Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Mission Statement

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public, independent institution that prepares artists, designers, and educators from diverse backgrounds to shape communities, economies, and cultures for the common good.

Our Values: We pursue a just, compassionate, and equitable learning environment. We cultivate rigorous creative practices by observing, questioning, making and remaking. We honor courage, honesty, mutual respect, and self-expression. We believe in the power of art and design to transform our world.

International Role

MassArt is dedicated to fostering meaningful international and intercultural experiences for our students, as well as developing new and deepening current partnerships with international institutions. Because of this focus, MassArt established the International Education Center (IEC) to coordinate the international efforts of the college. Activities under the umbrella of the IEC include: short-term, faculty-led travel courses; agreements for international and domestic student exchange; international student recruitment, enrollment, immigration advisement, and cultural support; advisement on semester-long study abroad programs; international faculty exchange and lectures; and international conference attendance and presentations.

National Role

MassArt is intricately involved in local and national associations. 

• Community: Dedicated to its public mission and located at the heart of a district rich in cultural and educational resources, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a force for change in its community. To that end, MassArt’s Center for Arts and Community Partnerships (CACP) matches MassArt faculty, students, staff, and alumni who want to complete community-based projects with neighborhood organizations, schools, corporations, and institutions to create mutually-beneficial, sustainable partnerships in the visual arts.
• City of Boston: The academic consortia in the Boston area that MassArt actively participates in are the Colleges of the Fenway (COF) and the Professional Arts Consortium (ProArts). 
• State of Massachusetts: As a Massachusetts institution of public higher education, MassArt is part of a state-wide system of 29 campuses. The system exists to provide accessible, affordable, relevant, and rigorous programs that adapt to meet changing individual and societal needs for education and employment.
• National: MassArt is an active member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD: http://www.aicad.org/), a non-profit consortium of leading art schools in the US and Canada. Its mission is to help strengthen the member colleges individually and collectively, and to inform the public about these colleges and the value of studying art and design.

Main Focus

MassArt supports students who aspire to change the world or simply want to thrive as artists, designers, or teachers. By preparing students to excel by immersing them in the College’s thoughtful coursework and engaging community, MassArt students gain the perspective, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills necessary to make a meaningful impact in their careers and their lives.