Department of Applied Arts
In 1950, short time after the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design acquired the university status, five departments were opened there. Our major specializations were divided in two departments. Specialized schools for ceramics, glass and metal belonged to the Department of Applied Sculpture, while special schools for textile, lace and fashion design formed a separate department. In the sixties, we formed a single Department of Industrial Arts. The new organization structure as well as the name of the department reflected the then proclaimed cooperation with industrial companies, which was, however, rather difficult to put into practice. After several attempts to define the current character of our department, we returned to the name Department of Applied Arts. We are close to design, however, our courses, emphasizing a close relationship to materials and practice at workshops, have a very specific nature, despite of the fast development and common objectives.
The list of personalities who have helped to define new principles for our disciplines is extensive and it is difficult to point out just a few of them. Outstanding is the personality of the founder Josef Kaplický, who, with his philosophy, methodology and comprehensive approach to teaching, got far beyond the borders of his discipline - artistic glass. Significant effort for the positive development of their specializations and their credit in the Czech Republic and abroad was made also by Antonín Kybal, Otto Eckert, Zdena Bauerová, Stanislav Libenský, Vladimír Kopecký and Vratislav K. Novák, to name just a few.
At present, the Department of Applied Arts comprises
the studio of glass
headed by Rony Plesl, assistant Pavel Karous, Klára Horáčková
studio of ceramics and porcelain
headed by Maxim Velčovský, assistant Milan Pekař
studio of metal - K.O.V. (koncept - objekt - význam, i.e. concept - object - meaning)
headed by Eva Eisler, assistant Eva Humlová
fashion design studio
headed by Pavel Ivančic, assistant Lenka Kohoutová
studio of fashion and shoe design
headed by Liběna Rochová, assistant Vojtěch Novotný
textile design studio
headed by Jitka Škopová, assistant Michal Chodanič
.jpg)
