Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, is a

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

History

Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the ethnologist and artist

Nils Månsson Mandelgren Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name *Nils Elias Anckers (1858–1921), Swedish naval officer *Nils Beckman (1902–1972 ...

as a part-time art school for artisans, under the name "Söndags-Rit-skola för Handtverkare" ("Sunday Drawing School for Artisans"). The school was taken over by ''Svenska Slöjdföreningen'' (today known as Svensk form) the next year and renamed ''Svenska Slöjdföreningens skola''. In 1857, the first two female students (Sofi Granberg and Matilda Andersson) were accepted, and the following year female students officially were invited to apply. It became a state school and was renamed ''Slöjdskolan i Stockholm'' (Handicraft School in Stockholm) in 1859; and in the context of a thorough reorganisation, where the school was divided into four departments in 1879, to ''Tekniska skolan'' (The Technical School). From 1945 it was known as ''Konstfackskolan'' (The school of art departments), when the institution was divided into the departments devoted to distinct disciplines that remain largely today: ''Textile, Decorative art, Sculpture, Ceramics, Furniture and Interior Design, Metal'' and ''Advertising and Printing''. The school also obtained official status and had a two-year day school and a three-year arts and craft evening school. To this was added a two-year higher Arts and Crafts school and a three-year Art Teacher institute. It was given the status of a ''högskola'' ("university college") in 1978. From 1993 it was called ''Konstfack'', the short form of the full name, formerly used colloquially.Björkman, Ivar; Konstfack 2006-07, Stockholm 2006. ISBN /91-85549-00-2, ISBN /978-91-85549-00-9. Long located on

Norrmalm Norrmalm is a city district in Stockholm, Sweden. History Norrmalm is a part of the larger borough of Norrmalm (''Norrmalms stadsdelsområde''). The southern part of the district, Lower Norrmalm (''Nedre Norrmalm''), also known as the City, ...

, between

Klara kyrka Klara may refer to: * Klara, a female given name, see Clara (given name) * Klara (radio), a classical-music radio station in Belgium * Klara (singer), birth name Klára Vytisková (born 1985), Czech singer * Klara (Stockholm), an area of central S ...

and

Hötorget Hötorget (''Haymarket'') is a city square in the center of Stockholm, Sweden that has been transitioning since the Early Medieval Period. Description To its east lies the Royal Concert Hall, to its south lies Filmstaden Sergel, one of the ...

, the school was in 1959 moved to a new building on Valhallavägen with well-equipped workshops, designed by architects Gösta Åberg and Tage Hertzell. In 2004 it once again moved, to the former headquarters of

LM Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...

Telefonplan Telefonplan metro station ("Telephone Square") is an outdoor station on Line 14 in the Stockholm metro. The station is located in the borough of Hägersten. It was opened on 5 April 1964 as part of the first stretch of Metro 2, between T-Centr ...

South Stockholm South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

. The 20,300-square metre interior of the old factory building was redesigned by architects including

Gert Wingårdh Gert Wingårdh (born 1951) is a Swedish architect whose company, Wingårdh arkitektkontor, maintains an international practice.''Gert Wingårdh; Thirty Years of Architecture'', Mikael Nanfeldt (ed.) (Birkhäuser Publishers for Architecture, 200 ...

Education

Following the standards of the

Bologna process file:Bologna-Prozess-Logo.svg, 96px, alt=Logo with stylized stars, Logo file:Bologna zone.svg, alt=Map of Europe, encompassing the entire Bologna zone, 256px, Bologna zone The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements b ...

, Konstfack offers bachelor's degree programmes (3 years, 180 ECTS credits,

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

), and master's degree programmes (2 years, 120 ECTS credits,

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

). There are also Art Education programmes (teacher programmes, 4/5 years and 5 years). The 2-year

Animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

education existed between 1996 and 2005; and was located in

Eksjö Eksjö is a locality and the seat of Eksjö Municipality in Jönköping County, Sweden, with 9,701 inhabitants in 2010. History The city of Eksjö most likely appeared sometime in the Middle Ages when it was the centre for the thing, a regio ...

. There are seven Bachelor's Programmes: *Ceramics and Glass *Jewellery and Corpus *Fine Art *Graphic Design and Illustration *Industrial Design *Interior Architecture and Furniture Design *Textiles The Undergraduate Programmes are conducted in Swedish. There are five Master's Programmes: *Craft (Ceramics and Glass / Jewellery and Corpus / Textiles) *Design Echologies *Fine Art *Spatial Design *Visual Communication One goal of Konstfack's two-year Graduate Programmes is to attract both Swedish and international students, and the education is held mainly in English. There is also a doctoral program given in collaboration with

Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...

