NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti was founded in Milan in 1980 at the wish of Ausonio Zappa, Guido Ballo and Tito Varisco with the aim of opposing the rigid academic tradition and to introduce visions and languages that were closer to the contemporary artistic practice, to the art system and to the creative professions. In 1981, it got accredited by MIUR (Ministero dell’Istruzione Università e Ricerca - Ministry of Education University and Research).

Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, NABA kept up its innovative and unconventional spirit, and was the first to introduce subjects such as advertising and graphic design in its syllabuses in 1984, and fashion design in 1988. In 1995, the Academy was granted a certificate of civic merit and went on towards an increasingly international scenario.

In 2004 it moved to the via Darwin premises in Milan, and in 2009 the Accademia became part of “Laureate Education” where stays until 2018.

Since 2018 NABA is part of Galileo Global Education, a post-secondary education group focused on providing students with access to higher education in the fields of applied arts, design, communication and management in slelected countries around the world.

In 2019, NABA opened a new Campus in Rome.

The Accademy, according to the regulations of the ministry department of high musical and artistic education - Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale (AFAM), is divided in two departments:

• Department of Visual Arts,

• Department of Design and Applied Arts.

The departments are furthermore divided into Schools, which can implement courses that grant a Diploma Accademico (first and second level, i.e. Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts) in their disciplines.

The Department includes a complete course in higher arts education, comprehensive of a three-year course in Painting and Visual Arts and a two-year specialisation course in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies. Moreover, the didactic offer of the Department of Visual Arts includes a Master course in Contemporary Art Markets, as well as a Master course in Photography and Visual Design. The organization of the whole Department can be outlined as follows:

DEPARTMENT:
Arti Visive

SCHOOL:
Pittura

COURSES:
- B.A. in Painting and Visual Arts (Milano, Rome)
- M.A. in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies (Milano, Rome)
- Master in Contemporary Art Markets (Milano)
- Master in Photography and Visual Design (Milano)
- Master in Art & Ecology (Milano)

The Department includes very diverse areas, and is by its nature varied and interdisciplinary. Students who attend a programme within the Department of Design and Applied Arts are exposed to many occasions to learn and experience things outside their main discipline, thus enriching their cultural and creative assets through constant contaminations. The Department is divided in three different Schools as follows:

DEPARTMENT:
- Design and Applied Arts

SCHOOLS:
- School of Artistic Design for Business (Progettazione Artistica per l'Impresa)
- New Technologies for the Arts (Nuove Tecnologie per l'Arte)
- Scenography (Scenografia)

The Schools are responsible for the programmes and courses under their management. In some cases, for example in the School of Artistic Design for Business, very broad in terms of discipline, there is a further subdivision into didactic areas. Other schools, like New Technologies for Art and Set Design, are no further divided and are more simply organized.

AREA:
Design

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (BACHELOR OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
B.A. in Design

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Interior Design

• Product Design

LOCATION:
Milano

SECOND LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (MASTER OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
M.A. in Design

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Interior Design

• Product and Service Design

• Social Design

LOCATION:
Milano

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC MASTER PROGRAMMES:
Master in New Urban Design (*)

LOCATION:
Milano

(*) from a.y. 2023-24

AREA:
Fashion

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (BACHELOR OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
B.A. in Fashion Design

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Fashion Design

• Fashion Styling and Communication

• Fashion Management

LOCATIONS:
Milano, Roma

SECOND LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (MASTER OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
M.A. in Fashion and Textile Design

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Fashion Design

• Textile Design

LOCATION:
Milano

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC MASTER PROGRAMMES:
Master in Fashion Digital Marketing

LOCATION:
Milano

AREA:
Graphic Design and Commmunication

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (BACHELOR OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
B.A. in Graphic Design and Art Direction

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Brand Design

• Creative Direction

• Visual Design

LOCATIONS:
Milano, Roma

SECOND LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (MASTER OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
M.A. in Communciation Design

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Visual Design and Intergrated Marketing Communication

• User Experience Design

LOCATION:
Milano

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC MASTER PROGRAMMES:
Master in Creative Advertising

LOCATION:
Milano

Master in Sustainable Innovation Communication

LOCATION:
Milano, Roma
(*) from a.y. 2023-24

AREA:
Media Design

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (BACHELOR OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:

B.A. in FilmMaking and Animation

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Film Making

• Animation

LOCATIONS:
Milano, Roma

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC MASTER PROGRAMMES:
Master in Screenwriting for Series

LOCATION:
Roma

AREA:
Media Design

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (BACHELOR OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:

B.A. in Creative Technologies / New Technologies of Applied Arts

SPECIALISATIONS (until a.y.2021-22):

• VFX

• 3D

• Game Development

SPECIALISATIONS (starting from a.y.2022-23):

• 3D and VFX

• Game

LOCATION:
Milano

SECOND LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (MASTER OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
M.A. in Creative Media Production / New Technologies for the Arts

LOCATION:
Milano

AREA:
Media Design

FIRST LEVEL ACADEMIC DIPLOMA (BACHELOR OF ARTS) PROGRAMMES:
B.A. in Scenography

SPECIALISATIONS:

• Teather and Opera

• Media and Events

LOCATION:
Milano

Many courses in the Department of Design and Applied Arts include specialisation options that, even within the same study programme, offer more disciplinary characterisation. Normally, students are requested to choose a specialisation at the end of their first year, selecting the elective courses that they would like to attend over the second year. In the same way, it is possible to choose the third-year courses at the end of the second year. Some courses are more suitable for certain specialisations: by choosing them, the students will ensure their study path is consistent with the chosen specialisation. Other courses are more transversal and can fit into any specialisation. You can find more details in the specific Study Programme section, as well as in the syllabus and in the next sections of this Handbook.

