# 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.

## Notable alumni
### Animation

* Alex Lee, 3D animator
* 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
* Domino (artist), erotic artist Donald Merrick
* 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
* Beatriz Albuquerque [pt], artist, performer, 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
* Liv.e, musician (did not graduate)
* 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