Purpose

In 1753 the Foulis Academy was established in Glasgow to deliver a European-style art education.  The UK’s first school of art, described as ‘the single most influential factor in the development of eighteenth-century Scottish art’, it reflected the importance Glasgow placed on education, art and culture to the city’s economic and social development and success - something we fundamentally believe remains important today. 

92 years later, on the 6th January 1845, The Glasgow Government School of Design was established.  The School was one of twenty similar institutions established in the United Kingdom's manufacturing centres between 1837 and 1851. 

Set up as a consequence of the House of Commons Select Committee of 1835 – 1836 on Arts and their connection with Manufactures, the Committee raised key questions regarding the condition of the nation's art, its value to the individual, its usefulness to manufacturing industry, and art education's contribution to the country's economic success.

Today those questions remain as pertinent as ever as we address the grand global challenges of the 21st century.

Individuals and collectives working in the creative and cultural sectors across the globe help to improve the quality of people’s lives; creating and designing interventions, places and solutions and producing works that inspire people to see the world around them differently. Highly creative and innovative individuals help us to reimagine our futures and our economies.