About

The École nationale supérieure d’art et design de Dijon (ENSAD Dijon) is the oldest of the seven national schools of art and design in France. Located in a former 18th-century abbey palace in the historic heart of Dijon, the school offers students an ideal environment to develop, experiment, and expand their artistic practice. Strongly rooted in its local setting, ENSAD Dijon develops an artistic and educational project closely linked to both national and international professional art and design circles, with particular attention to sustainable contemporary artistic production and transition design.

An innovative and multifaceted education focused on progressive specialization

ENSAD Dijon operates under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It offers two national degrees: the Diplôme National d’Art (DNA – equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree after a three-year first cycle) and the Diplôme National Supérieur d’Expression Plastique (DNSEP – equivalent to a Master’s degree after a two-year second cycle) in Art and Spatial Design. After a common first year, students choose one of these two options.

The Art option guides future artists who must, during their education, develop a personal visual research project. This option, open to diverse experiences, serves as fertile ground for artistic practices connected to societal issues, whether social, economic, or political.

The Spatial Design option: in the first cycle, this option offers a general education in design projects, from conception to realization and across all scales. In the second cycle, the focus is on the challenges posed by today’s world: ecological transitions (e.g., eco-design, urban transformations, biodiversity, attention to living beings), inclusivity (e.g., democracy and participation, intergenerational solidarity, gender equality), etc.

Teaching is provided by a faculty composed of artists, visual artists, architects, researchers, designers, and theorists recognized and involved in the fields of art, design, and research. The teaching team is supported by numerous external contributors who participate in workshops, lectures, seminars, and research and creation studios (ARC).

ENSAD Dijon places great importance on material and technological resources. Students have access to a wide range of technical workshops (fabrication workshop, computer graphics lab, video studio, sound studio, etc.), numerous classrooms and experimentation spaces, as well as high-quality creation and exhibition equipment suitable for all projects. Students are trained in the production techniques necessary for contemporary expression, ranging from the most traditional (analog photography, drawing, painting, screen printing, sculpture, volume, etc.), incorporating a wide palette of materials (clay, wood, metal, resin, paper, etc.), to new technologies (computing, computer graphics, multimedia, sound, video, digital technologies, etc.). Courses in art history, aesthetics, and philosophy are also part of the curriculum throughout the studies.

An international outlook

Internationalization is at the core of ENSAD Dijon. More than just a subject, it is a way of being, thinking, and approaching the world and the professions of art and design. This international dimension is present in both the general teachings and in workshops, ARCs, and also in the residency and professional integration programs offered to newly graduated young artists. International mobility plays a central role in the school’s pedagogy, with a mandatory semester abroad in the 4th year. Students are offered a wide range of international destinations (around 50 cooperation agreements) to meet their aspirations in terms of research, experimentation, and global perspectives. This emphasis on openness and exchange is also reflected within the school itself, which hosts nearly 20% international students.

Partnerships fostering experimentation, research, and professionalization

The school integrates its projects within an ecosystem of academic, cultural, associative, educational, economic, international, national, and local partners, both public and private. This integration allows students to discover the world of contemporary art and design in all its diversity and to engage with the realities of contemporary creation.

The research policy is embedded in a network of partners established by the school. Created in collaboration with the MSH – CNRS Center of the University of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Fondation de France, the “Art & Society” Research Unit encompasses all the research activities generated by the theoretical and practical contributions of the school. These lead to conferences, study days, publications, exhibitions, and curatorial projects.

Finally, ENSAD Dijon places special emphasis on the professionalization of its programs and the future of its graduates. The school builds its partnership strategy around professional integration systems (access to artist studios, residencies, exhibitions, professionalization cycles, individual support, etc.) in France and internationally. The institution also does everything possible to encourage the participation of its students and graduates in competitions, awards, or “springboard” programs that support the emergence of contemporary young art and design creation.