MAC and MSP Summer Curriculum Guidance

Curriculum Planning

Mix up materials and use interdisciplinary approaches.
- Consider: performance, video, sound, text, and social practice art.

Collaborate with your students.
- Try group projects that include your ideas and contributions.

Use the classroom as an installation.
- Surround the students with their process and their final products.
- Opportunity for students to see their work as a part of a larger exhibition.
Emphasize projects incorporating iteration and evolution and require students to leave their work and return to it.
Experiment with scale: go big, go small.
Turn “traditional” projects into something that stretches creativity.
You may have repeating students if teaching multiple sections.
Consider your Classroom Assistant and how they can assist your course when planning the curriculum.

Museum Visits

Use the museum as inspiration. Help young artists understand how artists think and make.
Explore content, process, material, and material use.
The museum does not open until 11 a.m.
- Please note that students cannot enter during Members-Only hours from 10-11 a.m.
The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Students may bring in pencils and sketchbooks only.

Outdoor Options

AIC Sculpture Garden
- Closed Tuesdays
Lincoln Statue
Lurie Garden
SAIC Sculpture Courtyard
- Coordinate with the CS Programming Team first
Avoid Maggie Daley Park

End of Session Events

Occur on the final day of the session.
- Final details and logistics of the event will be emailed the week before.
During this time, caregivers can view classroom installation and complete Caregiver evaluations.
Include short remarks from faculty or students reviewing projects.
Assist students with labeling their work.
Consider also making digital slideshows of pictures of students working.
Play music! Let students give suggestions for a fun (family-friendly) playlist.
TAs can assist by writing simple project descriptions to display near the art pieces.

Program Specific Information

MAC: Program Description, Daily Schedule, and Themes

Program Description

Combining creativity with fun, SAIC's Multi-Arts Camps (MAC) for ages 6-9, offer exciting projects and include frequent visits to the Art Institute of Chicago museum. Youth learn to discover, explore, and imagine in their own unique ways, experimenting with a variety of art materials and methods that encourage the development of creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Daily Schedule

Work with your TA to decide their 1-hour lunch break.

The daily schedule will vary depending on your student's age group. Lunch times are staggered to prevent overlap between the two groups and facilitate coverage, so please follow the times outlined in the provided sample schedule.

Plan before the day begins, ensuring enough time for cleaning, relaxation, and free play at the end of the day. Be sure to allocate time for morning and afternoon art activities, and a trip to the museum. Coordinate with your TA to determine their 1-hour lunch break.

2025 MAC Themes: View the summer 2025 MAC themes in this document.

MSP: Program Description and Daily Schedule

Program Description

Middle School Program (MSP) courses are designed by faculty to inspire emerging artists to explore their creative passions, develop new ideas, experiment with abandon, and build new skill sets. At SAIC, middle school students find that they are taken seriously by their faculty members as artists and makers. The environment builds confidence and self-efficacy as students work with support from their mentors to find creative inspiration, bring their ideas to life, and collaborate with a community of artistic peers.

Daily Schedule

Work with your TA to decide their 1-hour lunch break.

MSP lunch is scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily to facilitate coverage and reduce congestion with other CS programs in the building.

Your TA will be on duty during the students’ lunch and take their break at noon. We recommend planning activities that don’t require extra hands during that period.

Be sure to allocate time for morning and afternoon art activities, and a trip to the museum, SAIC galleries, or the Chicago Cultural Center. Engage your students in the daily clean-up before your TA escorts them to the building lobby for pick-up.

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