L'art à notre porte : trois décennies d’artistes en résidence au LFC

As the Lycée Français de Chicago celebrates its 30th anniversary, we look back on our origins, our amazing students, committed families and unique programs. Since the very beginning, the arts have been more than an extracurricular activity at LFC; they have been a vital language of expression, a bridge between cultures, and a core component of our educational philosophy. Nowhere is this more evident than in our cherished Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program.

Founded in 1997—just two years after the school opened its doors—the AIR program was born of a vision to foster a rich, living dialogue between international creators and our students. Established by parents Nancy Lerner Frej and Mary Jane Jacob, with the enthusiastic support of former Lycée Arts Director Jean-Brice Wallon, the program set a high bar from its inception: to invite working professionals to develop original, collective projects within the school setting.

Fully funded by the generosity of our donors, the program has become a cornerstone of the LFC experience. Every other year, it transforms our classrooms into studios, stages, and laboratories, proving that whether through photography, architecture, music, or mime, art has the power to unite us.

A Prestigious Beginning: The Boltanski Era

The program’s ambition was clear from the very start. In 1998, the LFC achieved a significant milestone by welcoming Christian Boltanski, one of France’s most renowned conceptual artists, as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence. Known globally for his installations on memory, loss, and identity, Boltanski brought a profound artistic rigor to his project at LFC.

During his residency, Boltanski collaborated with students on a project titled "Favorite Objects." The resulting work was a portfolio of photocopied images of the students' personal items—simple objects imbued with personal meaning. It was an exploration of childhood memory and the ephemeral nature of material things, themes that resonated with Boltanski’s broader body of work, which is held in prestigious collections from the MoMA to the Centre Pompidou. The project set a precedent: LFC students would not just observe art; they would actively participate in its creation alongside world-class masters.

A Legacy of Diverse Disciplines

Since that inaugural year, the LFC has welcomed a kaleidoscope of talent from across the globe. The visiting artists showcase a breadth of creativity, spanning continents and disciplines. The program has hosted Senegalese writer Ery Camara, American sculptor Sheila Hicks, French visual artist Laurent Baude, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, among many others.

Each residency is unique, yet they all share a common DNA: the artist receives a stipend and a workspace, but the true mandate is engagement. The project must reach across the student body, actively involving as many age groups as possible, from Pre-K through Grade 12.

Recent Chapters in AIR’s Impact

In recent years, the AIR program has continued its diverse creative output, offering students unrivaled experiences in the artists.

The Sound of Experimentation (2014-2015)

When Chicago’s International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) arrived in 2014, they challenged our students to rethink the very definition of music. Founded with a mission to build diverse audiences for contemporary work, ICE introduced "The Listening Room." Using graphic notation—a way of writing music using visual symbols rather than traditional notes—musicians led students in team-based compositions. It was a lesson in listening, collaboration, and the courage to experiment.

Photographic Storytelling (2016-2017)

In the 2016-2017 residency, the school turned its lens toward photography and theater with French photographer Nicolas Henry. A former film director for Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s "6 Billion Others," Henry was fascinated by the intersection of community and storytelling. His project, "Tikihawa's Chandelier," was a monumental photographic work that theatrically staged the personal and collective stories of the LFC community. By marrying his work on the South Side of Chicago with the multicultural environment of the Lycée, Henry did not just take photos; he built stage sets and "playhouses" that captured the essence of our shared history.

Illuminating the Urban Landscape (2018-2019)

In 2018-2019, French-Beninese photographer Joël Degbo encouraged students to look at their city in a new light. His exhibition, "Various Lights," explored the relationship between our students and their urban environment. The residency culminated in a spectacular evening where videos were projected directly onto the façade of the school building—a literal and metaphorical illumination of the LFC’s presence in Chicago. "The students are interested in everything, want to understand everything and are ready to try everything," Degbo remarked. "Inspiring and exciting!"

An Epic Theatrical Journey (2022-2023)

The 2022-2023 residency was perhaps the most ambitious narrative undertaking yet. LFC partnered with Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival to recreate Homer’s The Odyssey as a silent film.

The art rooms were transformed into prop workshops filled with whales, cyclops eyes, and ancient vessels. Puppeteer Tom Lee worked with students to animate these objects while Lookingglass ensemble members and LFC parents Phil Smith and Louise Lamson gave students acting lessons. Maternelle students learned to move like sheep, elementary students acted as a "school of fish," and high schoolers engaged in masterclasses on Japanese puppet building. It was a true cross-grade collaboration, with parents even stepping in to knit costumes. The final result was a silent film that captured the magic of storytelling without a single spoken word.

United in Song (2024-2025)

The artistic spotlight turned to music with a singular goal during the 2024-2025 residency: to create an anthem that defines the LFC education. To lead this journey, the school community welcomed Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Justin Roberts.

"In some ways, this project seemed almost impossible. How would we write a song with hundreds of kids from 1st to 9th grade and make it sound coherent?" Roberts admitted. The solution was to tell the story of the student journey—walking through the doors, ascending the stairs, and growing up within these walls.

Workshops ranged from fine-tuning lyrics to recording sessions where staff and students brought ukuleles, violas, flutes, and vocals to the mic. The result, "No Place I’d Rather Be," is a powerful, catchy anthem that summons memories of the past while celebrating the present. As music teacher Julie De Grandpré beautifully put it, "That's what I wanted for the students... a song of their own that would now feel like home."

Looking to the Future

As we celebrate three decades of bringing artists to our school, this year marks the opening of the LFC Center for the Arts. This milestone represents a transformative investment in our school’s arts education.

The Artist-in-Residence program remains a testament to the LFC’s commitment to holistic education. It is a program that requires significant resources, and we remain deeply grateful to the donors whose contributions cover the stipends, housing, materials, and production costs that make these residencies possible.

The dialogue between artist and student is one that changes lives. It teaches our children that art is not just something you hang on a wall—it is a way of thinking, a method of problem-solving, and a means of building community.

The next call for applications is open until April 15, 2026. As we eagerly await our next AIR program, we continue to celebrate the creativity that permeates our halls, from the echoes of Justin Roberts’ anthem to the memories of Christian Boltanski’s first visit through the gallery of his work on display outside the LFC President’s office.

Here’s to the next 30 years of bringing the art world to our doorstep.

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AIR By the Numbers

• 1997: Year the AIR program was founded
• 13: Number of residencies from 1997 to 2025
• $15,000: Stipend provided to the selected artist
• 4-12: Typical duration of the residency weeks
• 1: Common goal—to unite Pre-K through Grade 12 through art

LFC Artists-in-Residence 1997-2025

Thank you to each of these amazing artists for touching the lives of our students and community.

• Christian Boltanski (France/photography)
• Ery Camara (Senegal/language arts)
• Sheila Hicks (USA/sculpture)
• Laurent Baude (France/sculpture)
• Périphériques Architecture (France/architecture)
• Jim Vincent for the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (USA/dance)
• Beate Gütschow (Germany/photography)
• Donald Fels (USA/architecture)
• I.C.E. – International Contemporary Ensemble (USA/music)
• Nicolas Henry (France/photography)
• Joël Degbo (France-Benin/photography)
• Phil Smith and Louise Lamson - Lookingglass Theatre Company - and Tom Lee - Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival (USA/theater)
• Justin Roberts (USA/music)