COFA is now UNSW Art & Design

In 2014 UNSW College of Fine Arts, known locally as "COFA", altered its name to UNSW Art & Design. 

The purpose of our new name is to formally reference our commitment to the breadth of contemporary creativity.

Dean Professor Ross Harley’s recent interview with Keith Gallasch, editor of Real Time titled Art school redux: from oldest to newest offers an overview of some of the new initiatives and directions UNSW Art & Design is pursuing. 

A story in ArtsHub, Sydney art school rebranded by the cutting edge, offers insights into a series of new and upcoming exhibitions at UNSW Galleries that reflect some of the faculty’s research strengths exploring possibilities and pioneering new fields in the relationship between creative technologies, art and science.

An opinion piece by Professor Harley published in the Australian Financial Review titled Creative thinking a vital qualification outlines some of his thinking about attributes such as creativity, originality, critical insight, empathy and foresight. Preview an excerpt from the article here.

First published in The Australian newspaper as Why art and design schools matter, Prof. Ross Harley recently explored arguments for the increasing value of creative skills in the contemporary economy.

Writing in The Conversation in October, Prof. Ross Harley canvassed a range of ideas and themes around how new digital technologies are transforming museum practice in The digital future of our stuff: approach with caution.

Please let us know your ideas or any questions you may have about our new directions and initiatives.