Massachusetts College Of Art And Design

As the nation’s first and only public college of art and design, we’ve spent 150 years demonstrating the truly amazing things that happen when world-class education is an option for every deserving student.

We are a community of artists and designers from all walks of life, excited by the opportunity to learn, live, and do great work together. 

Our Legacy

In 1873, the Massachusetts Normal Art School opened its doors in response to the Massachusetts Drawing Act, a progressive 1870 mandate requiring all cities in the Commonwealth of over 10,000 residents to include drawing in their public school curricula (“normal schools” were the precursors to teachers’ colleges).

The Industrial Revolution was changing the way the world functioned, and mid-19th Century Bostonians believed that industry wasn’t the only way to build a stronger nation.

Art, they felt certain, was also essential to growing a powerful country, a vital economy, and improving and advancing the well-being of citizens. London and Paris - thriving cities with grand museums and galleries - were compelling examples.