Student Life

The Academy of Art is a community of artists. The social and cultural life of the students reflects their creativity and invention. Many student activities revolve around the student Forum Gallery, with weekly exhibitions and performances, and Slade’s, the student lounge. Commercial and non-profit galleries in the area provide opportunities to meet area artists and show student work. There is also a wealth of live music venues in Detroit, where students can enjoy some of the best music in the world, from blues to jazz, rock to techno.

Studio Council
The student government organization of the Academy, Studio Council is made up of two elected representatives from each of the departments and meets regularly with an administrative advisor. They provide a dialogue between students, departments, and administration. Studio Council also determines how funds will be distributed, hires the Forum Gallery directors, plans the Student Art Auction and student social events. These include parties for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Degree Show Opening, and the annual Raft Regatta, Wigs and Whiskey Lounge, and Prom.

An Architecture critique

 

Studio Space
Students enjoy the use of exceptional individual studios in addition to shared workrooms, equipment, storage, department kitchens and lounges. Studio spaces are assigned during orientation week and are open twenty-four hours a day, every day, during the academic year. Outside doors to studios and residences are locked, and students are provided with keys to their authorized areas.

Fiber Café performance at student Forum Gallery

 

Housing
Three dormitories adjacent to the studios provide housing for about 80 students. There is no campus housing to accommodate married students. Rooms are furnished with standard single beds, bureaus, and desks. Linens are not provided. Rooms are assigned on a single or double occupancy basis; singles are assigned on a seniority basis. First-year students should expect assignment to double occupancy accommodations. Each dormitory is equipped with phone and Internet access in individual rooms and a shared lounge area with cable television and laundry facilities. No pets are allowed in dormitories or studios. Cooking is not permitted in dormitories, but all departments have kitchen facilities.
Students expecting to have off-campus housing will find that rent in the Cranbrook area is about average for the United States. Moderately priced apartments may be rented in nearby Birmingham, Keego Harbor, Berkley, Clawson, Pontiac, Ferndale, and Royal Oak. Students planning to live off campus are encouraged to make an early visit to the area to arrange housing.

Food Service
Academy students may take advantage of three dining venues on campus. The closest to the Academy is located at the Cranbrook Dining Hall. There is no food plan; students are charged modest rates in a cafeteria setting. Most academic departments have kitchen facilities for students to prepare their own meals and snacks.

Athletics and Recreation.
Students walk, or cross-country ski in winter, on Cranbrook’s many trails in the wooded campus. A covered ice rink is on campus with open hours. The Williams Natatorium offers adult lap swimming and aquatic exercise classes, as do several local high schools. Sports activities such as soccer and baseball, organized among students, may be played on Academy grounds. Students may join the local YMCA at a reasonable cost, or take membership in exercise clubs located close to the campus.

 

Annual student Raft Regatta

Transportation
Automobiles are a necessity for students living off campus and a definite convenience for campus residents. There is no bus transportation on Academy grounds or public transportation from Cranbrook to local communities. Parking is provided for students in a covered deck and the Art Museum open lot.

Health Services
The Dean of Admissions distributes information about medical, dental, and health services available in the area. Information and appropriate referrals are also available for assistance with the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse. Two major hospitals are within a few miles of the Academy and offer emergency and comprehensive outpatient services. No health service for the Academy students is available on campus.

Student Handbook
The Academy publishes a Student Handbook each fall, which is the official notification of facilities, policies, academic regulations, code of conduct and procedures related to the academic environment. Students are responsible for reading and complying with the Handbook.

Security
Cranbrook is an exceptionally safe campus in the middle of the very affluent and safe suburb of Bloomfield Hills. The Cranbrook Public Safety department conducts foot and vehicular patrols of the campus twenty-four hours a day, and local police are only minutes away upon request.