- Gertrude Abercrombie, surrealist painter
- Harry Aleman, Chicago mobster
- Enrique Alferez, sculptor
- Elizabeth Axtman, video artist and photographer
- Don Balke, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts), painter
- Robin Barcus Slonina (B.F.A. 1993), multidisciplinary artist
- Thomas Hart Benton, painter
- Jeremy Blake, digital artist
- Willard Bond, painter
- Jeffrey Brown, cartoonist
- Roger Brown (B.F.A. 1968, M.F.A. 1970), painter
- Natalie Bookchin
- John Chamberlain, sculptor
- Paul Chan, multimedia
- John Churchill Chase, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts) cartoonist
- Eleanor Coen, artist
- George Cohen (artist)
- Bradshaw Crandell, American illustrator and artist (attended classes)
- Pap Dean, cartoonist
- Walt Disney, animator
- Mat Devine, musician
- Nora Dunn, actress
- Ulric Ellerhusen, sculptor
- Fred Ellis, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts), political cartoonist (did not graduate)
- Suzanne Fiol, avant-garde music producer and founder of ISSUE Project Room
- Fischerspooner, music group and performers
- Frederick Carl Frieseke, painter
- Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein (Hilgos), marine artist
- Leon Golub, painter
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- Edward Gorey, illustrator
- Art Green, painter, original member of The Hairy Who
- Halston, fashion designer
- Stieg Hedlund (attended 1984-1985) video game designer
- Hugh Hefner (took anatomy classes), founder of Playboy
- Herblock, political cartoonist
- Don Herold, humorist (did not graduate)
- Ed Holland, cartoonist
- Richard Hunt, sculptor
- Robert Indiana, designer, "Love (sculpture)"
- Max Kahn, painter
- Herb Kawainui Kane, painter, designer, Living Treasure of Hawaii
- Jeff Koons, sculptor
- Dan Kwong, performance artist, writer, teacher, playwright (Be Like Water)
- Robert Lostutter, painter, original member of the Chicago Imagists
- Lubov, painter
- Charles A. MacLellan, painter and illustrator
- Shaw McCutcheon, editorial cartoonist
- Gene Markey, Hollywood producer and screenwriter
- Raúl Martínez, Cuban painter and Pop artist
- Santiago Martinez Delgado, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts) muralist, illustrator, and sculptor
- Bill Mauldin, (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts) political cartoonist
- Joan Mitchell, painter
- Archibald J. Motley, painter
- Elizabeth Murray, painter
- Georgia O'Keeffe (did not graduate, attended 1905–1906), painter
- LeRoy Neiman Painter
- Audrey Niffenegger, author (The Time Traveler's Wife)
- Jim Nutt Painter
- Claes Oldenburg (attended from 1950–1954), sculptor
- Ed Paschke, painter
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- Art Paul. graphic designer
- J. K. Ralston, painter of the Old West
- Miguel A Reina filmmaker
- Cynthia Rowley, fashion designer
- Sterling Ruby, multimedia
- Hong Sang-soo, (M.F.A) film Director
- Matt Saracen, (B.F.A.) Illustrator and Quarterback
- David Sedaris (B.F.A. 1987), author, humorist
- Victor Skrebneski, fashion photographer
- Kunie Sugiura (B.F.A. 1967), artist and photographer
- Minerva Teichert muralist
- Mark Tobey, painter
- Sarah Vowell (M.A. 1996), author, humorist
- Chris Ward IV, better known as MC Chris, a hip hop rapper
- Chris Ware, alternative cartoonist
- Apichatpong Weerasethakul filmmaker
- Orson Welles, filmmaker
- Charles Banks Wilson, American painter
- Ellis Wilson
- Gahan Wilson, cartoonist (Chicago Academy of Fine Arts)
- Karl Wirsum, painter, original member of The Hairy Who
- Grant Wood, painter, "American Gothic" (1930)
- Mary Agnes Yerkes, painter
- Wen Yiduo, Chinese poet, scholar
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