Preamble

Mission:
College of Art and Design, Bardhaman is resolute to make the arts accessible, inclusive, and meaningful through diverse approaches to creative and technological innovation, integrated with visual, oral, and written communication. College of Art & Design’s mission is to educate a diverse student population to become creative thinkers who, through their creative professional work, contribute to making a better world.

Vision :
The College of Art & Design is now one of the foremost institutions for fine arts, art history,and the design professions, with programs that are consistently highly ranked in national perspective. The college strives to function as a collaborative of engaged students and faculty committed to creative activity in every aspect of the visual arts and design disciplines. Our curricula promote inquiry-based learning, encourage risk-taking and independent thinking, nurture the creative spirit, and pursue opportunities to improve the environment in which we live. The College of Art and Design will lead in promoting the visual arts by fostering critical and creative thinking, artistic expression, effective communication, cultural awareness, and community engagement.
Although the University of Burdwan had General Degree Colleges, as well as Medical, Engineering & Music Colleges affiliated to it, there was no Art College under it till 2004. Thanks to the foresight of some visionaries of Bardhaman, College of Art and Design came up that year to fill up the gap.
The College, popularly known as CAD, started functioning from the ‘Srijani’ building situated at Krishnasayer Park with only 75 students on the roll. Originally there was only the Degree Programme of this professional course in three disciplines Painting,Sculpture and Applied Art and a Diploma Course – Diploma in Visual Art (Craft & Design). The dedication of the faculty, some of whom have national exposure and renown, soon attracted learners from many parts of the home and neighbouring states. The achievement of students graduating from CAD strengthened its foundation and contributed to its growth. The Master Programme in ‘Fine Art’ (MFA) was added in 2009 and, consistent with the recommendation of the UGC, the academic planning was switched from the Annual to the Semester system under CBCS.
Physical growth demands creation of new infrastructure. So initially the College hired a building having more space for Teaching-Learning. Subsequently,the College shifted to its own building near ‘Amar’ Mouza, Nawabhat, Suri Road,Bardhaman,constructed with resources a portion of which came from the LAD fund of the former MP of Bardhaman, Ms. Mamtaz Sanghamita. The College continues to flourish and at present it has 176 students pursuing UG, PG & DVA (Craft & Design) programmes in different fields of their interest under the caring supervision of 20 faculty members (Full-Time, Part-Time, Guest Lecturer) and truly supportive office staff.
The College management, called Society, promotes participative management and gives all administrative support to other stakeholders in translating the vision of the College into reality. In the teeth of all odds the CAD is determined to pace forward shaping hundreds of young minds specializing in one or other discipline of fine art. The college authority wants to so transform the college in the near future as to make CAD emerge as the inevitable destination of these creative minds.