The Department of Visual Art and the Department of Design and Applied Arts include two type of Faculty members.

• About 600 freelance professors appointed by the Accademia to teach one or more disciplines. These professors have very strong professional skills in their discipline and represent the utterly important link between the Accademia and the professional and creative world. They contribute to keep the syllabus up to date and contemporary.

• A "core faculty": a team of 48 professors that are part of the Accademia structure and often, although not necessarily, carry out management, consulting or organizational tasks beside teaching, on top of practising a professional activity in their field. The core faculty represents the heart of the pedagogic philosophy of NABA and contributes to the definition of its courses.

The core faculty is divided between managerial and organizational roles, in order to better manage the didactic activities of the department. The teaching staff (Lecturers and Senior Lecturers) mainly carry out the didactic task of classroom lessons. Every professor is qualified to teach in one or more disciplinary areas, where they carry out the teaching and didactic activities as described hereafter.

Every course is directed by a Course Leader, who is responsible for the general outline of the course program and for the consistency among subjects. To do this, they hold frequent meetings with the teachers, for whom they are the main point of reference. Every year, the Course Leaders review the curriculum and make sure all courses keep being innovative and professional, as the Academy requires.

The Academic Assistants support the Course Leaders in the operational tasks, and help the students in particular for the most project-oriented subjects, by tutoring them in the classroom or outside the classes.

The Department Director, supported by the Area Leaders divided by disciplinary areas and that all Course Leaders refer to, has the final responsibility for the academic quality of the courses, and for making decisions that have an impact on the whole department - such as the courses organization, their structure and specific academic features.

Faculty members who distinguish themselves for their long professional experience, have the role of Academic Advisors, and support the decisions made by Director, Area Leaders and Course Leaders by providing their highly professional and culturally profound point of view.

For the actual Academic Year, the members of the core faculty are:

DEAN:
Prof. Guido Tattoni

ACADEMIC DIRECTOR / ROMA:
Prof. Silvia Simoncelli

DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT VISUAL ARTS:
Prof. Marco Scotini

DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT DESIGN AND APPLIED ARTS:
Prof. Luca Poncellini

AREA LEADERS:
Prof. Vincenzo Cuccia – Media Design Area
Prof. Claudio Larcher – Design Area
Prof. Colomba Leddi – Fashion Area
Prof. Patrizia Moschella – Graphic and Commmunication Area

COURSE LEADERS / MILANO:
Prof. Luca Belotti – M.A. Fashion Design
Prof. Alessandro Bertante – B.A. FilmMaking & Animation / B.A. Media Design and Multimedia Arts
Prof. Amos Bianchi – M.A. Creative Media Production
Prof. Andris Brinkmanis – B.A. Painting and Visual Arts
Prof. Michele Corradini – B.A. Fashion Design
Prof. Valentina Dalla Costa – M.A. Design
Prof. Germana De Michelis – B.A. Design
Prof. Emanuele Lomello – B.A. Creative Technologies
Prof. Margherita Palli – B.A. Scenography
Prof. Fabio Pelagalli – M.A. Communication Design
Prof. Marco Scotini – M.A. Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies
Prof. Samuele Zitelli – B.A. Graphic Design and Art Direction

COURSE LEADERS / ROMA:
Prof. Fabio Capalbo – B.A. FilmMaking & Animation / B.A. Media Design and Multimedia Arts
Prof. Caterina Iaquinta – B.A. Painting and Visual Arts
Prof. Diego Manfreda – B.A. Fashion Design
Prof. Assunta Squitieri – B.A. Graphic Design and Art Direction

ADVISOR LEADERS:
Prof. Ilaria Bonacossa – Master Contemporary Art Markets
Prof. Sara Buluggiu – Master Creative Advertising
Prof. Francesco Zanot – Master Photography and Visual Design

LECTURERS:
Prof. Francesco Alinovi, Prof. Antonio Anaclerio, Prof. Simone Balsamo, Prof. Paolo Borrelli, Prof. Laura Bottai, Prof. Guido Cesana, Prof. Klaudio Cetina, Prof. Antonella Cirigliano, Prof. Barabara Comuzzi, Prof. Germana De Michelis, Prof. Chiara Fagone, Prof. Natascia Fenoglio, Prof. Luca Ferreccio, Prof. Eros Gioetto, Prof. Maresa Lippolis, Prof. Alessandro Manzi, Prof. Anthony Marasco, Prof. Massimo Martignoni, Prof Jacopo Martinoni, Prof. Patrizia Melli, Prof. Igor Muroni, Prof. Francesca Pedrotti, Prof. Serena Piller, Prof. Gabriele Ruscelli. Prof. Stefano Boccalini, Prof. Marcello Maloberti, Prof. Lorenza Pignatti, Prof. Gabriele Sassone, Prof. Marco Zappa.

ACADEMIC ASSISTANT:
Manal Abu Monassar – Area Design
Riccardo Baccani – Area Communication and Graphic Design
Stefania Carbonara – Area Media Design and New Technologies
Sara Khalilnejad – Area Fashion Design
Simone Domenico Liscio – Area Fashion Design
Yin Shuai – Dipartimento Arti Visive
Mengdi Xu – Dipartimento Progettazione e Arti Applicate

ADVISORS:
Prof. Italo Rota - Scientific Advisor
Prof. Angelo Colella – Area Communication and Graphic Design
Prof. Nicoletta Morozzi - Area Fashion Design
Prof. Dante Donegani – Area Design

The faculty works in close contact with the coordination office, whose staff supports the professors as well as the students in the organization of the many, complex Academy activities.