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SITE Galleries

SITE Galleries is a student led organization apart of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies. Founded in 1994, SITE, once known as the Student Union Galleries (SUGs), exists for the professional development and exhibition of current students artwork. They have two locations: The SITE Sharp Gallery in the 37 South Wabash Avenue building; and SITE 280 in the 280 South Columbus Drive building.

Both galleries are located only steps away from the Art Institute of Chicago providing for a wide audience to view the emerging artists artwork. Throughout each exhibition SITE provides various programming including workshops, talks, and panels.

To date SITE has exhibited over 300 artists in group and solo exhibitions as well as employed over 100 students as art administrators and curators.

The gallery is structured and led each year with the Assistant Director of Exhibitions, Joseph Josué Mora, and five or six student Directors. Each Director holds their own specialty including Installation, Administration, Programming, and Marketing. For the 2024 - 2025 year a sixth Director position was added as the Director of the 30th Anniversary.

The 2024 - 2025 team consists of the Director of the 30th Anniversary, Matthew Cortez. Director of Administration, Gemma Kim. Directors of Installation, David Zhang & Ahnali Tran. Director of Marketing, Eugenio Salazar Castro. Director of Programming, Gray Watson.

Documentation from Angelica Ong's "On Things Fugitive" exhibition at SITE Galleries in 2023.

History

Founded in 1994 by artists and administrators Michael Ryan, Iain Muirhead, and Amavong Panya, they began with four exhibition spaces around the school. Two of which were formal gallery spaces then known as Gallery X and the Lounge Gallery. The other two being satellite spaces of the 8th floor and atrium.

SITE was created due to a lack of spaces within the School that would exhibit student artwork. During its founding the main gallery on campus was the now defunct Betty Rymer Gallery, which would mostly exhibit outside artists and professors. Before the founding of SITE, students would only have blank walls and critique spaces for the exhibiting of their work, rather than a traditional space with curated exhibitions and staff.

In its first year the gallery exhibited over fifteen exhibitions, which proved its necessity to both the students and administration.

The gallery was originally formed by the Student Government at the time and was under the Department of Student Affairs. It is now under the Department of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies, which includes their sister organizations SAIC Galleries and INCUBATOR.