Alberta University of the Arts

The Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) is a public art university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that operates four academic schools. The institution originated from the art department established by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in 1926, later renamed the Alberta College of Art in 1960. It was separated from SAIT in 1985, becoming an independent, publicly funded college. In 1995, the university was granted the authority to issue Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and was renamed the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD). The institution was designated a university by the government of Alberta in 2018 and was renamed the Alberta University of the Arts in the following year, to reflect its change in status. History The university's origins date back to the founding of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) in 1916. Beginning with evening and Saturday classes, day classes were offered starting in 1926, with Lars Haukaness appointed as the first head of the art department. In 1960, PITA was renamed the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), and the art department became the Alberta College of Art (ACA). In 1973, after eight years of planning and construction, the Alberta College of Art moved into a brand new purpose-built building designed by architectural firm Cohos, Delesalle and Evamy, on the edge of Calgary's North Hill, next to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.