NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano

La Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (The New Academy of Fine Arts), also known as NABA, is a privately run Milan-based university accredited by MIUR ^[1] (the Italian government ministry for higher education), with legally recognized programs which confer degrees equivalent to US bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In Italy, NABA has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students, some of whom from abroad; it works jointly with other European universities and organizes student and teacher exchanges through the EU Erasmus Project.

History

NABA is a privately-run fine arts academy founded in Milan in 1980 by Ausonio Zappa, Guido Ballo e Tito Varisco, with the goal of offering an alternative to an overly rigid academic tradition along with introducing a new philosophy and means of expression more appropriate to current artistic practices and to the environment in which the arts and other creative professions operate.

NABA has attracted a core group of famous artists dedicated to the teaching profession, including: Kengiro Azuma, Emilio Isgrò, Carlo Mo, Emilio Tadini, Gianni Colombo, Lucio Del Pezzo, Franco Grignani, Mario Carieri, Umberto Mariani, Roberto Menghi, Aldo Montù, Waler Valentini, Gino Negri, Hidetoshi Nagasawa. It was however Gianni Colombo, artist and designer who served as director of the Academy from 1985 to 1993 who defined the educational philosophy of the academy.

In 1984, NABA’s academic offerings of degree programs in Painting, Sculpture and Scenography were expanded to include programs in Advertising and Graphic Design, and in 1988 another program in Fashion.

In 1995, the mayor of Milan awarded NABA with its Certificate of Civic Merit: “NABA’s fame and prestige has grown to such an extent as to make it one of the most important representatives of Italian Fine Arts academies in Europe and the rest of the world.”

In 1997, NABA inaugurated a new degree program in Product Design. In 2002, the academy acquired Futurarium, a post-university “esthetic school” founded by Alessandro Guerriero, who is now president of NABA’s advisory board. In the same year, Elisabetta Galasso was appointed director of academic affairs. During the years 2003 and 2004, NABA moved its operations to its current location in the prestigious building at Via Darwin 20 in Milan.

In the 2006/2007 academic school year, NABA set up its post-graduate programs: a master’s degree in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies, and one-year academic master programs in Digital Exhibit and Set Design, Photography and Visual Design (in collaboration with FORMA, Centro Internazionale di Fotografia), as well as an international one-year academic master program in Landscape Design (in cooperation with the Politecnico di Milano universtiy). In January 2008, NABA instituted academic master programs in Interior Design, Communication Design and Fashion and Textile Design.

In the same year, NABA also began hosting a “node”, or center linked to the University of Plymouth’s Planetary-Collegium research platform^[2], offering a number of different PhD programs covering various aspects of the arts and technologies. NABA also instituted a new two-year master’s degree program in Film and New Media, which began in the 2010-2011 academic year, and is scheduled to offer a new two-year master’s degree program in Design at the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year.

On December 21, 2009, NABA joined Laureate Education, an international network of more than 54 accredited institutions that offer bachelor’s and master’s degree programs to more than 650,000 students around the world.

Degree Programs and Other Courses

NABA offers bachelor’s degree programs, two-year master’s degree programs, one-year academic master programs, non-degree career training courses and summer courses (in cooperation with Domus Academy). NABA’s three-year bachelor’s degree programs are designed for students interested in the culture of projects and artistic experimentation, and welcome graduates from all types of secondary schools from all over Italy and around the world.

NABA’s three-year bachelor’s programs follow the guidelines set forth by the Italian ministry of higher education (MIUR - Ministero Istruzione Università Ricerca) regarding both courses offered within each degree program as well as the number of university credits awarded. The program courses aim to develop project and technical skills so as to improve degree holders’ employment prospects while at the same time giving students an historical/critical perspective on the arts and famous works, as well as the foundation knowledge necessary for professional development and continuing university studies.

NABA’s master’s degree programs are two-year courses designed for students who wish to complete their academic careers. The curricula of these specialization programs are composed of both theoretical study in their respective fields and intensive project work. These programs lead to an Italian master’s degree. NABA’s academic master programs are annual courses for students who wish to acquire a specialized education within a period of intensive studies as well as gain experience and find contacts in the artistic and professional world.

Location

In Milan, creativity and artistic movements have always been the motor that drives economic development and cultural change. From painting to architecture, from opera to fashion, from the great publishing houses to the show business industry, everything in Milan evokes the style and elegance of form of a society which has, throughout history, always had a profoundly artistic sensibility. It is for this reason that studying in Milan is a unique opportunity to develop one’s capacities of cultural criticism in a constructive way, to meet world-class artists and designers in an exceptionally dynamic environment complete with museums, international trade fairs and exhibitions, theaters, showrooms, fashion shows as well as artistic and academic symposia. Milan is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that is welcome to everyone, but which allows only the worthy to appreciate its full value.

