Chicago Academy for the Arts

In true Academy style, we're ushering our new families into the weekend with a long-standing tradition—the Friday handshake!

Thank you to all of our new students and families for joining us for today's orientation. We're grateful to welcome you "home" and cannot wait to see the work you create this year.

“The thing that really saved me was, I went to an arts high school. I was able to find my people and my community."

Academy alum Heather Day (Visual Arts '08) was featured in W Magazine last week discussing her art, process, and debut solo show at San Francisco’s Berggruen Gallery. Congrats, Heather!

You can read the full article through the link below.

Artist Heather Day Creates (and Breaks) Her Own Rules Inside the painter’s Joshua Tree studio ahead of her debut show at Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco.

The 2024 Music Summer Program, Creative Musicians for Social Change, brought together 12 middle school students to write, record, and perform original songs. Focused on expressing thoughts and emotions around social justice topics of their choice, the three groups—Blue Cruisers, Blue Insomnia, and Caché Voix—produced an EP called "Revolutionary Radio," which can be streamed on all platforms.

Follow the link below to listen and register for our upcoming Middle School Saturday Program!

linktr.ee/chicagoacademyforthearts

Exciting news! Media Arts students Günes Göker (Class of 2026) and Max Silverman (Class of 2027) had their films selected for the 2024 All-American High School Film Festival in New York City this October. Congrats to Günes for "The Last Night of the World" and Max for "To The Woods."

Media Arts alum AJ Johnson (Class of 2024) was also selected for his film "Cut Me Off." Congrats, AJ!

www.hsfilmfest.com/2024-official-selections

"Go hard when you need to. Try to work smarter instead of harder... and when it comes to yourself, and the pressure you put on yourself, be gentle."

Not only is alum Akenya Seymour (Music '10) playing at Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend, but she was also featured in the Chicago Reader's podcast "The Sit Down," hosted by Shawnee Dez! Listen to Akenya's full interview through the link below. If you plan on attending Pitchfork this weekend, be sure to catch Akenya's set on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Akenya Seymour (Music '10) in Chicago Reader — The Chicago Academy for the Arts Check out alum Akenya Seymour (Music ‘10) in the Chicago Reader’s podcast, The Sit Down , hosted by Shawnee Dez.

Brittney Mack graduated from The Academy’s Musical Theatre Department in 2007, confidently pursuing her passion for the arts in her professional career as an actress on Broadway. Following her residency in the Tony Award-winning musical "SIX" as Anna of Cleves, Brittney came back to The Academy to chat with current students about audition techniques and the challenges of performing during a global pandemic.

Support the next generation of young artists by making a donation today!

www.chicagoacademyforthearts.org/make-a-gift

Week one of the 2024 Summer Program is a wrap! We'll see everyone on Monday to kick off week two.

Lalah Hathaway is just one of many incredible artists to come from The Academy. After graduating from the Music Department in 1986, Lalah has gone on to win 5 Grammy Awards for her solo work and with the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy. Earlier this year, Lalah visited the school, offering insight and wisdom about her time in the music industry to current Academy students.

Support the next generation of young artists by making a donation today!

www.chicagoacademyforthearts.org/make-a-gift

Come visit us in June! The Chicago Academy for the Arts hosts a variety of admissions events throughout the fall and spring, but we also welcome you to visit us during our Summer Program!

Get a peek inside each of our six arts departments and learn more about the admissions process from our Associate Director of Admissions Nina Karakos and Admissions Associate Ali Kane.

Follow the link below to RSVP.

Summer Tours! Visit The Academy this June. Upcoming Admissions Events

"It was really loving here, and really supportive here."

On Friday, May 24, The Academy had a special visit from alum Kevin Miles (Theatre ‘08) – also known as Jake from State Farm. After sitting down in the Theatre wing for an interview with ABC 7 Eyewitness News anchor Hosea Sanders, Kevin spent the day exploring the school and hanging out with the Theatre and Musical Theatre students. His eyes lit up upon rediscovering the hallways and classrooms from his high school years, immediately recanting memories from his time at The Academy and asking about teachers and staff by name.

