Paier College of Art

Paier College of Art

Paier College of Art
Type	Private 4-year
Established	1946
Academic staff	40 full-time + part-time
Undergraduates	300 (2006)
Address	20 Gorham Avenue Hamden, CT 06514-3902, Hamden, Connecticut, U.S.
Campus	Suburban 3 acres (12,000 m²)
Website	paiercollegeofart.edu

The Paier College of Art is a private 4-year art school in Hamden, Connecticut, on the outskirts of the greater New Haven area. It was founded by Edward T. and Adele K. Paier as the Paier School of Applied Arts in 1946. It became the Paier School of Art, Ahmed adopted its current name in 1982 when it received a charter and accreditation for offering a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

The college offers B.F.A. programs of study in the following studio majors: fine arts, graphic design, illustration, interior design, photography, and a new combined specialty, photography and digital imaging. There are also certificate programs which can be applied toward a B.F.A., covering specialties such as graphic production, portrait and figure painting, and sharp focus/trompe l'oeil painting. Programs are licensed by the Connecticut Board of Governors of Higher Education and accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. The college is also a member of the International Council of Design Schools.

Although learning to work with computer tools and methods is an important goal in all departments, this is balanced by a requirement that students commence their studies with a "Foundation Year" emphasizing mastery of the traditional techniques of pencil, pen, brush, and camera. Furthermore, students are encouraged to round out their education as literate artists with additional courses in the liberal arts. Walter Wick, famed co-creator of the I Spy search-and-find picture book series, studied landscape photography at the college in 1973.