Kendall College of Art and Design
| Type | Art school |
|---|---|
| Established | 1928 |
| Students | 1,459 |
| Location | Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States |
| Website | www |
Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) is a NASAD-certified college of art and design located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. As a part of Ferris State University, KCAD is also certified by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
There were 1,459 students enrolled at KCAD for the Fall 2013 semester.
KCAD was incorporated in 1928 by a provision in the will of Helen M. Kendall, the second wife of Grand Rapids furniture designer David Wolcott Kendall. The David Wolcott Kendall School of Art was housed in the old Kendall homestead at 145 Fountain Street, now known as Heritage Hill. The school offered a two-year program in the fundamentals of art and by the mid-1930s was making a name nationwide as the heir to the legacy of the craftsmen who built the Grand Rapids furniture industry.
The postwar boom brought a wave of new students, including returning veterans. New wings were built on two sides of the Fountain Street building, and a new library housing Kendall’s personal collection was opened to the public in 1945. In 1947 the school’s name was changed to Kendall School of Design, reflecting the school’s national reputation in furniture design and home merchandising. In 1961, having outgrown the Fountain Street location, the school purchased a home and land at 1110 College Avenue NE. Through the ‘60s and ‘70s Kendall expanded its programs and campus, adding two new buildings at the College Avenue location. A foundation program for all students was established, and in 1977 an academic program led to the first Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1981, Kendall College of Design was certified as a baccalaureate degree-granting institution and was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities.
Due to increasing enrollment, a committee of trustees, faculty, staff, and students began examining sites where the burgeoning school could relocate. The search ended just a block from the school’s original location in the old Kendall homestead. Built just after the turn of the century as exhibition space, the Manufacturers Building offered room for expansion. Kendall bought the building in ‘81 and moved its operations back downtown in the fall of ‘84. In 1987 the name of the school was changed to Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) to reflect the school’s status in granting four-year degrees and the equal importance of both art and design in the college's curriculum.
In 1995 it was becoming apparent that to maintain the momentum of the college’s reputation for art and design education, and to provide the technology and services necessary in higher education, further growth was needed. At the same time, Ferris State University was exploring ways to expand from its geographic area, centered for most of the last century in Big Rapids, Michigan. In 1996, the schools embarked upon a four-year process of affiliation that culminated in a complete merger in the 2000–2001 academic year.
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