BareWalls is one of the School of the Art Institutes most exciting events where alumni of the School are invited to return and paint live in front of 1,000 of Chicago’s major arts patrons, civic and business leaders as they participate in a silent auction of the works in progress. Over the years, notable artists such as Ellen Lanyon, Jonathan Green, Richard Hunt, LeRoy Neiman, Ed Paschke, Elizabeth Murray, Robert Natkin, Cynthia Rowley and Karl Wirsum have painted alongside their fellow alumni in a show of spontaneous creativity.

This event engages the greater community with the School, the alumni and the students as a fundraising event for scholarship. Each year the BareWalls program raises over $125,000 for the BareWalls Student Scholarship Fund. By participating in this event guests will be benefiting the education of young artists and designers striving to some day join the growing list of noteworthy graduates.