Illinois Institute of Art

The Illinois Institute of Art — Chicago is located in two facilities in downtown Chicago. The larger of the two campuses is situated in the Merchandise Mart and the satellite campus campus is located on the corner of Lake and Wabash avenues and features the student-run restaurant The Backstage Bistro.

The school offers the following Bachelor of Fine Art degree programs: Digital Filmmaking & Video Production, Fashion Design, Game Art & Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Visual Communications, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics and Web Design & Interactive Media. We also offer Bachelor of Arts degree programs in Advertising and Fashion Marketing & Management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree program in Culinary Management.

Our Associate of Applied Science degree programs include Accessory Design, Culinary Arts, Fashion Merchandising, Graphic Design and Web Design & Interactive Media. In addition, certificate programs in Professional Baking & Pastry and Professional Cooking are offered.

All of these programs are offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to continue to work uninterrupted toward graduation.

The Illinois Institute of Art — Chicago strives to provide quality higher education for students seeking careers in applied arts, media, and design professions. The curricula reflects both the cognitive and creative elements of the major disciplines integrated with a comprehensive general education program. Students are taught by experienced faculty, many whose expertise comes from years of professional experience and academic learning. Dedicated instructors and staff provide an environment that develops personal values, ethical practices, and social responsibility, while fostering an appreciation of diversity. The College's commitment to excellence and to the active participation of students in their education provides a foundation essential for lifelong learning.

HISTORY
The Illinois Institute of Art — Chicago was founded in 1916 as The Commercial Art School, which was one of the first applied art and design colleges in the United States. The College was known in the 1930s as Ray–Vogue School with professional programs in art, design and fashion. The College was renamed Ray College of Design in 1981, and joined The Art Institutes system in 1995.

As part of The Art Institutes, The Illinois Institute of Art--Chicago refocused its bachelor degree programs and mission to serve four basic creative industries (fashion, media arts and animation, game art design, culinary, and interior design) as a skill-centered and market-driven career college.

Since 1995, The Illinois Institute of Art--Chicago has grown by programs and floor space for its growing student body. The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago took advantage of the expansion and renovation of the first floor of the West Mart Center (350 N. Orleans) of the Merchandise Mart Center and Apparel Center complex.

In 2007, new class space opened on a newly acquired fifth floor at the Loop campus. By the end of the 2007 school year, the college successfully expanded its floor space at both the Mart Center campus and the Loop campus, and discontinued its use of temporary spaces.

Each year, Design Intelligence and the Design Futures Council has conducted a nation-wide survey of leading firms across the United States, in conjunction with the Almanac of Architecture and Design, to determine the top colleges and universities for architecture and design in the U.S. The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago was chosen one of the top 15 Interior Design / Architecture schools in the United States in 2008. In 2009, the college improved its ranking to #9.

WEBSITE
WWW.ARTINSTITUTES.EDU/CHICAGO

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