter

• Cornelia Ellis Hildebrandt, portrait miniaturist

• Rudolph F. Ingerle, landscape painter

• Michiko Itatani, painter

• Grace Spaulding John, painter

• Max Kahn, painter

• Herb Kawainui Kane, painter, designer, Living Treasure of Hawaii

• Alice De Wolf Kellogg, painter

• David Klamen, painter

• Paul Lamantia, painter

• Judy Ledgerwood, painter

• Ella Fillmore Lillie (1884–1972), painter

• Dorothy Loeb (1877–1971), painter, print maker, muralist, art teacher

• Lubov, painter

• Charles A. MacLellan, painter and illustrator

• Raúl Martínez, Cuban painter and Pop artist

• Eugenie McEvoy, painter

• Joan Mitchell, painter

• Archibald J. Motley, painter

• Elizabeth Murray, painter

• LeRoy Neiman, painter

• Angela von Neumann, folk art painter

• Gladys Nilsson, painter

• Jim Nutt, painter

• Paul Haggard,(born 1965) painter

• Georgia O'Keeffe (did not graduate, attended 1905–1906), painter

• Ed Paschke, painter

• J. K. Ralston, painter of the Old West

• Virginia Richmond Reynolds, portrait miniaturist

• David Sharpe (B.F.A., 1966; M.F.A., 1968), painter

• Kay Smith (artist), watercolor artist and educator

• John Stephan, Abstract expressionist painter

• Minerva Teichert, muralist

• Mark Tobey, painter

• Charles White, painter

• Charles Banks Wilson, painter

• Grant Wood, painter, known for his work "American Gothic" (1930)

• Jimmy Wright (artist), painter

• Mary Agnes Yerkes, painter

• Thomas H. Kapsalis,(1925 – 2022) painter and sculptor

• Ruth Leonela Buentello, born 1984 (B.F.A., 2008) painter

Photographers

 * Natalie Bookchin, photographer
 * Joyce Neimanas, photographer
 * Darryl DeAngelo Terrell (M.F.A. 2017), photographer, curator
 * William Vandivert, photographer
 * Victor Skrebneski, photographer

Mixed media artists, multidisciplinary artists
• Jennifer Angus (born 1961), installation artist, collage artist

• Elizabeth Axtman (born 1980), video artist, photographer

• Robin Barcus Slonina (B.F.A. 1993), multidisciplinary artist, installation artist

• Jane Benson, conceptual artist

• Sanford Biggers, filmmaker, sculptor, musician

• Caitlin Cherry, painter, sculptor

• Sonya Clark, textiles, performance, installation artist

• William Cordova, (B.F.A. 1996), multidisciplinary artist

• Charles C. Dawson, painter, printmaker, illustrator, and graphic designer

• Katharine Sturges Dodge, writer, illustrator, jewelry designer

• Jeffrey Gibson, painter, sculptor

• Ashley Hunt, photographer and filmmaker, performer and writer

• Rashid Johnson, photographer, sculptor, installation artist

• Jennie C. Jones, sound and visual artist

• Lawrence Arthur Jones, muralist, printmaker

• Jin Soo Kim, installation artist

• Irving Kriesberg, painter, sculptor, animator

• Dan Kwong, performance artist, writer, teacher, playwright (Be Like Water)

• Erica Lord, performance artist, photographer

• Carole Frances Lung, performance artist, professor.

• Joe Mangrum, sand painter, painter, sculptor, installation artist

• Santiago Martinez Delgado, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts) muralist, illustrator, and sculptor

• Margaret Noble, conceptual artist and sound artist

• Trevor Paglen, photographer, conceptual artist

• Eunice Parsons, modernist collage artist

• Cheryl Pope, sculpture, installation, and performance art

• Frank Piatek, painting, drawing, installation art

• Sabrina Raaf, contemporary mechanized sculpture artist, and photographer

• Lester Raymer, multidisciplinary artist

• Dread Scott, performer, photographer, printmaker

• Nancy Spero, painter, printmaker, collage artist

• Kunié Sugiura, (B.F.A. 1967), photographer, painter, and multimedia artist

• Donald Sultan, painter, sculptor, printmaker

• Rirkrit Tiravanija, installation artist

• Wu Tsang, performer, filmmaker

• Ginger Wallace, illustrator, sculptor

• H.C. Westermann, painter, sculptor

• Richard Wetzel, paintings, collage, sculptures

• Ellis Wilson, painter

• Florence Wyle (1881–1968) American-Canadian sculptor, poet, and designer

• Choi Yan-chi, performance artist

• Parvin Peivandi, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, performance art

New media artists, digital artists
• Pat Badani (born 1951), new media artist

• Annette Barbier, new media artist

• Jack Beal, painter

• Katherine Behar, new media artist

• Jeremy Blake (1971–2007), digital artist, painter

• Paul Chan, multimedia

• JoAnn Gillerman, (M.F.A.1975), new media artist

• Amanda Ross-Ho, (B.F.A. 1998), multimedia artist

• Sterling Ruby, multimedia artist

• Roger Welch, multimedia artist

• Barbara Blondeau, experimental photographer

• Marisa González, multimedia artist, years 1971-73

Sculptors
• Enrique Alférez (1901–1999), sculptor

• Carleton W. Angell (1887–1962), sculptor

• Richmond Barthé, sculptor

• John Chamberlain, sculptor

• Leelee Chan, (B.F.A., 2006), winner of 9th BMW Art Journeys prize

• Amanda Crowe, (M.F.A, 1952), sculptor, wood-carver, and educator.

