Over Spring Break, senior Abigail Allums committed to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Allums chose SAIC “because even though [she had] liked Chicago itself forever,” adding,”the program is amazing, and it’s the second best after Yale, so I can’t really get any better!” The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is known as the third largest museum in the world, after The Met and The Louvre. SAIC partners with The Chicago Art Institute, so the students have 100% access to all art in the museum, which only shows 10% of its collections. During her tour, Allums’  tour guide shared, “We have found Picasso’s sketchbooks from his childhood.”

The application process made the college search experience stressful for Allums because it required a submission of 10+ pieces, and the final portfolio included 17. Allums received her acceptance letter on February 11, 2019, and explains, “I was really excited to get in. I had been waiting to hear from SAIC since December 1st, and waiting to hear back was the hardest.  Her inspirations include: Brandon Woelfel, Michael Jean, Steve McCurry, and Vivian Maier. She adds, “Not all of my inspirations are photographers, but they usually are because it’s easier to translate into my own work when it’s in a digital medium.”

Allums plans to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Art Education, which means that she will obtain her teaching certification while continuing to focus on her photography and various other practices. Allums found her love for art in eighth grade but didn’t think about it seriously until freshman year in her Photo 1 class and would like to thank Midlo teacher Mrs. Marie O’Kleasky, crediting her with being her “teacher and mentor for the past 3 years and [helping her choose] photography as a career.” She also would like to thank Midlo teacher Mrs. Christina Good for “making [her] want to continue Photo and teaching [her] new techniques this year with Graphics,” adding, “Without either one of them, I wouldn’t have gotten in.”