About
About ACSA
Adelaide Central School of Art is an independent, not-for-profit Institute of Higher Education based in Glenside, South Australia. We offer accredited programs in visual art spanning one, two and three years which can be completed at a full-time or part-time rate. We also offer an Honours in visual art for students wanting to extend their skills into post-graduate study.
Studying in our three-year Bachelor of Visual Art degree course not only teaches students foundational skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and Art History & Theory, it also equips students with the professional skills to work as contemporary visual artists. Our graduates have a high rate of success in the industry and go on to enjoy dynamic careers as visual artists, educators, mural artists, writers, program officers and academics.
We also offer a rotating program of 6-week courses and intensives in our popular Short Course program.
“While Adelaide Central School of Art seemed to mesh with my adolescent romantic notions of what an art school should be, it also defied my expectations (in the best possible way) and extended my thinking in ways I could never have predicted. Blending intellectual rigour and a collegiate atmosphere, the school challenges and supports its students in finding their own authentic language of art-making.”
– Roy Ananda, graduate (BVA 2001) and current Head of Drawing
Partner institutions
We regularly partner with organisations like:
The Art Gallery of South Australia, JamFactory and Guildhouse to deliver programs, events and learning opportunities for our community.
Artlink Australia (situated at our Glenside campus) allowing us to offer integrated learning opportunities with their editorial team.
In partnership with the National Art School’s Drawing Department we deliver an ongoing collaborative exhibition every two years called The Drawing Exchange
The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture in an academic relationship.
The Royal South Australian Society of Arts and Carbins Trust , who are supporting two school-leaver scholarships.
The Royal Academy of Arts in London to offer a recent graduate under 30 a professional development opportunity.
Central Studios, situated in Kent Town, who provides an exemplar of professional practice for our students and graduates.
Switchboard Studios, Floating Goose Studios, Collective Haunt, The Mill, Post Office Projects, Parallel Studios and Adelaide City Council ArtPod also accommodate a number of our graduates and lecturers. Other studio collectives are being formed as our students graduate and seek collegiate support while developing their emerging careers.
The Alumni Committee and the Adelaide Central School of Art Painting Group which provide a forum in which alumni can maintain their connection with our community and current students can benefit from member’s experience.
Our History
We have established ourselves as an institution of excellence in both teaching practices and student success. Hundreds of graduates have since come through our doors – with their artistic vision and ability woven into the tapestry of our artistic community.
Life for the Adelaide Central School of Art began in 1982 when we were founded by Rod Taylor AM as a single-focus art school. In 1994 we received our first accreditation and became a Higher Education provider in 1998 with the first offering of our Bachelor of Visual Art. This was restructured in 2011, when a fourth-year Honours was made available to high-achieving graduates from any education provider.
We were granted a 50-year lease by the South Australian Government in 2012 for two heritage buildings at the Glenside Health and Cultural Precinct. The following year, after extensive award-winning renovations, we relocated from Norwood.
Today, we are identified as the best art school in Australia, with our most recent student education experience rating of 97.1% from the 2020 survey results (QILT Student Experience Survey, 2020).
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