The GCAC, previously known as the School of Industrial Art, was founded in 1854 as a private enterprise at Garanhata, Chitpur, Calcutta, to train the youth in industrial art of all types. In 1864 the school was handed over to the government and was renamed as Government School of Art and Craft with H H Locke taking over as principal. In 1892, the school was shifted to its present site beside the Indian Museum and has an art gallery attached to it.

Biman Behari Das, principal of the college, says, "If we get the required permission from the state government, the course may start from November 1998 itself."

The two-year MVA course will have four subjects for specialisations--fine arts, sculpture, print making and design. In the fine arts section, painting in watercolours and oil will be thetwo branches. The subjects to be covered in the design section are applied art in advertising, textile designing, ceramics and wood and leather batik.

There will be 45 seats for the MVA course. One of the objectives of the GCAC in initiating the course is to meet its own faculty requirements.

The college also conducts a five year bachelor's degree course in visual arts (BVA) with seven branches of specialisation. They are drawing and painting (western style), drawing and painting (Indian style), graphic design and applied art, modelling and sculpture, textile design, ceramic art with pottery and wood work and leather craft and toy making.

The BVA session begins in June and classes start from July every year. Candidates applying for the course must have passed school final or equivalent examination obtaining 45 per cent marks in either Bengali or English as the first language. The maximum age limit is 20.

An admission test consisting of tests like drawing of objects, models in pencil, painting inwatercolours and an interview comprises the selection criteria. The subjects covered are drawing of objects, antique, life and nature, paintings of outdoor and indoor compositions, designs in decorative and graphic mode, clay modelling etc.

Das said, "We will soon introduce computers for application in graphic designs. The college also has one of the largest collection of books of art in the country. Our students get some of the best jobs in the advertising and design industry, some of them are well established abroad and in Delhi and Mumbai."

Two students of the college had recently won the Green Shield Award with an award money of $10,000 from Canada. The 50 years of Independence Painting Competition prize of Rs 25,000 was also won by two second year students of the college. The college is normally very active in organising mobile lectures, exhibitions and seminar for development of art, according to Das.