The Master of Arts in New Arts Journalism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) reinterprets and transforms the largely textual skills of traditional journalism into the multifaceted demands of contemporary arts journalism, where text and image are interwoven and responsive to one another and media platforms are continually evolving. The program both focuses on traditional modes of
journalism that discuss art and other aspects of culture, and the ways in which journalism can itself, take on forms of artistic expression. In support of these multivalent demands, the SAIC New Arts Journalism program curriculum includes courses in production and design in the following formats:
➢ Print and publication design
➢ Photography and video
➢ The web and various media platforms
These design skills involve instruction in Illustrator, InDesign, and basic HTML/CSS coding, as well as blog platforms and content management systems. You will also examine the contexts of investigative reporting, the opinion piece, the documentary, and the critical essay, refining your writing of:
➢ Reviews
➢ Essays
➢ Interviews
➢ Feature stories
➢ Op-eds
➢ Investigative writing
➢ Alternative narrative forms
Most arts journalism graduate programs in the nation are housed within a journalism department. At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), art journalism is taught within the context of a fine art academy. Here, you will have access to key players influencing the national and global art worlds. You will also have the opportunity to work closely and collaborate with artists, art historians, cultural theorists, and art critics, exploring innovative ways of communicating contemporary culture. SAIC's Department of New Arts Journalism provides you with the necessary skills and interdisciplinary experiences to succeed as an art and design journalist for:
• Magazines
• Online publications
• Trade journals
• Radio and podcasts
• Newspapers
• Blogs & social media platforms
• Graphic novels
With a multitude of print publications, galleries, creative organizations, and museums, Chicago’s art scene serves as a laboratory for research and networking. The city’s major media and communications center provides you with many options for your required second-year internship, in which you will combine your study of art, design, new media, criticism, and 21st-century arts journalism with practical, professional work. Through these opportunities, students are placed with local and global media and class-created publications and contribute to SAIC's award-winning F Newsmagazine and fnewsmagazine.com. Class guest lectures have included artists, critics, designers, and writers from the Chicago Tribune, CHICAGO magazine, The Reader, Bad at Sports, Inside/Within, EXPO Chicago, and more.