• Ulric Ellerhusen, sculptor

• Alice Jacobsen (1928–1993), American sculptor

• Victoria Fuller, artist and sculptor

• Ruth Horsting, sculptor, professor emerita of art at University of California, Davis (1959 to 1971), worked alongside Baba Hari Dass.

• Richard Hunt, sculptor

• Jeff Koons, sculptor

• Claes Oldenburg (attended from 1950–1954), sculptor

• Adrienne Outlaw, sculptor

• Paula Mary Turnbull (1921–2018), sculptor

Other
• Harry Aleman, Chicago mobster

• Tatsu Aoki, musician

• BenDeLaCreme, drag queen, stage performer

• Tania Bruguera, artist, activist

• John Dunn, software developer

• Patty Yumi Cottrell, writer

• Kent Devereaux, (M.F.A. 1985), President, New Hampshire Institute of Art

• Mat Devine, musician

• Nora Dunn, actress

• Emil Ferris, (B.F.A, M.F.A) Author of bestseller "My Favorite Thing is Monsters", Artist

• Suzanne Fiol, avant-garde music producer and founder of ISSUE Project Room

• Eckhard Gerdes, novelist

• Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein (Hilgos), marine artist

• Art Green, painter, original member of The Hairy Who

• Ed Harris, actor (Received an honorary diploma in 2003.)

• Stieg Hedlund (attended 1984-1985) video game designer

• Hugh Hefner (took anatomy classes), founder of Playboy

• Don Herold, humorist (did not graduate)

• Robert Indiana, designer, "Love (sculpture)"

• Amelia Ishmael, curator, art critic

• Ryan Ken, actor, writer, and comedian

• Tim Kinsella, (MFA in Writing) Founding member of both influential underground punk band Cap'n Jazz and experimental rock band Joan of Arc (band)

• Matteo Lane, (B.F.A. 2009), Comedian, oil painter, and singer

• Jon Lindsay (M.F.A. in Writing, 2005) solo recording artist, producer, political activist

• Robert Lostutter, painter, original member of the Chicago Imagists

• Gene Markey, Hollywood producer and screenwriter

• Mark Nelson, artist, professor

• Audrey Niffenegger, author (The Time Traveler's Wife)

• Kim Novak, actress

• Rebecca Odes, media entrepreneur, musician, and author

• Yasmil Raymond, visual art curator

• Rebecca Ringquist (M.F.A 2003), fiber artist, author

• David Sedaris (B.F.A. 1987), author, humorist

• Victor Skrebneski, fashion photographer

• Peter Sotos, writer, musician, and child pornography publisher, longtime member of Whitehouse

• Robert Storr, curator, critic, painter, writer

• Margaret Taylor-Burroughs (B.F.A. 1946, M.A.E. 1948), museum founder, artist, educator

• Barbara Tetenbaum, artist books

• Madeline Tourtelot, filmmaker, painter, art school founder

• Sarah Vowell (M.A. 1996), author, humourist

• Casper D. Waller, Wisconsin State Assemblyman

• Chris Ward IV, better known as MC Chris, a hip-hop rapper

• Anita Willets-Burnham, artist and author

• Karl Wirsum, painter, original member of The Hairy Who

• Wen Yiduo, Chinese poet, scholar

Notable faculty

 * Franco (Frank) Barsotti, Department of Photography
 * Benjamin Bellas
 * George Bellows (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)
 * Wafaa Bilal
 * Rika Burnham, Teaching Institute in Museum Education
 * Amanda Williams (artist)
 * James Blomfield (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)
 * Stan Brakhage
 * Christopher Bratton
 * Nick Cave
 * Francis Chapin
 * Louis Grell
 * Susanna Coffey
 * John Rogers Cox
 * Barbara Degenevieve
 * James Elkins
 * LaToya Ruby Frazier
 * Michelle Grabner
 * Diana Guerrero-Maciá
 * Claudia Hart
 * Tiffany Holmes
 * Eduardo Kac
 * Max Kahn
 * Adelheid Mers
 * Ayanah Moor
 * Phil Morton
 * Joyce Neimanas
 * Kamau Amu Patton, multidisciplinary artist
 * Claire Pentecost
 * Tony Phillips
 * Frank Piatek
 * Jefferson Pinder
 * Jaume Plensa
 * Albin Polasek, sculptor
 * Barbara Rossi, painter, original member of the Chicago Imagists
 * Jerry Saltz
 * David Sedaris
 * Sonia Sheridan, artist, founder of Generative Systems: Art Science and Technology Department
 * Lorado Taft, sculptor
 * Mika Tosca
 * Ruth VanSickle Ford (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)
 * James F. Walker
 * Mechtild Widrich
 * Anne Wilson
 * Karl Wirsum
 * Ray Yoshida