You can view the whole piece with Hosea Sanders through the link below!

https://abc7.ws/3xa8YEt

“I absolutely adore the kids and teaching, whether they are near professionals or truly coming in for the first time.”
—Randy Duncan, Dance Department Chair

Celebrating 30 years of transforming young artists, Dance Department Chair Randy Duncan was featured in the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday, June 2. Randy's remarkable career includes collaborations with institutions like the Joffrey Ballet and Yale University. Over his three decades at The Academy, he has guided 13 students to The Juilliard School in New York, one of the most competitive programs in the world. Thank you, Randy, for your unwavering dedication to your art and your students. We are deeply grateful that you call this place “home.”

Read the full article through the link below!

Chicago choreographer and teacher Randy Duncan marks 30 years of leading young talents into their next moves A three-time recipient of the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Choreography, Duncan is a powerhouse in his field. For three decades he has taught at The Chicago Academy for the Arts and worked with the Joffrey Ballet and Goodman Theatre.

“While Nat Navedo works with mastery across mediums, from abstract oil painting to architectural ink drawings, it is their photography that is most powerful. Nat’s imagery shows strength and vulnerability and conveys the complexity of identity and familial relationships. The high standards Nat has for their art is paired by their expectations of others. Nat’s leadership in the Visual Arts Department is beyond measure; they are as equally integral to installing an exhibition as they are to lending insight in a critique. Nat has been a caretaker, a mentor and has shown their artist peers to never be afraid to take charge! Nat has been invaluable to our positive and productive environment as they will be as they continue their studies at Maryland Institute College of Art. Congratulations Nat!”

–Margy Stover, Visual Arts Department Chair

“Guided by her sense of wonder, Lily Elliot is an adventurous thinker and ambitious maker. From her research and appreciation of the Classics to classic films, from painting to creative writing, from sculpture to filmmaking, Lily’s scholarly approach to process and her openness to collaboration has shown other students that the intellect is the ultimate playground of possibility. While our future may include – to quote one of her favorite films and inspirations – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, with artist leaders like Lily we can be optimistic about the future! Onward to Vasser – have fun and congratulations, Lily!!”

–Margy Stover, Visual Arts Department Chair

“Gemma James is a whimsical world builder of intricately staged and layered scenes full of historical references and characters in which carousels, record players, marquee signs, tiered cakes, soldiers, pianos, Betty Boop, flappers, hippies, snacks and snakes warp and meld into each other. Gemma’s ability to improvise and trust the limitlessness of her creativity is a unique wonder. With her kindness and humor, she is a generous artist and a true friend who has been a positive force in our studio environment. Congratulations Gemma – your future is as boundless as your imagination!”

–Margy Stover, Visual Arts Department Chair

“Rain Joyce's artistic growth, like his imagery, is a result of routine. His imagery focuses on the everyday and stops moments in transit we may overlook. Rain’s confidence and pride in his oil painting technique and mastery has inspired other students that they can achieve the same — through authenticity, intention, and most importantly through prolonged and dedicated practice. Rain’s sense of humor will be missed as it has been invaluable to the daily operations of our department. Working on new paintings up through the last weeks of school, Rain crossed the finish line of his senior year at full gallop. No doubt Rain’s momentum and motivation will continue this fall at Pratt Institute. Congratulations Rain!”

–Margy Stover, Visual Arts Department Chair

“It has been a joy to witness Salomeja's realization of herself as an artist.
She has honed an excellent combination of technical control, risk-taking, and generosity of self in her dancing which makes her absolutely captivating to watch, work with, and move beside.”

–Robyn Mineko Williams, Dance Faculty

“Ever since Lea Mira joined The Academy, she has been telling stories through her visual work. Whether illustrative or narrative, she has been weaving tales through reimagining works like the Baba Yaga or stories she creates herself. Her art is influenced by the likes of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Ernst Haeckel, and her family ancestry, in particular her mother’s stories of her homeland, Russia, and her Jewish heritage. Lea’s mission to make her work a record of her own life and family history is admirable and reverent. However her works are more than just portraits, they function as bridges between the natural and the supernatural world and in one example, pair the celestial with a family tree. Memories, along with collages, made from sepia-toned family photographs, Victorian illustrations, and arbitrary clippings from magazines, get embedded into many of her works. Lea made countless studies in oil and watercolor and two major collages to support her largest paintings Family Life Cycle and Family Room. It was quite the undertaking—the paintings measure 48” x 60” and 54” x 45." Read the rest of the tribute in the images below!

