The Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen is a public art school offering bachelor’s, post-graduate master’s, and doctoral programmes in the fields of design and art. It is housed in an architecturally unique building equipped with state-of-the-art technological facilities and a range of specialized workshops that provide optimal conditions for contemporary artistic, design, and research practice.
The name of the Faculty is an homage to Ladislav Sutnar, a native of Pilsen and a leading figure of 20th-century modern design. His emphasis on functionality, clarity and the cultivation of public space remains an important guiding principle for the school to this day.
The motto “Design – Art – Research” defines the character of the Faculty, where artistic creation, design, and research are naturally intertwined. Design studies at the Faculty are cultivated in close connection with artistic disciplines, and both of these fields reflect technological advancements and evolving social issues. The Faculty’s research activities include work with digital media, immersive technologies, and material experiments. In addition to the study of technology, the curriculum also includes instruction in traditional craft and fine art disciplines.
Sutnar Faculty cultivates systematic and long-term cooperation with other faculties at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, resulting in projects that interlink art, design, technical disciplines, the humanities and applied research.
Studio-based learning is a fundamental element of study at Sutnar Faculty. Students work under the guidance of artists, designers, theorists and guest specialists who, in addition to their teaching roles, are also active in cultural institutions, design studios or research projects. Individual consultations and critical discussion, which foster students in seeking out and forming their own original approach, are fundamental elements of the learning process.
Direct contact with the practical spheres of art and design forms an integral part of study at the Faculty. Students pass through the entire process of project creation, from the initial concept and its development to public presentation. Many projects are realised in collaboration with cities, cultural institutions, the non-profit sector, and other partners.
Graduates of the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art find employment across a wide range of creative professions. They work in the fields of design, illustration, photography, animation, education, and other creative areas. They also found their own studios and independent projects, engage in research, or continue to pursue their disciplines as independent artists.
The Sutnar Faculty manages the prestigious Ladislav Sutnar Gallery where visitors could already experience the works of such artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Malina, Ladislav Sutnar, and other important personalities of fine arts and design. Already for 15 years, the faculty has been organising the ArtCamp - an international summer school of art which is one of the largest of its kind in Central Europe.
The Sutnar Faculty features the largest collection of works and the largest archive of Ladislav Sutnar in Europe. Every year, it awards international awards – the Ladislav Sutnar Prize, which has been awarded by the Dean to such personalities and institutions as Steve Heller, Anton Beeke, Richard Saul Wurman, Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design, Getty, Chicago Institute, MOMA, Pratt Institute, Gerrit Rietveld Academy, and others.