Konstfack or University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (in Swedish simply known as Konstfack) is a university college for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in Stockholm, Sweden.[1]
| Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design | |
|---|---|
| Konstfack | |
| Motto | Insigt och flit |
| Motto in English | "Insight and diligence" |
| Established | 1844 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | 148.3 million SEK[2] (2008) |
| Rector | Ph.D. Ivar Björkman |
| Admin. staff | 210 (2008)[2] |
| Students | 585 (2008)[2] |
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www.konstfack.se |
Contents |
Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the ethnologist and artist Nils Månsson Mandelgren as a part time art school for artisans, under the name "Söndags-Rit-skola för Handtverkare" ("Sunday Drawing School for Artisans"). The school was taken over by Svenska Slöjdföreningen (today known as Svensk form)[3] the next year and renamed Svenska Slöjdföreningens skola.
In 1857 the first two female students (Sofi Granberg and Matilda Andersson) were accepted, and the following year female students officially were invited to apply.[3]
It became a state school and was renamed Slöjdskolan i Stockholm (Handicraft School in Stockholm) in 1859; and in the context of a thorough reorganisation, where the school was divided into four departments in 1879, to Tekniska skolan (The Technical School). From 1945 it was known as Konstfackskolan (The school of art departments), when the institution was divided into the departments devoted to distinct disciplines that remain largely today: Textile, Decorative art, Sculpture, Ceramics, Furniture and Interior Design, Metal and Advertising and Printing. The school also obtained official status and had a two-year day school and a three-year arts and craft evening school. To this was added a two-year higher Arts and Crafts school and a three-year Art Teacher institute. It was given the status of a högskola ("university college") in 1978. From 1993 it was called just Konstfack, the short form of the name formerly used colloquially.[4]
Long located on Norrmalm, between Klara kyrka and Hötorget, the school was in 1959 moved to a new building on Valhallavägen with well-equipped workshops, designed by architects Gösta Åberg and Tage Hertzell. In 2004 it once again moved to the early modernist former telephone factory of L M Ericsson at Telefonplan in Hägersten on the southern outskirts of Stockholm. The 20,300 sqm interior of the old factory building was redesigned by among others architect Gert Wingårdh[5].
Following the standards of the Bologna process, Konstfack offers a bachelor degree program (3 years, 180 ECTS credits, Bachelor of Arts), a master degree program (2 years, 120 ECTS credits, Master of Arts). There are also postgraduate courses, the Curator Lab-education (1 year), and Art Education (teacher program, 4,5 years). The 2-year Animation education existed between 1996 and 2005; and was located in Eksjö.
The Bachelor's Program is divided into seven different disciplines:[3]
The Undergraduate Program is conducted in Swedish.
The Master's Program is divided into nine different fields:
The goal of Konstfack's two-year Graduate Program is to attract both Swedish and international students, and the education is held mainly in English.
Beside the eight main departments of Ceramics and Glass, Fine Art, Graphic Design & Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture & Furniture Design, Textiles, Metal Design, and Art Education; the Department of Colour and Form was founded in 1983 with the purpose of educating the students in a fine art foundations curriculum modelled on the Bauhaus' introductary course. In 2004 Colour and Form became the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies to respond to the growing importance of interdisciplinary studio practices, under the supervision of professor Ronald Jones. The department incorporates an array of disciplines from studio practice to The Center for Theory and History to Konstfack's digital media curriculum – Professor Jones likes to describe it as the "mosh pit of creativity".[4]
The third year of the bachelor's program and the second year of the master's includes a free project, ten weeks at BA-level and twenty at MA-level, ending with a public examination and, if the student passes the examination, an exhibition for all graduating students: the Spring Exhibition (Vårutställningen in Swedish). The annual exhibition usually takes place at Konstfack during two weeks in May, with around 150 exhibiting students, and attracts thousands of visitors.
Link to the official website for the Spring Exhibition 2007 (English version).
Link to the official website for the Spring Exhibition 2008
A selection of some distinguished former students at the different departments at Konstfack (Art or designer groups referred to by their collective names)[4]:
Graphic Design & Illustration:
Carl Johan De Geer (artist and designer), Lasse Åberg (filmmaker), Lotta Kühlhorn, Lars Hall (advertising), Oskar Korsár (artist and illustrator), RBG6 (motion graphics), REALA, Stina Wirsén (illustrator), Ana Biscaia (a minha professora).
Interior Architecture & Furniture Design:
Claesson Koivisto Rune, Gunilla Allard, Jonas Bohlin, Mats Theselius, Stefan Borselius, Thomas Bernstrand.
Industrial Design:
A & E Design, Front (arty designers), Ergonomidesign, No Picnic, Propeller.
Fine Arts:
Stig Lindberg (textile & ceramic designer), Annika von Hauswolff, Carl Milles, Dorinel Marc, Johanna Billing, Maria Miesenberger, Miriam Bäckström.
Ceramics & Glass:
Bertil Vallien, Per B. Sundberg, Zandra Ahl, Christian Pontus Andersson (artist).
Art Education:
Cecilia Torudd (cartoonist), Elsa Beskow (writer and illustrator of children's books), Gert Z Nordström, Jan Stenmark (artist), Jockum Nordström (artist).
Textiles:
Astrid Sampe, Hans Krondahl, Mah-Jong (creators of intellectual fashion in the 60's & 70's), Susanne Pagold (fashion journalist), 10-gruppen.
Metal Design:
Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, Gunnar Cyrén.