Konstfack, or University of Arts, Crafts and Design, is a
university college
In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...
for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in
Stockholm,
Sweden.
History
Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the ethnologist and artist
Nils Månsson Mandelgren as a part-time art school for artisans, under the name "Söndags-Rit-skola för Handtverkare" ("Sunday Drawing School for Artisans"). The school was taken over by ''Svenska Slöjdföreningen'' (today known as
Svensk form)
the next year and renamed ''Svenska Slöjdföreningens skola''.
In 1857, the first two female students (Sofi Granberg and Matilda Andersson) were accepted, and the following year female students officially were invited to apply.
[
It became a state school and was renamed ''Slöjdskolan i Stockholm'' (Handicraft School in Stockholm) in 1859; and in the context of a thorough reorganisation, where the school was divided into four departments in 1879, to ''Tekniska skolan'' (The Technical School). From 1945 it was known as ''Konstfackskolan'' (The school of art departments), when the institution was divided into the departments devoted to distinct disciplines that remain largely today: ''Textile, Decorative art, Sculpture, Ceramics, Furniture and Interior Design, Metal'' and ''Advertising and Printing''. The school also obtained official status and had a two-year day school and a three-year arts and craft evening school. To this was added a two-year higher Arts and Crafts school and a three-year Art Teacher institute. It was given the status of a ''högskola'' ("university college") in 1978. From 1993 it was called just ''Konstfack'', the short form of the name formerly used colloquially.][Björkman, Ivar; Konstfack 2006-07, Stockholm 2006. ISBN /91-85549-00-2, ISBN /978-91-85549-00-9.]
Long located on Norrmalm
Norrmalm is a city district in Stockholm, Sweden.
History
Norrmalm is part of the larger borough of Norrmalm (''Norrmalms stadsdelsområde'').
The southern part of the district, Lower Norrmalm (''Nedre Norrmalm''), also known as City, cons ...
, between Klara kyrka and Hötorget
Hötorget (''Haymarket'') is a city square in the center of Stockholm, Sweden that has been transitioning since the Early Medieval Period.
Description
To its east lies the Royal Concert Hall, to its south lies Filmstaden Sergel, one of the ...
, the school was in 1959 moved to a new building on Valhallavägen with well-equipped workshops, designed by architects Gösta Åberg and Tage Hertzell. In 2004, it once again moved to the former headquarters of LM Ericsson at Telefonplan in Stockholm Municipality. The 20,300-square metre interior of the old factory building was redesigned by among others architect Gert Wingårdh
Gert Wingårdh (born 1951) is a Swedish architect whose company, Wingårdh arkitektkontor, maintains an international practice.''Gert Wingårdh; Thirty Years of Architecture'', Mikael Nanfeldt (ed.) (Birkhäuser Publishers for Architecture, 2008 ...
.
Education
Following the standards of the Bologna process, Konstfack offers bachelor's degree programmes (3 years, 180 ECTS credits, Bachelor of Fine Arts), and master's degree programmes (2 years, 120 ECTS credits, Master of Fine Arts). There are also Art Education programmes (teacher programmes, 4,5 years and 5 years). The 2-year Animation education existed between 1996 and 2005; and was located in Eksjö
Eksjö is a locality and the seat of Eksjö Municipality in Jönköping County, Sweden, with 9,701 inhabitants in 2010.
History
The city of Eksjö most likely appeared sometime in the Middle Ages when it was the centre for the '' thing'', a regi ...
.
There are seven Bachelor's Programmes :[
*Ceramics and Glass
*Fine Art
*Graphic Design and Illustration
*Industrial Design
*Interior Architecture and Furniture Design
*Textiles
*Metal Design
The Undergraduate Program is conducted in Swedish.
There are five Master's Programmes:][
*Craft (Dept. of Craft)
*Design (Dept. of Design, Interior Architecture and Visual communications)
*Fine Art (Dept. of Fine Art), and
*Visual Communication (Dept. of Design, Interior Architecture and Visual Communications)
* Visual Culture and Learning
One goal of Konstfack's two-year Graduate Programmes is to attract both Swedish and international students, and the education is held mainly in English.
There is also a doctoral program given in collaboration with Royal Institute of Technology:][
* Art, Technology and Design
]
Professional courses
Konstfack offers courses for professionals, for example CuratorLab and Research Lab.
Departments
Konstfack has four departments:
* ''Craft'',
* ''Design, Interior architecture and Visual communications'',
* ''Fine Art'' and
* ''Department of Visual Arts and Sloyd Education''.
Examinations and The Spring Exhibition
The third year of the bachelor's program and the second year of the master's includes a degree project, ten weeks at BFA-level and twenty at MFA-level, ending with a public examination and, if the student passes the examination, an exhibition for all graduating students: the Spring Exhibition (''Vårutställningen'' in Swedish). The annual exhibition usually takes place at Konstfack during two weeks in May, with around 150 exhibiting students, and attracts thousands of visitors.
