Wimbledon College of Art was founded in 1890 as an art class in the Rutlish School for Boys. In 1904, the school expanded, housing four rooms in theTechnical Institute situated at Gladstone Road. The Headmaster of the school, AJ Collister, also acted as joint head for Reigate and the Kingston School of Art. In 1930, Gerald Cooper was appointed as Principal when Wimbledon became independent of Reigate and Kingston. Theatre design was introduced shortly after, in 1932, by Morris Kestelman. The school moved to its present site in Merton Hall Road in 1940. The theatre design class expanded in 1948 and introduced its own theatre, adjacent from the school in 1963. The school was approved to offer diplomas in Fine Art Painting and Sculpture in 1966 and 1970 with William Brooker as the newly appointed Principal.
In 1974, undergraduate degrees were offered throughout the school, with the first postgraduate diploma being offered in 1981. The school was incorporated as an independent Higher Education institution with its degrees accredited by the University of Surrey in 1995.
The school was the first to offer artists residency, studio and exhibition space in the United Kingdom in 2000, with new studios and a lecture theatre opening in 2003. Wimbledon School of Art joined the University of the Arts London in 2006 and was renamed Wimbledon College of Art. The New Gallery and Foyer Space, together with two exhibition spaces, opened during the same year.
Wimbledon is divided into three academic schools:
- School of Foundation Studies
- School of Fine Art
- School of Theatre
Each school delivers a suite of specialist art and design courses ranging from foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate, as well as providing research supervision for students undertaking a research programme of study.
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