Alberta University of the Arts is a public art, craft and design university in Calgary, Alberta, founded in 1926.
Alberta University of the Arts was founded in 1926 and began as the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA), now known as Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). In 1985 the Alberta College of Art separated from SAIT to become an autonomous, free-standing, publicly funded art and design college. In 1995 it was granted degree accreditation by the Government of Alberta, enabling it to award Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. The Alberta Government announced on March 1, 2018 that the college had achieved university status, and in 2019 it officially became a university and changed its name to Alberta University of the Arts.
Alberta University of the Arts describes itself as a leading centre for education and research and a catalyst for creative inquiry and cultural development. Its mission is to be a diverse and inclusive community committed to leading education and research in creative practices. Its vision is to change the world through art, craft and design while enriching creative communities and economies.
In 2000 the college launched its Bachelor of Design program. In 2015 it accepted its first graduate students into its new Master of Fine Arts in Craft Media program. The university is a full member of AICAD, the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, a non-profit consortium of leading art schools in the US and Canada.
The university is situated on the ancestral land of the Siksikaitsitapi, Blackfoot Confederacy, and the City of Calgary has long been called Moh'kins'tsis by the Siksikaitsitapi. In 1973 the Alberta College of Art moved into its new, purpose-built building next to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.