Facilities

NABA is situated in a recently renovated, architecturally distinguished industrial complex in the historical neighborhood of Navigli, one of the most pleasant and lively parts of the city in terms of art and culture. The facilities are equipped with a state of the art data transfer and internet access system, and contains laboratories for computer graphics, video editing, 2D and 3D modeling and sound design, as well as clothing design, engraving, modeling, painting and lighting engineering workshops. NABA students also have a workshop at their disposal for working with plastics, jewelry, metal and wood at school facilities at Via Col di Lana. Other facilities include NABASITE, a space for hosting exhibitions by Italian and foreign artists, and NABAR, a self-service cafeteria and restaurant on the NABA premises.

Relationships with other institutions

NABA is a founding member of Milano Accademie, a network of the most prestigious visual and performing arts schools and accademies in Milan. (Conservatorio di Milano, Domus Academy, Accademia Teatro alla Scala, Fondazione Scuole Civiche-Scuola di Arte Drammatica Paolo Grassi). NABA is also a participant in the Planetary Collegium, an art and technology doctorate from the University of Plymouth, and is a partner with MANET (Media Art Net), which promotes the development of research on applied media technologies. Naba is a founding member of the Piattaforma del Sistema Formativo Moda, an association which brings together the Camera Nazionale della Moda, the Assessorato alle Attività Produttive della Provincia di Milano (a department in Milan's Provincial Government in charge of manufacturing activities) and the most important fashion schools in Milan. NABA has signed an agreement with the Education Office for the Region of Lombardy on student orientation and continuing education for teachers, and is recognized by the Region of Lombardy as a Higher Technical Education and Training Center. NABA, along with other Milan universities, has also participated in the creation of the city’s university system web portal.

Accreditation and International Programs

NABA is a legally recognized academy in the AFAM ^[3] system, a system which represents schools of a special type which are considered equivalent to traditional universities, and like universities, they are regulated by the Italian ministry of higher education (MIUR).

NABA’s bachelor’s, master’s and one-year “academic master” degrees are legally recognized in Italy, and any credit hours earned have the possibility of being used as transfer credits at other universities both in Italy and abroad. NABA is also accredited by the Lombardy Region as a Higher Technical Education and Training Center and has signed a policy agreement on financial aid and scholarships. NABA has been UNI-EN ISO 2000 certified since 2001.

In cooperation with a network of international universities, NABA also offers programs in English (semester abroad programs) recognized by the United States university system, and are open to students from all over the world. NABA has student exchange programs with 44 European universities and academies through the LLP-Erasmus project, as well as 13 universities outside the European Union, including Pratt Institute, San Francisco State University, Rhode Island School of Design and Nagoya University.

Partnership

NABA cooperates with a number of Italian culture institutes outside of Italy, including the following institutions and associations: Triennale di Milano, Fondazione FORMA per la Fotografia, MiArt Milano, Isola Art Center di Milano, Museo di Scienze Naturali, The Province of Milan, The City of Milan, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Associazione Sodalitas, The United Nations Campaign for Millennium Development Goals, AIM, Caritas, Libera, Terre di Mezzo, Milano Metropoli Agenzia di Sviluppo, The Province of Turin, Fondazione Magica Cleme and Associazione Vida a Pititinga Onlus.

NABA also works together with Art for the World Europa, an association affiliated with the United Nations, whose goal is to promote artistic and cultural programs. The British Council also conducts language classes in English for work, study and free time in NABA classrooms as well.

NABA has also used its facilities since 2006 to host Philo, Scuola Superiore di Pratiche Filosofiche which offers specialization courses and intensive seminars for educators and therapists.

Some of the companies with which NABA has carried out projects : Alessi, Botto, Charmant, Electa, La Perla, Triumph, L’Oréal, Yoox, White Fashion Trade Show, Procarton, Swarovski, Maimeri, Argo, Brioschi, Siram, Inter Football Club, 55DSL, ATM, Pirelli, Buongiorno, Datch, Jacuzzi, Pago, Forumnet, Open Care, Bosch, Xerox, Ferrero, Haworth, Bosch, Whirlpool, H2C, GPF Reti, Business Press, Bang & Olufsen, Eberhard Italia, H3G, Endemol, MTV, C6TV, Radio Deejay, Pitti Filati, Fiera Milano International, Red Bull, Nastro Azzurro, Media Makers, Slow Food.

References

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (November 2007)

External links

• http://www.italian-design-academy.com

Coordinates: 45°26′44.14″N 9°10′28.38″E / 45.4455944°N 9.17455°E / 45.4455944; 9.17455