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# SAIC Celebrates 50 Years of Art and Technology Studies with a Series of Programmed Events
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/saic-celebrates-50-years-art-technology-exhibitions-publications-public-programs/
- Published: 2019-04-10T15:15:16.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:44:19.000Z
- Description: The celebration casts new light on art and technology practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, illuminating the contributions made by faculty and alumni throughout 50 years of uninterrupted experimentation.
- Author: School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
- Tags: Announcement, Chicago, Event Announcement, Illinois, SAIC, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:34 (2019, 2020, part 1)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2019/04/saic_april2019_ats_50_sanlogo.png)

Photo of Lee Blalock’s Solenoid mask instr/augment (2018) by Sophia Barr Hayne.

The past several years have witnessed a surge of interest in practices at the intersection of art and technology, a phenomenon well documented by the proliferation of exhibitions and edited volumes being produced on the subject. This broad institutional embrace also casts new light on art and technology practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), illuminating the significant contributions made by faculty and alumni throughout 50 years of uninterrupted experimentation, as well as the lack of precedent for such a milestone in the field at large.

To celebrate its rich history and ongoing contribution to SAIC and the larger art and technology community, the Art and Technology Studies department is organizing several initiatives, including a series of exhibitions, publications, and public programs. More information can be found on our [website](http://bit.ly/2UzUZm4?ref=hyperallergic.com).

**Art and Technology Studies 50th Anniversary Programmed Events**

**24-hour art hackathon** 
**April 6, 8pm–April 7, 10pm**  
SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Ave.  
Coordinators: Doug Rosman and Mara Iskander

**Space Art symposium** 
**April 11, 4:15–5:30pm**  
The LeRoy Neiman Center, 37 S. Wabash Ave.  
Panel speakers: Annick Bureaud, art critic/director of Leonardo OLATS / Eduardo Kac, professor and chair of ATS / Xin Liu, arts curator for the Space Exploration Initiative at Massachusetts Institute of Technology  
Moderator: Mark SubbaRao, Director of the Space Visualization Laboratory, Adler Planetarium

**ATS FEST: A celebration of 50 years of experimentation** 
**April 12, 4:30–8pm**  
MacLean Center, 112 S. Michigan Ave.

**Wearable performances and real-time interactive events**  
Organized and curated by Lee Blalock  
Location: 4th floor

**Opening reception to Future Conditions**  
Curators: Duncan Bass and Madison Young  
Location: Room 40

**Learn to bend hot glass in 20 minutes**  
Host: ATS faculty Greg Mowery  
Location: Room B1-16  
Time: 5:30–7pm

**Learn to solder in 15 minutes, build a Day of the Geek Badge**  
Hosts: ATS faculty Ziv Cohen and Jenna Boyles  
Location: Room B0-07  
Time: 5:30–7pm

**Experiment with olfactory art in 20 minutes**  
Host: ATS faculty Tedd Neenan  
Location: Room B1-19  
Time: 5:30–7pm

**Artist talk: Tamiko Thiel** 
**April 30, 4:30–5:30pm**  
MacLean Center, 112 S. Michigan Ave., room 402

**Olfactory art exhibition** 
**May 10–June 11**  
Opening reception: May 10, 4:30–5:30pm  
MacLean Center, 112 S. Michigan Ave., room 400

**Ars Electronica 2019** 
**September 5–9**  
ATS Graduate Exhibition at Ars Electronica 2019, Linz, Austria  
Curator: Duncan Bass

***ats@50: Art and Technology Studies 1969–­2019***  
Ats@50: Art and Technology Studies 1969–2019 is an 80-page publication interweaving personal, historical, and scholarly accounts of the department, faculty, and alums. To receive a copy of ats@50 please write directly to ats@saic.edu.