Archive as Action, Archive as Discourse

Dual Location Exhibition: SAIC’s SITE Galleries and NU’s Dittmar Memorial Gallery

April 30th - May 21st, 2025

Artwork by: Melanie Ahn, Ellie Dale Anderson, Alison Campbel, Daniella Ungo Berrío, Snow Chen, Cenìnye, Quentin Colson, Zach Dobbins, Tamara Harris, Sam Hernandez, Carissa Hodges, Ian Lei, Edana Lynch, Negin Mirfakhraee, Tati Muñoz, Mauricio López F., naakita f.k., Amin Pakparvar, Renee Royale, Mehraneh Salimian, Anna Seo, Katherine Demetriou Sidelsky, Mira Simonton-Chao, Sayeda Misa Sourour, Yeoram Summer Shin, Apollo Umbra, Zixi Wang, & Vivian Wheatly

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s SITE Galleries and the 53rd anniversary of Northwestern University’s Dittmar Memorial Gallery, the two galleries have partnered to curate a cross-institutional exhibition featuring current student work surrounding archives.

Archive as Action, Archive as Discourse features the work of more than twenty artists across both institutions whose work interrogates the archive as a dynamic system that is constantly reimagined through material exploration, embodied memory, and critical engagement. Through simultaneously challenging and embracing traditional archival hierarchies, the artists activate both the real and speculative, underscoring the archive’s potential as a site of agency, affect, and transformation.

Documentation by Mikey Mosher

A group photo from SITE Galleries 30th Anniversary Party including. Camille Martin-Thomsen, Matthew Cortez, Caitlin Cooner, Ahnali Tran, Joseph Josue Mora, Gray Watson, Gemma Kim, Staci Boris, and Trevor Martin.
A group photo including Trevor Martin, Joseph Josue Mora, Ross Jordan, Michael x. Ryan, Matthew Cortez, and Staci Boris at SITE Galleries 30th anniversary party.