: * Art, Technology and Design

Professional courses

Konstfack offers courses for professionals, for example CuratorLab and Research Lab.

Departments

Konstfack has four departments: * Craft * Design, Interior architecture and Visual communications * Fine Art * Department of Visual Arts and Sloyd Education

Examinations and The Degree Exhibition

The third year of the bachelor's programme and the second year of the master's includes a degree project, ten weeks at BFA-level and twenty at MFA-level, ending with a public examination and, if the student passes the examination, an exhibition for all graduating students: the Degree Exhibition (''Vårutställningen'' in Swedish). The annual exhibition usually takes place at Konstfack during two weeks in May, with around 180 exhibiting students, and attracts thousands of visitors.
Link to the official website for the Spring Exhibition 2023

Notable alumni

A selection of some distinguished former students at the different departments at Konstfack (art or designer groups referred to by their collective names):

Fine arts

Hilma af Klint Hilma af Klint (; 26 October 1862 – 21 October 1944) was a Swedish artist and mysticism, mystic whose paintings are considered among the first major Abstract art, abstract works in Western art history. A considerable body of her work predates t ...

(1862–1944), *

Stig Lindberg Stig Lindberg (17 August 1916 – 7 April 1982) was a Swedish ceramic designer, glass designer, textile designer, industrial designer, painter, teacher, and illustrator. One of Sweden's most important postwar designers, Lindberg created ...

(1916–1982) textile and ceramic designer, *

Annika von Hausswolff Annika von Hausswolff (born 30 March 1967) is a Swedish visual artist, known for photography and installation art. She studied at Sven Winquists School of Photography in Gothenburg, Sweden from 1987 to 1989; Konstfack in Stockholm from 1991 to ...

(born 1967), *

Carl Milles Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedes, Swedish sculpture, sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the ...

(1875–1955), *

Johanna Billing Johanna Billing (born 1973) is a Swedish artist. Her work has been featured in major group exhibitions such as Dokumenta 12, Istanbul Biennial (2005) and the 50th Venice Biennale. Life and work Johanna Billing was born 1973 in Jönköping, Swe ...

(born 1973), *

Miriam Bäckström Miriam Bäckström (born 1967) is a Swedish conceptual photographer. Bäckström was born in Stockholm in 1967. Bäckström studied history of art at Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research un ...

(born 1967), *

Caroline Schlyter Anna Ingrid Caroline Schlyter, (born 9October 1961) is a Swedes, Swedish artist focusing on sculpture and installations. She is best known for her furniture sculptures that have been exhibited in numerous countries. Early years and education ...

(born 1961), *

Mamma Andersson Mamma Andersson (born 1962) is a Swedish contemporary artist. She is based in Stockholm and is married to artist Jockum Nordström. Biography Born Anna Karin Andersson, she drew and painted from an early age without any family members being inte ...

(born 1962), *

Annie Bergman Annie Bergman (15 December 1889 – 11 January 1987) was a Swedish artist, writer, and children's book author. Early life and education Annie Bergman was born on 15 December 1889 in Liège, Belgium to Ingeborg Billquist and William Bergman. H ...

(1889–1987), *

Elsa Björkman-Goldschmidt Elsa Andrea Elisabeth Björkman-Goldschmidt (1888–1982) was a Swedish artist and writer who was active in Sweden and Austria. After attending Stockholm's Art Academy, she worked as an engraver and etcher. In 1916, while assisting the Red Cross ...

(1888–1982), *

Tim Goulding Timothy Adam Goulding (born 15 May 1945) is an Irish painter and musician. Early life Goulding was born in Dublin in 1945 to an Anglo-Irish family. His father was Sir William Basil Goulding, 3rd Baronet, an art collector, cricketer, squash play ...

(born 1945), Irish painter * Siri Derkert (1888–1973), *

Elsa Danson Wåghals Elsa Danson Wåghals (née Anna Ingeborg Elsa Danson; 13 January 1885 – 30 March 1977) was a Swedish visual artist, known for painting and sculpture. Biography Elsa Danson Wåghals was born as Anna Ingeborg Elsa Danson on 13 January 1885, in ...

(1885–1977)

Ceramics and glass

* Bertil Vallien (born 1938), *

Per B. Sundberg Per Bertil Sundberg (born 2 April 1964) is a Swedish ceramic and glass artist. Until 2005 he worked at Orrefors glassworks, and has subsequently been a professor at Konstfack (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design) and an independent arti ...

