Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) is a non-profit consortium of 43 leading art and design colleges in the United States and Canada. All AICAD member institutions have a curriculum with full liberal arts and sciences requirements complementing studio work, and all are accredited to grant the BFA and/or MFA degrees. To qualify for AICAD membership, an art school must satisfy four criteria: be a free-standing college (not a division of a larger college or university) specializing in art or design; be a non-profit institution; grant the BFA and/or MFA degree; and have accreditation from both the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the relevant academic accrediting organization in their region.
AICAD was founded in 1991 by a group of art college presidents for the purpose of sharing information among similar institutions and acting collectively. Its mission is to strengthen and connect the member colleges, and to inform the public about these colleges and the value of studying art and design. More information about AICAD and its member colleges is available on the organization's website.[1]
AICAD distributes information about the organization and its members, and about art and design education and careers, to potential students, parents, teachers, and others. It conducts regular conferences and symposia on contemporary academic and administrative subjects, operates an independent studio and internship program in New York City (The New York Studio Residency Program), oversees student exchanges and mobility among the member schools, gathers and analyzes institutional data to assist in future planning efforts. It also provides members with information about current art and design education issues as well as information on relevant legislation and government policies.
Members
University-status schools
Art-only schools
- Alberta College of Art and Design
- Art Academy of Cincinnati
- Art Center College of Design
- Lesley University College of Art and Design (formerly The Art Institute of Boston)[2]
- California College of the Arts
- California Institute of the Arts
- Cleveland Institute of Art
- College for Creative Studies
- Columbus College of Art and Design
- Corcoran College of Art and Design
- Cornish College of the Arts
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- Emily Carr University of Art and Design
- Kansas City Art Institute
- Laguna College of Art and Design
- Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
- Maine College of Art
- Maryland Institute College of Art
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Memphis College of Art
- Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- Montserrat College of Art
- Moore College of Art and Design
- New Hampshire Institute of Art
- Oregon College of Art and Craft
- Otis College of Art and Design
- Pacific Northwest College of Art
- Parsons The New School for Design
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
- Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Ringling College of Art and Design
- San Francisco Art Institute
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- School of Visual Arts
- University of the Arts
- Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
International Affiliates
Regional accrediting agencies
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
New York Studio Residency Program
The New York Studio Residency Program (NYSRP), a project of AICAD, is a one-semester program in New York City for undergraduate fine arts students enrolled at AICAD colleges. The program emphasizes independent, self-directed study in the context of its location in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn. The 15 to 20 students enrolled each fall and spring semester come from all over the US and Canada.