The School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam site in 1957, in the Okeover Homestead. Art history was included in 1974, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree was introduced in 1982.
Located in the Christchurch suburb of Ilam, it is informally called the Ilam School of Fine Arts, although this can lead to the school being confused with the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland.
Coordinates: 43°31′29″S 172°35′08″E / 43.524704°S 172.585471°E