The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's (SAIC) Department of Performance was founded in an experimental spirit and is unique in the United States as one of the only contemporary performance departments in an art school at the undergraduate and graduate level focused on performance practice and performance studies.?

The department continues to evolve in relation to new developments inside and outside the field and aims to be responsive to new ways of seeing and understanding the world in the 21st century, from both student and faculty perspectives.

Our curriculum combines intensive studio practice with rigorous critical, theoretical, and historical study to inform your aesthetic choices and expression, while our interdisciplinary approach builds on a broad range of performative modes, including Live action, Performance installation, Movement research, tactical and site performance, interactive digital technologies, and performative writing.