UNSW Art & Design can trace its origins back to the establishment of The Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts in 1833. In 2014 UNSW College of Fine Arts (COFA) altered its name to UNSW Art & Design with the purpose of acknowledging its commitment to the breadth of contemporary creativity. For more than 180 years UNSW Art & Design - variously known as Sydney Technical College, the National Art School, Alexander Mackie College and the City Art Institute - has been committed to education, practice and research in art and design.

UNSW Art & Design leads Australia with a focus on media innovation and emerging technologies. They inspire future leaders by equipping students with the skills and capacity for creative thinking so they can make their critical mark on the world.

The approach at UNSW Art & Design is interdisciplinary, advancing tradition and challenging existing thinking. They foreground experimentation and exploration in art and design, fostering collaboration across science, engineering, the humanities and social sciences. The faculty is comprised of renowned practitioners, researchers and thinkers spanning contemporary visual arts, creativity and culture, design and innovation.  Their intensive and rigorous art, design and media programs are studio-practice based and industry-engaged. Their teaching utilises the latest methods, underpinned by leading-edge technology and an innovative learning environment to inspire a new generation of creative thinkers.

UNSW Art & Design is an internationally recognised centre for arts-led transdisciplinary research in science and technology, their strengths span Art Theory and Criticism; Film, Television and Digital Media; Visual Arts and Crafts. They have initiated pioneering research programs in immersive interactive environments, visualisation, robotics, art and politics, Indigenous knowledge and global issues, all housed within the National Institute for Experimental Arts.

The faculty and students are drawn from more than 50 countries globally and together they are Australia’s largest community of art and design practitioners, researchers, educators and students.