–Brenda Moore, Visual Arts Faculty

“Mia has been a force in Sculpture class and in the Visual Arts department at large. She has a lucid vision of what she wants to create and approaches her work confidently yet also with a sense of curiosity and openness. As a senior, her prolific output has set a pace for younger students and kept those around her energized and inspired. We can't wait to see all the beautiful horrors Mia has waiting for us, whatever shape they may take.”

–David Sprecher, Visual Arts Faculty

“Severina Milewski's work ethic is completely unmatched. I have never witnessed such focus and commitment to the art of dance in a student. She is unwavering in her quest for substance and wonder in her work.

Severina's goals and dreams are being reached as she heads to Europe to become a ballet trainee, another step on her journey to an accomplished professional dancer.”

–Patrick Simoniello, Dance Department, Assistant Chair

“Ezra came to The Academy at the beginning of their junior year and dove head first into finding their artistic voice. It’s been a joy to see them learn, progress, and try new things.

From storyboards to music videos, Ezra’s work has made an impact on the Media Arts community. We will miss seeing them everyday, but there are only good things ahead for them at the Maryland Institute College of Art!”

–Sarah Hiatt, Media Arts Department Chair

“Tehya is a passionate student whose onstage performance quality is captivating. It's been a genuine pleasure to have her in the studio because she is always so present in her craft and mindful of her fellow dancers. In the fall she will attend SUNY Purchase, where they will gain a star performer and pupil.”

–Ethan Kirschbaum, Dance Faculty

“Lee has maintained an optimum, high level, of work ethic throughout his time at The Academy. This has gained him proficiency in a variety of mediums. Crucial to making his stories viable. Whether they exist as a comic series in digital or drawing/painting media or character portrait studies beautifully rendered in ink and gouache, his level of mastery is clearly evident.

What sets Lee apart from his fellow narrative mates is his ability to creatively design both the visual storyline and the text in his captions. He sets the bar as an example to younger students. Another aspect of Lee’s work is its authenticity, wit, empathy, and humor. Lee is a transgender gay male. His point of view comes through in his work as lived experience—identifying as male for at least since the 7th grade when I first met him. This makes him able to create different types of stories that target a variety of audiences.

Lee has had tremendous growth at The Academy in developing both his skills in character design anatomy and compositional environments. He has developed innovative processes combining drawing and painting mediums that show off his extraordinary draftsmanship. He can work fluidly between digital and conventional mediums in a series. Lee’s senior exhibition was epic and showed his advancement in story writing. Scarecrow is an eight-page comic about two brothers growing up with dysfunctional parents going through a divorce. The multilayered characters commit acts of betrayal, fear, discovery, angst, aggression, humor, ambivalence, and frustration. Especially seen in the conflicts between the parents and the two brothers. He also produced a masterful series of gouache paintings based on the Wolf Man trope comic truly making the monster his own. Dare I say autobiographical? On another note, I consider Lee a colleague rather than a student. I also value his opinion and am grateful to all the support he has lent to the Visual Arts Department. His generous help in so many areas especially to his peers is admirable. Through his imagery and content, I believe that Lee Blake will bring a new age of comic books to the industry. Best of luck, Lee Blake your achievements are great and your humanity even greater. I know you will only succeed at the School of Visual Arts in New York City next fall. Wishing you the best!”

–Brenda Moore, Visual Arts Faculty

“Ashley has a singularity about her that is a real superpower. Nobody moves, interprets, or creates like Ashley does. What comes from her is true. Watching her work is like watching magic happen right in front of your eyes.”

