The Academy of Art University, established in San Francisco in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens, a creative director with Sunset Magazine, was originally opened to teach advertising art. In a few years, a distinguished faculty of practicing art and design professionals was assembled and the school's philosophy was formulated: hire established professionals to teach future professionals. The curriculum was expanded in 1933 to include fashion illustration, and again in 1936 to include a department of fine arts.
Elisa Stephens, the granddaughter of the school's founder, succeeded her father, Richard A. Stephens, in 1992 as the President of the Academy of Art University. Today the university has close to 8,000 students, making it the largest private school of art and design in the country. Students now have the opportunity to pursue AA, BFA, MFA, M-Arch, and Certificate programs in twelve different majors, including Advertising, Animation & Visual Effects, Architecture (MFA & M-Arch only), Computer Arts – New Media, Fashion, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture & Design, Motion Pictures & Television, and Photography.
The Academy invests heavily to ensure that every department's facilities are equipped with the current technology. The Computer Arts Department includes over 500 computer and over 101 SGI workstations and is home to the only authorized Silicon Studio training center in Northern California. The Motion Pictures, Television and Video Department boasts Avid and Media 100 editing bays, a Blue Screen Studio and an extensive array of film and video cameras. The Photography Department occupies its own building and shares half of another building with the Fine Arts Painting and Printmaking Departments. Its resources includes full-length shooting studios, table top studios, 15 individual color darkrooms and high-end cameras and strobe systems. The 58,000 square foot sculpture facility offers classroom and workshop space for all kinds of sculpture, wood/stone carving, metal fabrication, welding, jewelry design, and life-casting. Other academic facilities include an extensive, state-of-the-art research library with CD-ROM and internet access.
Programs
Architecture, Advertising, Computer Art-Graphics, Animation, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics, Digital Arts, Communication, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Photography
Campus type
Multiple Campuses
Carnegie
Schools of art, music, & design
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