Alberta College of Art and Design

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The Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD), formerly known as the Alberta College of Art is a publicly funded Canadian degree-granting, art and design college located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ACAD's beginnings date back to the founding of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) in 1916. Beginning with evening and Saturday classes, day classes were offered starting in 1926 with Lars Haukaness appointed as the first Head of the Art Department. In 1960, PITA was renamed the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the Art Department was renamed the Alberta College of Art (ACA).

In 1973, after eight years of planning and construction, the Alberta College of Art moved into a brand new purpose-built building, designed by architectural firm Cohos, Delesalle and Evamy, on the edge of Calgary's North Hill, next to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

The Alberta College of Art gained autonomy from SAIT in 1985, and in 1995 amended its name to become the Alberta College of Art and Design.

ACAD's degree programs are housed within four administrative schools:

The School of Craft + Emerging Media (ceramics, fibre, glass, jewellery + metals and media arts)
The School of Visual Arts (drawing, painting, print media, photography and sculpture)
The School of Communication Design
The School of Critical + Creative Studies (non-studio academic courses)

Video Alberta College of Art and Design

Academic status

As a college, the institution has the authority to grant certificates and diplomas. In 1995 the Alberta Government authorized granting the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts and in 2000 gave authority to grant the Bachelor of Design degree. The Master of Fine Arts in Craft Media was launched in 2015 with the inaugural class receiving their degrees in May 2017.

Maps Alberta College of Art and Design

Library and galleries

ACAD's Luke Lindoe Library is named after ACAD alumnus, instructor and founder of the Ceramics Department Luke Lindoe and maintains a collection of over 25,000 art and design related titles. The college is also home to two professional galleries, the Illingworth Kerr Gallery (IKG) and the Marion Nicoll Gallery (MNG) and nine student-run gallery and pop-up spaces.

The Alberta College or Art Gallery was renamed after artist and teacher Illingworth Kerr, when ACA moved into its new home (current location) in 1973, expanding into a 9,500 square-foot facility.

The MNG, named after artist and teacher Marion Nicoll, is based on a not-for-profit model and run by the ACAD Student Association (ACADSA). MNG manages three locations (in ACAD's Main Mall, the ACAD/Jubilee LRT station hallyway and in downtown Calgary's Arts Commons +15 walkway), and focuses on exhibiting student work. ACADSA also manages nine student exhibition spaces on campus.

Alberta College of Art and Design presents: Movies for Mental ...

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Lodgepole Center

Given its name by ACAD's Elder Council to reflect the supportive nature of the lodgepole, traditionally placed at the center of the tipi to carry the weight of the covering, ACAD's indigenous resource center, the Lodgepole Center, officially opened on campus in September 2016. An all-inclusive space, the Lodgepole Center facilitates Elder advising and support, traditional ceremonies, and workshops, and is a quiet study, smudge and gathering space.