AICAD | Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design

04/28/2025

The AICAD Symposium is an annual gathering dedicated to advancing teaching and learning in art and design. Pratt Institute will host the 2025 symposium, bringing together educators, researchers, students, and thought leaders from the fields of art and design. AICAD welcomes participation in the Symposium and session proposals from members and non-members alike.

Call for proposals is now open! Want to submit a session idea? -> https://whova.com/call_for_speakers/CrcTm3hA-knuFYjULpZ0kz5lmQrEC5aV7oOzvUW7tQJO5VdhYdTG0goSoAABE3Z3/

10/23/2024

Check out former AICAD Fellows Helena Metaferia and Sheida Soleimani virtually discuss their practices and connections to their subjects: -> https://www.brandeis.edu/rose/programs/2024/artist-on-artist-metaferia-soleimani.html

09/12/2024

“We speak of a sustainable economy, and if we can contribute to the training of faculty early in their careers, then everyone wins." - Greg Watts of Cleveland Institute of Art on their 3 new AICAD Fellows ->

By Karen Sandstrom ’12 Three new faculty members joined the Cleveland Institute of Art this year through a teaching fellowship program that aims to help increase racial and ethnic diversity in art school faculty. The program was developed by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Desig...

07/17/2024

AICAD is pleased to welcome Pratt Institute president Francis Bronet as the next Chair of the AICAD Board of Trustees!

“We are committed to strengthening creative institutions, our connections to internal and external constituents, sharing emerging and significant practices, and building diverse and sustainable career opportunities for art and design graduates,” said Frances Bronet, president of Pratt Institute. “I’m honored to serve as chair of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design and look forward to continuing this work alongside talented leaders to advance AICAD’s resources. It is an exceptional moment to be part of this community of artists, investigators, researchers, creators, who are dedicated to meaningful and responsible work.”

Read More ->

The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) elected Frances Bronet, president of Pratt Institute, as the new chair of its board of trustees, effective […]

06/10/2024

AICAD is proud to announce the placement of thirteen new post-graduate teaching fellows for the 2024/24 academic year, in addition to nine returning for their second year. Check out this years fellows and their work -> https://www.aicad.org/aicad-places-22-fellows-2024/

01/02/2024

NOAA/AICAD Art+Science Fellow Mickey L.D. Morgan releases podcast “Neighbors Along the Riverbed”

The podcasts feature community members and scientists sharing their ideas and feelings about local salmon and steelhead. They discuss barriers to habitat conservation, and what they believe is needed to help preserve these species. The 11-episode series highlights the complex nature of conserving habitat for seven species of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead in coastal California.

"Numbers and data can be cold and off-putting, whereas art can be used as a tool to make complex topics accessible."

Read more and listen here -> https://bit.ly/artscience2023

10/24/2023

Today! Join AICAD | Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design & MICA for a virtual panel discussion on the recent SCOTUS admissions ruling and its larger impact on arts & design education. The conversation will focus on the long term impacts to campus communities, campus culture and institutional values and how we signal to students of all backgrounds that they are truly welcome at our member institutions.

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 | 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Central Time

Register here: https://ow.ly/AGWH50Q0biH

10/06/2023

With the recently announced closures of the Art Institutes, a number of AICAD schools are stepping up to provide transfer counseling and resources for those students who's studies have been impacted ->

While the Art Institute was not a member of our consortium, we want to assist impacted students who may be looking for an appropriate institution at which to continue and complete their studies. Many of our member institutions have dedicated transfer admissions counselors at the ready to assist impa...

09/08/2023

The 2023 AICAD Symposium - "What is Freedom?", hosted by Art Academy of Cincinnati is fast approaching, and today we're happy to announce our Keynote Speaker and guest, artist Charles Gaines!

"A pivotal figure in the field of conceptual art, Charles Gaines’ body of work engages formulas and systems that interrogate relationships between the objective and the subjective realms. Using a generative approach to create a series of works in a variety of mediums, he has built a bridge between the early conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s and subsequent generations of artists pushing the limits of conceptualism today. Gaines lives and works in Los Angeles. He recently retired from the CalArts School of Art, where he was on faculty for over 30 years and established a fellowship to provide critical scholarship support for Black students in the M.F.A. program."

Find out more and register today -> https://www.aicad.org/aicad-2023-symposium/

09/05/2023

AICAD president and executive director Deborah Obalil was invited to write an Op-Ed for The Art Newspaper regarding recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action in admissions: "This Supreme Court decision does not require any institution to change its stated values and mission to educate a diverse student body. Now is the time for institutions to lean into their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, not shrink away. The Supreme Court decision eliminates only one tool in our sector’s toolbox, and for most it wasn’t a tool they were using." Read More ->

Op-Ed for Art Newspaper written by AICAD president and executive director Deborah Obalil See original print edition PDF here For anyone who works in higher education, this has not been a typical summer. We’ve had more news from Washington, DC impacting our sector in just the past few months than w...

06/16/2023

This week, staff from AICAD institutions gathered at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles for the 2023 Student Success Conference to share what they are doing on their campuses to engage students in mental health awareness, increase internship and career outcomes, and cultivate stronger campus communities.

06/15/2023

The AICAD Post Graduate Teaching Fellowship is placing 11 NEW fellows this academic year, in addition to 5 fellows returning for their second! Check out their practice and where they are headed->

The Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD) is pleased to announce the eleven Fellows selected for the AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship for the 2023/24 academic year. Additionally, five previous fellows will continue their positions for a second year. The Fellowship provid...