History of the School
The School is, today, the result of a long trajectory. A journey that has progressed in parallel with the changes in the society of which it is part and has contributed to transforming it with the tools of knowledge and creation.
The evolution has occurred from the classrooms, through which thousands of students have passed and become professionals and citizens who are educated, innovative, critical, and active. The transformation has also come through the influence of its social, cultural, and economic environment, with the concerns, needs, will, and development of the citizen collective with which the School shares geographical space and a common imaginary.
Background (1934-1938)
The School of Art and Design of the Diputación de Tarragona traces its origins to 1934, to a project in the city of Tarragona promoted by the Generalitat of Catalonia during its republican period. The new school, within the spirit of Noucentisme, applied the program of F. d'Assís Galí, created to decentralize from Barcelona the studies of Fine Arts and the Fine Crafts. Its pedagogical line was based on individual creative freedom.
On April 15, 1934, the project for the opening of the School of painting and sculpture was approved, and on May 29 of that same year, it was officially inaugurated on Gasòmetre Street.
As a consequence of the Spanish Civil War, it was partially destroyed. The first stage of existence was brief but intense enough to allow, years later, its continuity, becoming the origins of the School of Art of the Diputación.
Foundation (1947-1967)
This is a key period for the cultural and artistic resurgence of our country. The recognition of the previous work and the new artistic situation of Catalonia led the Diputación de Tarragona to restart the opening of the School in 1946.
On January 7, 1947, the School was inaugurated under the name Escuela Taller de Arte de la Excma. Diputación de Tarragona. It had its provisional headquarters in the building of the Escuela del Trabajo. The School gained strength as a result of the social awakening, albeit slow, towards artistic issues that were permeating our country. This fact led the School to request its own premises, and in 1952 it moved to Santa Anna Street.
During these years, it energizes many cultural and artistic activities in the city.
Noteworthy is the birth of new workshops: Enamel, Printmaking, Mosaic, and Ceramics, which join the existing ones of Painting and Sculpture.
The recognition of the School was achieved. As a consequence of this recognition, the new official study plan of 1963 was implemented. Students began to be prepared to obtain the official title.
At the same time, the School maintained its initial spirit of continuing to provide free teaching within a more personal artistic expression environment.
Renaissance and Projection (1968-1983)
Around these years, Catalonia is internationally recognized for its strength in the world of Industrial Design and Graphic Design.
This boost in designs channeled through the FAD and new industrial techniques breaks down existing differences and prejudices between the arts. The value of creativity and artistic value are applicable to what was understood as Fine Crafts, and this, without losing traditional interest, opens up to new suggestions.
A new workshop is born: Tapestry
The social, cultural, and political unrest makes this period a journey full of emotion with the hope of freedom that the world of art had already anticipated.
In the 75-76 academic year, classes start in the new building located in the educational zone.
The Goldsmithing workshop is created.
The new statutes of the Foundation that will govern the School are definitively approved, and the increase in student enrollment is significant.
The new social dynamics begin to orient schools towards the world of designs. The Diputación de Tarragona requests and obtains authorization to offer Graphic Design as a specialty at the School
Consolidation and Educational Reform (1983-present)
This is a period characterized by the projection of students in many public events in the city or anywhere artistic activity is present, and also by the strong development of the Graphic Design specialty.
Exhibitions are the best way to reach the public to showcase works and stimulate their interest. Many have been organized over the years. The School's approach to society is also evident in a series of actions and environmental installations on the street.
The School introduces the new official studies provided by the Educational Reform (LOGSE). These are the Higher Technical Cycles that allow obtaining the title of Higher Technician in Plastic Arts and Design. The title is processed from the School itself and is officially recognized throughout Spain.
These studies allow professional training in specialties with a long tradition at our school, such as painting (Higher Technical Cycle of Applied Arts to the Wall), jewelry (Higher Technical Cycle of Artistic Jewelry), and graphic design (Higher Technical Cycle of Advertising Graphics). At the same time, two new specialties are introduced (Higher Technical Cycles in Artistic Photography and Illustration) to expand the range of training possibilities and adapt to new labor and cultural demands related to the communication and image society.
In the 1998/99 academic year, the new official name of the School of Art and Design of Tarragona is adopted. The agreement between the Diputación de Tarragona and the Generalitat of Catalonia for the financing of these new official studies is also signed. These are moments when the Diputación de Tarragona makes a significant budgetary effort to adapt the School to new challenges.
In the 2013/2014 academic year, the cycles of Advertising Graphics, Illustration, and Photography are adapted to the LOE regulations, with the main feature being that the final project is integrated into the second year. The Graphic Design family, to which these cycles belong, changes its name to Graphic and Audiovisual Communication.
The new demands of the digital society involve a change in work tools, content, and teaching methods. The digital challenge has particularly involved the need to maintain creative, conceptual, and professional quality in teaching while adapting to the new work environment.
In the 2015-2016 academic year, the School expands its training offer with the Higher Technical Cycles in Interactive Graphics and Animation. These new qualifications are the result of the firm commitment of the Diputación de Tarragona to keep the educational offer of the managed educational centers updated, with the aim of guaranteeing current and realistic teaching according to the needs of the social and economic environment of the territory.
The Current School
In recent years, there has been a significant advance in the number of conferences and courses that complement regular classes. These activities continuously bring students closer to specialists and professionals of recognized trajectory. All of this becomes an extraordinary bridge between the School and the professional world, the world in which students will have to develop after finishing their studies.
Special effort is also made in the field of publications edited by the School. Noteworthy are the three issues of the magazine "Nervi òptic", the book/object "Salut, Amor i Disseny", and the books "En clau d’il·lustració" and "10". All this material serves as a showcase for the teaching and artistic work done at the School. At the same time, it allows many students to have their creations published, contributing to an initial external projection of their work.
