Jutland Art Academy
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Jutland Art Academy (Danish: Det Jyske Kunstakademi, abbreviated DJK), is a state recognized institute for higher education in Århus, Denmark, offering a 5-year educational programme in contemporary art. The academy is a small school of only about 40 students.
The objective of the academy is to teach and research within the visual arts, while developing an artistic and intellectual community of study and creation. It is essential for the academy that its activities reflect the fact that visual art must be in investigative dialogue with the constantly changing world of political, technological and economic conditions that shape our contemporary society. Students are encouraged to work in any given media (painting, sculpting, graphics, performance, new media etc.).
DJK was established in 1959 as an independent player in the Danish milieu of educations in the arts. In 1964 the academy moved into its current location in the buildings in Mejlgade 32-34. In 1969 DJK entered the state budget, meaning all students of Danish citizenship are eligible for the state education grant S.U. (Danish: abbr. for Statens Uddannelsesstøtte). In 1999 the academy decided to discontinue the traditional division into media-based departments (painting, sculpture, graphics, etc.) which was characteristic of the classical art academy, and today the academy offers all forms of teaching to all students regardless of year group. The different modes of teaching includes thematical workshops, reading groups and seminars, lectures, technical courses and various forms of individual guidance. The teaching in the academy does not include classical training, but focuses instead on individual subject matter and context. All lectures in every discipline are open for all the students during the entire study programme. All students are offered a small studio space.
The education is run by a team of engaged and significant artists, all actively performing both nationally and internationally. During the education it is essential that the student is prepared for many different kinds of co-operation. The teaching language is Danish, in some cases English or Swedish.
The study consists of a 3-year basis education and a 2-year specialist education. Admission at the education takes place on the basis of an evaluation of the applicant's works and an interview between the admission committee and the applicant. 8-12 students are admitted each year.
Jutland Art Academy receives funding from The Ministry of Culture (Danish: Kulturministeriet), Århus City Council (Danish: Århus Amt) and the Municipality of Århus (Danish: Århus Kommune).
Current headmaster of the school is visual artist Jesper Rasmussen (since November 2007). Headmaster from 1996-2007 was visual artist Jytte Høy.
Former students of Jutland Art Academy include the performance artists Lene Adler Petersen and Uwe Max Jensen, the painters Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen and Poul Anker Bech, public and environmental artist Nis Rømer, graffiti and activist based artist Jan Danebod, to name a few.
Other Art Academies in Denmark are the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen, and Funen Art Academy in Odense.