Link to the official website for the Spring Exhibition 2015 (English version)
Notable alumni
A selection of some distinguished former students at the different departments at Konstfack (Art or designer groups referred to by their collective names):[
Fine Arts: ]
Hilma af Klint
Hilma af Klint (; 26 October 1862 – 21 October 1944) was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history. A considerable body of her work predates the first purely abstra ...
, Cecilia Edefalk, Ingela Ihrman, Stig Lindberg (textile and ceramic designer), Annika von Hausswolff, Carl Milles
Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa sta ...
, Dorinel Marc, Johanna Billing, Maria Miesenberger, Miriam Bäckström
Miriam Bäckström (born 1967) is a Swedish conceptual photographer.
Bäckström was born in Stockholm in 1967. Bäckström studied history of art at the University of Stockholm
Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public re ...
, Caroline Schlyter, Karin Mamma Andersson.
Graphic Design & Illustration:
Carl Johan De Geer (artist and designer), Lasse Åberg
Lars Gunnar Åberg (born 5 May 1940), known professionally as Lasse Åberg, is a Swedish actor, musician, film director and artist. Between 1960 and 1964 he studied at the Konstfack department of graphic design.
Åberg has produced some of the m ...
(filmmaker), Brita Granström
Brita Granström (born 1969) is a Swedish artist who graduated from Konstfack Stockholm in 1994 and now lives and works between Great Britain and her homeland as a painter and illustrator.
Painting
In 2011 Granström's self-portrait ''Mother of ...
(artist and illustrator), Lotta Kühlhorn, Lars Hall
Lars Göran Ivar Hall (30 April 1927 – 26 April 1991) was a Swedish modern pentathlete who competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He won the individual event at both Games and finished second with the Swedish team in 1952. In 1952 he ...
(advertising), Oskar Korsár (artist and illustrator), Tuulikki Pietilä
Ida Helmi Tuulikki Pietilä (18 February 1917 – 23 February 2009) was an American-born Finnish graphic artist and professor. Pietilä is considered one of Finland's most influential graphic artists, with her work being shown in multiple art exh ...
(artist), RBG6 (motion graphics), REALA, Stina Wirsén (illustrator),
Ana Biscaia, Tove Jansson
Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Stockholm, Helsinki and ...
(artist and illustrator).
Interior Architecture & Furniture Design:
Claesson Koivisto Rune, Gunilla Allard, Jonas Bohlin, Mats Theselius, Stefan Borselius, Thomas Bernstrand, Greta Magnusson-Grossman.
Industrial Design:
A & E Design, Katja Pettersson, Front (arty designers), Veryday (formerly Ergonomidesign), No Picnic, Propeller, Transformator Design.
Ceramics & Glass:
Bertil Vallien, Per B. Sundberg, Zandra Ahl, Christian Pontus Andersson (artist).
Art Education:
Cecilia Torudd (cartoonist), Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow ( Maartman; 11February 187430June 1953) was a famous Swedish author and illustrator of children's books. Among her better known books are ''Tale of the Little Little Old Woman'' and ''Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender''.
Back ...
(writer and illustrator of children's books), Gert Z Nordström, Jan Stenmark (artist), Jockum Nordström (artist).
Textiles:
Astrid Sampe, Hans Krondahl
Hans Krondahl (30 June 1929 – 2018) was a Swedish painter, tapestry weaver, textile artist and textile designer. He studied painting and textile art at Konstfack, (State College of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm from 1955 to 1960.
Bet ...
, Mah-Jong (creators of intellectual fashion in the 1960s and 1970s); Susanne Pagold (fashion journalist), 10-gruppen; Helena Hernmarck.
Metal Design:
Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe
Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe (4 December 1927 – 3 June 2004), often known simply as Torun, was one of Sweden's most important 20th century silversmiths and a master jeweller. She is the first female silversmith to have become internationally note ...
, Gunnar Cyrén.
Sources
See also
* Valand School of Fine Arts
* Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm
External links
*
The Spring Exhibition 2007
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2007 (English version).
The Spring Exhibition 2008
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2008.
The Spring Exhibition 2009
The website for the Master Spring Exhibition 2009.
The Spring Exhibition 2010
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2010.
The Spring Exhibition 2011
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2011.
The Spring Exhibition 2012
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2012.
The Spring Exhibition 2013
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2013.
The Spring Exhibition 2014
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2014.
The Spring Exhibition 2015
The website for the Spring Exhibition 2015.
{{authority control
Konstfack
University colleges in Sweden
Art schools in Sweden
Higher education in Stockholm
Culture in Stockholm
Graphic design schools
Design schools
Educational institutions established in 1844
1844 establishments in Sweden