Former for-profit art and culinary school in Fort Lauderdale that operated 1968–2018.
The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale opened in September 1968 as the second Art Institute location, following the Art Institute of Pittsburgh (1921). Founded by Mark K. Wheeler and George P. Butterly, it initially offered diplomas in Commercial Art, Interior Design, and Fashion Illustration. The school was purchased by Education Management Corporation (EDMC) in November 1973 and remained under EDMC ownership until 2017. In 2017, facing declining enrollment, fraud charges, and accreditation issues, EDMC sold the school to Dream Center Education, a Los Angeles-based Pentecostal organization. Dream Center planned to operate it as a non-profit but found the model unsustainable, permanently closing the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale at the end of 2018.
The school offered programs in Design, Media Arts, Culinary, and Fashion. It operated a student-run restaurant called the Chef's Palette. The campus included the Nevin C. Meinhardt Memorial Library and a public gallery named after founder Mark K. Wheeler. By the time of closure, the school served over 1,000 undergraduate students with a faculty of 113 and administrative staff of 100+.
Initially unaccredited, the school gained accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Trade and Technical Schools in April 1971. In 1979, Florida authorized it to award Associate of Science degrees, and in 1987, it received authorization to award Bachelor's degrees. The school was licensed by the State Board of Independent Postsecondary Vocational, Technical, Trade, and Business Schools in February 1975.
The school produced notable graduates across creative fields, including Venus Williams (fashion designer and professional tennis player), Carol Guzy (four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist), Tony DiTerlizzi (fantasy artist known for Spiderwick Chronicles), Sam Fogarino (drummer of Interpol), and Scott Putesky (guitarist and founding member of Marilyn Manson).