Alberta College of Art & Design

The Alberta College of Art & Design was founded in 1926 as part of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art. The Alberta College of Art, as it was then known, became an autonomous board governed institution in 1985. The College was further acknowledged as a centre of excellence in art and design education in 1995 when it received Alberta government approval to grant the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and officially added, "Design" to its name. The College was acknowledged again in 2000 when it received approval to grant the Bachelor of Design degree. ACAD is one of only four accredited, public visual arts and design colleges in Canada and the only one in the Prairie Provinces.

The College is located on Calgary's north hill overlooking the Bow River and the downtown skyline in a building designed in 1973 specifically as an art college. The central mall is a thoroughfare, meeting place, and exhibition space for artwork. The College is home to two galleries, the public Illingworth Kerr Gallery and the student run Marion Nicoll Gallery. It also has an outstanding collection of books, slides, and periodicals on contemporary and historical art in the Luke Lindoe Library. Other onsite facilities include an art supply/bookstore and a cafeteria.

The curriculum encompasses a wide range of majors in visual arts and design. Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) majors are offered in the following studio disciplines: Ceramics, Drawing, Fibre, Glass, Jewellery and Metals, Media Arts and Digital Technologies, Painting, Print Media, and Sculpture. Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) degrees are offered in Visual Communications Design and Photography. All students must complete First Year Studies before moving into an area of concentration. First Year Studies provides students with a variety of studio experiences, contemporary theory and practice, art history, and liberal studies to ensure that students gain broad exposure and a well rounded education.

Updated Monday, August 25, 2008

< Previous  |  Next >