The School has as its origins the prestigious Leeds College of Art which in 1970 was one of the constituent colleges which formed Leeds Polytechnic which eventually became Leeds Met.
It is located in the Faculty of Arts and Society where it has close relationships with the School of Film, Television and Performing Arts and the Leeds School of Architecture, Landscape and Design.
The Leeds School of Contemporary Art and Graphic Design sustains the Leeds College of Art’s celebrated reputation for innovation and creativity in higher education in art and design through its undergraduate, postgraduate and research provision which is nationally and internationally acknowledged. Within its core values the School emphasises the individual personal, academic and professional development of its students through innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Much of this is centred on process based creative activity in studios, workshops, I.T. and multi-media facilities which the school is committed to maintaining and developing to meet the needs of its students. The courses and their students are supported by staff who are professionals in a wide range of practice, research and scholarship and by comprehensive visiting lecturer programmes.
In asserting the importance of situating creative activity within wider social, cultural and professional contexts the courses develop critical awareness and nurture the capacity to question and challenge assumptions about cultural value.