–Robyn Mineko Williams, Dance Faculty

“Xinrui Li’s (Sally) oeuvre displays innovation within the areas of illustration and design. Her extraordinary work ethic has made her extremely proficient in a variety of mediums including ink, color pencil, graphite; oil, watercolor, and digital painting; as well as using alternative materials in 3-D design and sculpture. Her obsession with experimentation in the above mediums within different art forms provides her with the ability to execute any idea her imagination dreams up. Though fully capable in areas of fine art, Sally’s heart lies in 2-D and 3-D illustration. Her portfolio is steeped in it. Her fine art, albeit abstract, is still based in narrative. Sally’s work is both playful and universal as her subject matter explores contemporary pop culture. She could easily have a future in books or other types of illustration as well as toy, game, or set design. Sally’s keen observational and imaginative-illustrative skillsets are so intricately intertwined, that it is a marvel to witness. In my advanced oil painting class, she gained proficiency in the medium by working from a print made from one of her digital paintings. Through this process, she sharpened her technical application and color-mixing skills by analyzing the printed surface. In another project, she made sketches of her guardian’s church that she regularly attends. Then, reimagined it into a Y2K Asian Girl Culture Edifice, in hot pink and electric blue, for the cover of a paper doll book. In her Requiem Project, she created a children’s book based on a childhood fear of Buddhism. The story line is a cautionary tale about the consequences of staying up late that could result in hallucinations of one’s deepest, darkest fears. The illustrations for the book feature different methods used to achieve dual dream/nightmarish worlds. Phase one of the project: mixed media works in oil, glow-in-the-dark acrylic and watercolor paint with color pencil. Phase two: Sally photographed the works with the aid of UV black lights to make a second version to allude to an even darker underworld. The effect of the special lighting is truly remarkable and capitalizes on the pre-existent, elaborate, illustrations. Sally’s supreme mental agility at intuitively working between digital, virtual and physical mediums makes her even more formidable for a career within the areas afore mentioned. Xinrui Li will be attending Art Center in Pasadena, California next fall.”

–Brenda Moore, Visual Arts Faculty

“Honestly, Olivia has one of the more glorious vocal instruments in The Academy’s last decade. It is expressive and powerful no matter what style of song she’s interpreting. Despite this, she has never rested on her talent as a singer to do the work for her. From the get-go, Olivia committed to training to be a true triple threat, and her performances senior year showcased her versatility as an actor for creating characters that the audience roots for. From the sweetly deluded Sally Bowles in 'Cabaret', to the secretarial underdog Judy Bernly in '9 to 5', to the brilliant Rosalind in 'As You Like It'. We wish Olivia the best in the brightest of futures.”

–Andy Robinson, Musical Theatre Department Chair

“Lathan has been an exemplary student, dancer, and member of our Dance Department's community; their unwavering love for our artform inspires students and faculty alike.

It's now time for them to share their artistic integrity with The Juilliard School, and I'm so excited to have someone so caring and so driven representing The Academy.”

–Ethan Kirschbaum, Dance Faculty

“Luciana's talent grew exponentially during her time at The Academy, and she really has become a multi-faceted artist. I was especially blown away by her choreography for the Senior-Choreographed Dance Concert in January. I can't wait to see how she contributes that artistry to her Business major at University of Southern California.”

–Ethan Kirschbaum, Dance Faculty

“It is hard to believe that Gabi Fues joined the Music Department a mere two years ago; they quickly became a reliable and sought-after musical collaborator, recording and performing with a variety of musicians within the Music Department and beyond. In fact, I had the pleasure of performing with Gabi both in the pit orchestra for Musical Theatre’s production of 'Cabaret' AND in weekly Jazz Combo rehearsals.

Performing alongside Gabi, it is easy to forget they are a student; their consistent level of preparation and commitment to excellence makes one feel they are playing with a seasoned professional. We wish Gabi all the best next year; they plan to attend the University of Southern California where they will pursue a degree in Popular Music Performance with an emphasis in bass.”

–Rachel Brown, Music Department Chair

“William Hanford has literally grown from a potential-filled boy to an accomplished young man in the last four years. Witnessing his journey has been truly magical. His calm refinement on stage is breathtaking, making his art look effortless– which is the hardest work in itself. Beyond his super powers in the dance realm, he is a generous, kind human. Embodying his versatility as a dancer, he will become a trainee at Joffrey Ballet next year!”

–Patrick Simoniello, Dance Department, Assistant Chair