Vision and Mission Statement

Vision

The Department of Fine Arts offers the most versatile practice-oriented education in Switzerland and ranks among Europe’s most advanced educational and research institutions in the field of fine arts.

Mission Statement DFA

The Mission Statement sets out our written self-definition and our guiding principles. It delineates the Department of Fine Arts’s target state. The Mission Statement synthesizes key aspects of our Vision, Definition of Art, Values, and Principles. The maxims are meant as prompts for joint action.

Teaching

Offering practice-oriented education and a community-based learning environment, we educate professional artists and self-determined personalities. Students are empowered to establish themselves in the national and international art and culture scenes.

Students

Our students are internationally oriented and come from a variety of backgrounds. They are actively involved in shaping the DFA community.

Research

We are actively committed to a diverse research culture and develop independent research projects that resonate widely in international art and research communities.

Faculty and staff

Our faculty and staff enrich the team’s work by contributing expertise in diverse fields and different approaches. They identify with the DFA and are passionate about what they do.

Network

We cultivate a sustainable and diverse network that benefits students, faculty, staff, and external partners in equal measure.

Communication

We treat each other as equals and strive for a responsible form of communication.

Leadership

We exercise appreciative and participative leadership. We promote the personal development of faculty and staff, encourage their active contributions, and pursue mutually agreed objectives.

Infrastructure

We offer access to state-of-the-art workshops and studios and an attractive working, learning, and research environment.

Diversity

We promote diversity and respectful dialogue between different mindsets, practical approaches, and disciplines.

    Definition of Art

    At the Department of Fine Arts, we espouse a comprehensive and unifying definition of art:

    • Art occupies a central position in democratic societies.
    • It makes a vital contribution to society by picking up on contemporary developments and initiating critical engagement with them.
    • As a discipline on a par with other disciplines, it is an integral part of society’s educational and research infrastructure

      Values

      • We promote students’ personal responsibility and self-determination.
      • We empower students to develop their own stances and approaches.
      • Our lecturers and researchers are inspiring personalities.
      • We embrace diverse thinking.

        Principles

        • We are a public university and educate our students in accordance with the Bologna System.
        • We cultivate and promote an international network.
        • We offer a wide variety of courses, providing our students with broad-based access to art.
        • Zurich is a centrally located and international city and boasts a lively arts scene and a high density and diversity of cultural and funding institutions.
        • We provide an outstanding teaching and research infrastructure.