Whether you’re a freshman who just got here or a senior on your way out the door, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is always confusing. There are dozens of lesser-known resources you might not be in the know about. This column exists to let you in on the secrets.

Today’s topic is Sharp’s Instructional Shops, a resource you might not have thought about since you were a freshman.

Every freshman at SAIC is subject to the Contemporary Practices department. This is the department that runs Core and Research classes, the Sharp Media Center, and the Sharp Instructional Shops.

Most students fall out of touch with this department when they stop being freshmen. Core and Research are usually freshmen classes, and many of the resources in this department, such as the Sharp Instructional Shops Digital Lab, stop being available to students not enrolled in Contemporary Practices classes.

However, some notable resources do stay open to all students, such as the Tool Check Out. Tool Check Out’s selection ranges from heat tools to safety gear, and everything in between. If it’s a hand tool, they likely have one students can borrow.  The full catalog can be found here. 

The sewing machines are the only tool not open for every student to check out. According to Kye Kim, an Instructional Shop assistant manager, the department is in the process of changing this. The only other ways to check a sewing machine out is through the Fashion or Fibers Departments (which many students don’t have access to, as you have to take a class in the department) or by walking to the Digital Fabrication Studio in 280.

The Sharp Woodshop is available to all students as well. It’s more accessible than the 280 woodshop because you don’t have to trek to the Art Institute of Chicago. And it has mostly the same resources. In the Sharp Woodshop, freshman students get step-by-step guidance from managers; advanced students get less guidance but the same amount of access.

The staff of Sharp Instructional Shops feels that their resources are underutilized by SAIC students. The department isn’t just for teaching freshmen, it’s for teaching and guiding students regardless of their year. If you’re struggling with a project, conceptually or materially, bring it into the Instructional Shops. They’re happy to help.

“We do more things than make a million stretchers,” said Francis Karisny, a staff supervisor. A canvas stretcher is one of the traditional freshman Woodshop Certification Initiations.

However, once a student is no longer a freshman, they lose access to the 3D printers, the plotter cutter, the 3D scanning resources, and the embroidery machines. These machines belong to the Sharp Digital Lab, which is under the Instructional Shop umbrella, but a separate lab from the Woodshop and Tool Checkout.

There are other ways to access these resources at SAIC. Students can explore the facilities at 280, including the Digital Fabrication Studio (DFS) and Advanced Output Center (AOC) to use 3D printing and the Service Bureau for vinyl plotter cutting. The AOC also houses 3D scanning resources. Students would have to take a Fibers class to regain access to embroidery machines at SAIC.

Also, remember that SAIC is not your only tool for resources in Chicago. Check your area for local maker spaces, for example, the Harold Washington Library’s Maker Lab, Chicago’s Maker Space, or the Chicago Tool Library.