, *

Zandra Ahl Zandra Ahl (born 1975) is a Swedish designer, artist, and author. Biography Ahl graduated from Konstfack university in 1999. She subsequently became a Professor of glass and ceramics at Konstfack, before becoming the rector of Beckmans College ...

, * Christian-Pontus Andersson (born 1977)

Design

Graphic design and illustration

Carl Johan De Geer Baron Carl Johan Louis De Geer af Finspång (born 13 July 1938) is a Swedish artist, writer, musician and '' friherre'' (baron) of the De Geer noble family. De Geer was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in a castle in Skåne, in s ...

(artist and designer), *

Lasse Åberg Lars Gunnar Åberg (born 5 May 1940), known professionally as Lasse Åberg, is a Swedish comedian, actor, musician, film director and artist. Between 1960 and 1964 he studied at the Konstfack department of graphic design. Åberg has produced som ...

(filmmaker), *

Brita Granström Brita Granström (born 1969) is a Swedish artist who graduated from Konstfack Stockholm in 1994 and now lives and works between Great Britain and her homeland as a painter and illustrator. Painting In 2011 Granström's self-portrait ''Mother of ...

(artist and illustrator), *

Lars Hall Lars Göran Ivar Hall (30 April 1927 – 26 April 1991) was a Swedish modern pentathlete who competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He won the individual event at both Games and finished second with the Swedish team in 1952. In 1952 he ...

(advertising), *

Tuulikki Pietilä Ida Helmi Tuulikki Pietilä (18 February 1917 – 23 February 2009) was an American-born Finnish graphic artist and professor. Pietilä is considered one of Finland's most influential graphic artists, with her work being shown in multiple art exh ...

(artist), * Stina Wirsén (illustrator), *

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, ...

(artist and illustrator), *

Vivi Sylwan Vivi Sylwan (4 September 1870 - 5 October 1961) was a Swedish textile historian and textile curator at the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg. Early life and education Anna Sofia Vivi Sylwan was born on 4 September 1870 in Kristianstad, to Ida Carol ...

(drawing instructor, textile historian and textile curator)

Interior architecture and furniture design

Claesson Koivisto Rune Claesson Koivisto Rune is a Swedish architectural partnership, founded in 1995 by Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune. It started as an architectural firm, but has since become a multi-disciplinary office with an equal emphasis on both ...

, *

Greta Magnusson-Grossman Greta Magnusson-Grossman (July 21, 1906 – August 1999)''Greta Magnusson Grossman'', p. 45. was a Sweden, Swedish furniture designer, interior designer, and architect. She was one of the few female designers to gain prominence during the mid-20t ...

Industrial design

* A & E Design, * Katja Pettersson, * Veryday (formerly Ergonomidesign),

Metal design

* Erik Fleming (1894–1954), silversmith and head teacher for metal arts from 1947 until 1954, * Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe (1927–2004), jewelry designer,

Textiles

* Astrid Sampe, *

Hans Krondahl Hans Krondahl (30 June 1929 – 2018) was a Swedish painter, tapestry weaver, textile artist and textile designer. He studied painting and textile art at Konstfack, (State College of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm from 1955 to 1960. Bet ...

, *

Helena Hernmarck Helena Hernmarck (born in Stockholm, Sweden, 1941) is a Swedish tapestry artist who lives and works in the United States. She is best known for her monumental tapestries designed for architectural settings. Early life and education Hernmark's pa ...

Art education

Cecilia Torudd Cecilia Torudd (born 1942) is a Swedish illustrator and author born in Lund. Since the 1970s, she has been a contributing illustrator for the children's magazine '' Kamratposten''. Background She is the daughter of Albert Levan, and Karin Mal ...

(cartoonist), *

Elsa Beskow Elsa Beskow ( Maartman; 11February 187430June 1953) was a famous Swedes, Swedish author and illustrator of Children's literature, children's books. Among her better known books are ''Tale of the Little Little Old Woman'' and ''Aunt Green, Aunt B ...

(writer and illustrator of children's books), *

Jockum Nordström Jockum Nordström (born 1963) is a Swedish artist, best known for his vivid collages, but also for his drawings, paintings and work as an illustrator. Biography Jockum Nordström was born December 19, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden in a family with t ...

(artist).

Sources

External links

*
The Degree Exhibition from 2004 and forth
Links to Degree exhibition websites from 2004 and forth. {{authority control Konstfack University colleges in Sweden Art schools in Sweden Higher education in Stockholm Culture in Stockholm Graphic design schools Design schools Educational institutions established in 1844 1844 establishments in Sweden 19th-century establishments in Stockholm