The School of Art and Design, 1960 – 2009

The principles and methods of art and design education are related nationally and internationally to the shifts in the development generally of art and design practices; government values and policies on art and design education and the perceived needs of trade and industry. This historical study of The School of Art and Design ( Belfast College of Art ) maps and evaluates its history against such societal as well as cultural and economic change. It registers its development within a national and international framework of developing ideas on the nature of art and design and the dramatic changes in art and design practices some of which were very radical and far reaching in the 20th century. Over the period under review there have been extraordinary changes to the administration, curriculum, physical resources and creative output of the School of Art and Design. Staff and students have witnessed and contributed to the revolutionary role new digital technologies have played in design and the impact of new media in fine art practices. Since joining the university system The School of Art and Design, a former independent college has taken a pioneering role in defining and developing the nature of research for the sector and the delivery of practice based Ph.D programmes. This book, then, reflects on the history of the school from the impact of the Coldstream reports of the early 1960’s to current practices and issues in teaching , learning and research.