The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, USA, (AICA-LA) is an accredited college for creative arts education in Los Angeles, California area. Its career-preparing programs are Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Interactive Media Design, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Media Arts & Animation, Audio Production and Digital Video Production/Motion Picture, amongst other programs. It is a member of The Art Institutes system of educational institutions.
In 1997, The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles opened its location on 31st Street in the city of Santa Monica, California, between the Activision corporate headquarters and Santa Monica Airport. The campus has a state-of-the-art motion capture studio, and a student-run restaurant, Bistro 31, which is one of the kitchens used in the local television CBS 2/KCAL 9 News's "TV Diner" segments with TV personality Chef Mario Martinoli. The campus is in a location surrounded by much of the entertainment industry, with nearby companies such as Disney, ABC, CBS, Paramount, Columbia, and Universal Studios.
Graduates of the Art Institutes are employed by such companies as game developers Heavy Iron Studios, film makers EFilm, amongst many others. Many graduates of the culinary programs are employed as executive chefs at such prestigious restaurants as Valencia Country Club and Belamar Hotel. In 2004, four graduates worked as motion capture artists on the major CGI motion picture The Polar Express. More than 80% of graduates of the The Art Institutes network of schools find employment in a related field within 6 months of their graduation.