Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the ethnologist and artist Nils Månsson Mandelgren as a part-time art school for artisans, under the name "Söndags-Rit-skola för Handtverkare". The school was taken over by Svenska Slöjdföreningen the next year and renamed Svenska Slöjdföreningens skola. In 1857, the first two female students were accepted, and the following year female students officially were invited to apply. It became a state school and was renamed Slöjdskolan i Stockholm in 1859; and in the context of a thorough reorganisation, where the school was divided into four departments in 1879, to Tekniska skolan. From 1945 it was known as Konstfackskolan, 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 craftevening 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 in 1978. From 1993 it was called just Konstfack, the short form of the name formerly used colloquially. Long located on Norrmalm, between Klara kyrka and Hötorget, 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 at Telefonplan in Stockholm Municipality. The 20,300-square metre interior of the old factory building was redesigned by among others architect Gert Wingårdh.
Education
Following the standards of the Bologna process, Konstfack offers bachelor's degree programmes, and master's degree programmes. There are also Art Education programmes. The 2-year Animation education existed between 1996 and 2005; and was located in Eksjö. There are seven Bachelor's Programmes :
Ceramics and Glass
Fine Art
Graphic Design and Illustration
Industrial Design
Interior Architecture and Furniture Design
Textiles
Metal Design
The Undergraduate Program is conducted in Swedish. There are five Master's Programmes:
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:
Art, Technology and Design
Professional courses
Konstfack offers courses for professionals, for exampel CuratorLab and Research Lab.
The third year of the bachelor's program 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 Spring Exhibition. The annual exhibition usually takes place at Konstfack during two weeks in May, with around 150 exhibiting students, and attracts thousands of visitors.
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Notable alumni
A selection of some distinguished former students at the different departments at Konstfack : Fine Arts:
