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Bristol School of Art, is an art school and university campus based in Clifton, Bristol, England. The art school was founded in 1844 as Bristol Fine Arts Academy.

The art school currently provides Degrees and Foundation Degrees in Fine Art, Applied Arts, Fashion and Textiles, History of Art and Graphic Design, a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design for students applying to universities, Level 1-3 Diploma courses alongside part-time and evening classes in a range of specialist areas including ceramics, jewellery, enamelling, sculpture, textiles, history of art and printmaking.

Bristol School of Art is part of the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College group, the college took over the art school from the University of West of England in 1989.

History
The Bristol Fine Arts Academy was founded in the 1844 partly through the encouragement of the painter Ellen Sharples. Art and design education was a key element and classes were being offered by 1848. From 1852-3 this became formalised as the Bristol School of Practical Art (later Bristol School of Science and Art). Part of a national scheme, these schools were supervised by the government Department of Practical Art/Science and Art from 1852-1903 through the National School of Design (now the Royal College of Art) and taught a standard curriculum aimed at what we would now call Post-16s. The ‘South Kensington’ curriculum, consisted of 23 Stages such as ‘Linear drawing by aid of instruments’ and ‘Painting time sketches of single objects or groups as compositions of colour.’ This is the first ‘national curriculum’ and was vocational rather than training fine artists.

The turn of the century was a difficult time for art education generally. Financial and management problems led to the adoption of the school by the local authority in 1903 as the Bristol Municipal School of Art. The vocational nature of the earlier courses began to change at this time. A French exchange student in 1906-8 called Henri Gaudier went on to become our first internationally known ex-student despite being killed in the First World War. Many of his drawings including student work are in the collection of Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. The South Kensington system was replaced in 1913. A new 2 year course lead to a Drawing Examination, followed by a further 2 years to advanced level in Painting, Illustration, Modelling or Industrial Design. Students included painter Paula Vezelay and printmaker/illustrator Dorothy Woolard.

The School was renamed the West of England College of Art (WECA) in 1936, acquiring several nearby houses as annexes including 1 Queens Avenue and Tower House in Cotham New Road. The National Diploma in Design (NDD) replaced the older advanced qualifications in 1946 in turn replaced by the Diploma in Art and Design (DipAD) in 1965.

1960’s students included fine artists Richard Long and Stephen Cox and staff Paul Feiler, Richard Hollis and Norman Potter. The WECA became a faculty of Bristol Polytechnic in 1969 shortly after the opening of a new college building at Bower Ashton. Part-time courses remained at Queens Road as the Polytechnic’s School of Adult Art Studies. In 1989, when the Polytechnic became the University of the West of England the School of Adult Art Studies became part of Filton College (now South Gloucestershire and Stroud College). The range of courses expanded and developed and was renamed the Bristol School of Art in 2003. Bristol School of Art is a registered brand of the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College group and is offered as an academy alongside; the Bristol Institute of Performing Arts and SGS Sport.

Courses
Bristol School of Art runs over 30 courses at levels 1 to 6 of the UK's. Bristol School of Art recived 90% overall student satisfaction through South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in the 2019 National Student Survey. Bristol School of Art provides degree and university courses through a validation partnership with the University of Gloucestershire. College level courses are validated by the University of the Arts London.