Programs
Undergraduate Programs
There are Five Undergraduate Programs:
- Painting
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting
የሥነ-ጥበብ ባችለር ዲግሪ በሥነ-ስዕል
Painting is one of the most practiced means of artistic expression in the art world. When the Fine Arts School of Addis Ababa was founded in 1958, the Painting Unit was one of the main Units of the school. At the time, the main objective of the Painting Unit was to upgrade the professional competency of self-thought traditional artists, and to train talented young Ethiopians who aspired to become studio artists and art teachers. Since the establishment of the unit, different teaching methods have been designed and implemented.
In 1999, stage design painting was added to the curriculum of the art school, but recently mural art and drawing have become part of the Painting Department.
The intake capacity of the unit has historically been between 5 and 11 students per year.
- Sculpture
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Sculpture
የሥነ-ጥበብ ባችለር ዲግሪ በሥነ-ቅርፅ
At the early stage of the establishment of the Addis Ababa Fine Arts School in the year
1957/58, Sculpture, next to Painting, was one of the major subjects given in the five year full time study. Out of these five years, the first three were for the foundation, supportive and common courses, while the last two were for specialization classes. Upon completion of the study students were awarded with Diploma in Sculpture.
During the foundation of the school, Herbert Sailor, an Austrian Sculptor, was appointed to teach the subject. At about the same time, the Industrial Designer and Sculptor Ato Tadesse Gizaw was back from the United States of America and has introduced contemporary ways of form, ideas and material interpretations. The first two Ethiopian trained sculptors Ato Tadesse Belayneh & Ato Tadesse Mamecha came back from the former Soviet Union in the late 60th and joined the school. Ato Bekele Abebe was also back from Hungary in the beginning of the seventies and the department’s manpower as well as the number of students specializing in sculpture has increased.
- Printmaking
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking
የሥነጥበብ ባችለር ዲግሪ በሕትመት ጥበብ
Printmaking Unit is one of the five departments in the fine art school. The Unit has shown significant changes in the fine art school as well as in the society that can clearly be seen in the number of students it has ever graduated. The Unit has 173 diploma and 39 degree graduates in the past Five decades. Since the affiliation of the school to the Addis Ababa University in 1999, a new degree program was initiated after designing the required curriculum.
Within these two sections, the unit runs three different art and design studio activities. Students enrolling in the BFA degree in Printmaking are required to complete the foundation courses during their first two semesters.
The department has been making timely changes according to the affiliation requirement of the school to the AAU.
- Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Industrial Design
የሥነጥበብ ባችለር ዲግሪ በዲዛይን
The design education is intended including industrial design and visual communication which used to be given as supplementary courses starting from 1957/58 while Addis Ababa school of Fine Arts and Design founded. The assimilation of industrial design department to the fine art school of Addis Ababa goes to the first years of the foundation of the school in 1993 academic year. Despite some interrupted years, the basic and general outline of the design course had been implemented and exercised by all department students of the school from year II-IV and lately from year I-III.
Having the vision that the department would expand and include industrial design, fashion design, visual communication and other design departments; it is believed to make it have a wider department title. Since the integration of the Fine Arts School to Addis Ababa University, the department upgrades its status to the degree program and an increment of a new department resulted.
- Interdisciplinary Visual Arts
Since its establishment, the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design has been training visual art educators and practicing artists who have been influential both on the local and international Art Scenes.
The program disciplines are selected from various departments in such a way that they promote appropriate skill, knowledge and competence. The main objective of Interdisciplinary visual arts is to foster appreciation of and knowledge of the arts, and the theoretical ideas on which artistic activity are based. Core values in Interdisciplinary visual arts education include learning about creativity, which gives birth to social responsibility and appreciation, and celebrating difference which promotes respect for self and others.
Graduate Programs
- Master of Arts in Fine Arts
Master of Arts in Fine Arts
“የአርትስ ማስተር ዲግሪ በስነ-ጥበብ”
Being the only higher institution of fine arts in the country it played a crucial role in artistic and cultural developments of our country. In September 2000 the School became part of Addis Ababa University. Along with this it upgraded its program offering a BFA program. Graduates of the program are playing a decisive role in artistic activities in various institutions and within the society. A few of them are able to hold exhibitions and artistic activities of different kinds abroad.
Alongside the graduate expansion policy of AAU and the need for professional artists of a higher educational qualification emanating from domestic and external cultural and academic developments a graduate program in fine arts has now become a priority and a necessity.
- Master of Arts Degree in Film Production
የስነ ጥበብ ማስተር ዲግሪ በፊልም ስራ
Film is, without a doubt, a very sophisticated art form-possibly the most important part of the last century with a complex history of theory and practice. Film and the electronic media have drastically challenged the way we perceive the world and our place in it. We have come to naturally accept the vast amount of information film conveys to us in massive doses without questioning how it does so.
It is abundantly clear that film in trained and capableEthiopian hands can; as it has elsewhere throughout its spectacular history, play a pivotal role in the diffusion of culture, expansion of education, and efficacious promotion of the country to the international community.
The establishment of a film production program at Addis Ababa University is propitious and timely as it consider with the nations demonstrated need for the proper introduction of formal studies in one of the most powerful persuasive social media of the time. This film program designed to address both the craft of production/directing, and the critical analysis of film is intended to create a mass of Ethiopian Filmmakers capable of producing images that matter, and Film Scholars capable of developing the critical literature that can stimulate and strengthen the growth of viable Ethiopian Film Industry that speaks to the world about Ethiopias with Ethiopian voice.
In-service Summer Program
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA)
የባችለር ዲግሪ በሥነ-ስዕል
Alle School of Fine Arts and Design produces the Summer in -Service program modular curriculum in response to the call of the Ministry of Education (MoE) that has requested to design the program. This in-service summer program curriculum meant to be another milestone in the development history of the school to a higher learning institution that can make a very significant contribution to the overall artistic and cultural development of the country.
Through this in-service summer program, graduates with Fine Arts Diploma from the former Fine Art School or equivalent accredited art college will be candidates of the in-service summer program.
Children summer program
As part of the University mandets, Alongside education and Research, community service is one of the major components. Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, for decades, has opened its doors for children and young adults for a two months art courses for beginners. During the summer period, tye school facilitates a program run by Lecturers and assisting graduating students to give the basic Art course that encompasses not only how to paint or draw, but for the children and young adults to use and enhance their creative minds. As witnessed throughout the years, enormous amount of parents choose to bring their child to get introduced to the art world and get inspired by it. Our summer school for children and young adults, besides being a fun based art course as an extracurricular activity, significant number of professional Artists recall of getting inspired while taking the course as a child. Alle School take pride for maintaining such strong tradition of service.
