Student Academic Resources | Cranbrook Academy of Art

Academic Resources & Facilities

Technology, Tools and Supplies to Elevate Your Artistic Practice

The Academy is dedicated to providing a studio-based education where the central activity is making. The Academy believes in traditional and technological forms and philosophies of making work. Students will find support whether they are making art by hand or digitally.

To support our MFA and MArch candidates’ work, the Academy maintains a Central Media Lab and a Central Materials Lab. Both areas are centrally managed and open to all students, regardless of their primary department. Staff members and student assistants are on hand to help students with the safe use of and education about the equipment and software. The two CMLs are hubs of the Academy’s interdisciplinary activity – students work side-by-side on a variety of projects with different levels of experience and approach, creating a natural atmosphere of exchange.

In addition to the two CMLs additional labs and tools are available across our department spaces. Department-managed labs and resources are available to students depending on open hours, skill level/training, etc.

Extended Resources List

Central Media Lab

Central Materials Lab

Print Lab

4D Equipment Lab and Mixed Reality Lab

Library

The Cranbrook Academy of Art Library is an invaluable resource of visual and written materials

The Cranbrook Academy of Art Library is an invaluable resource of visual and written materials to support the research needs of students currently enrolled in the Academy, CAA faculty and staff, and the curatorial staff of the Cranbrook Art Museum. Extensive collections are maintained in each of the eleven disciplines studied at the Academy. In addition, materials on art history, criticism, artists’ writings, performance art, and other related fields are available. These are supplemented by exhibition catalogs, periodicals, newspapers, student theses and master’s statements, audio-visual equipment, and multimedia materials (videos/DVDs). Extensive alumni files and archived Academy lectures are available at the library. The Academy library also houses George Booth’s collection of rare art folios. A color laser photocopier/scanner is located within the building.

The Academy Library is one of seven throughout the Cranbrook community linked by an online catalog. Academy students are issued library cards and hold borrowing privileges at all Cranbrook libraries as well as the Bloomfield Township Public Library and the Baldwin (Birmingham) Public Library. Indexes and databases in all fields are available through web services. The Academy library participates in the Michigan Electronic Library Catalog (MeLCat) and OCLC interlibrary loan system which provide access to materials from libraries throughout the country. Cranbrook is located near the extensive research libraries of Detroit Public Library, Oakland University, Wayne State University, and University of Michigan.

Visit the Library website

Cranbrook Art Museum

Cranbrook Art Museum opened in its current Eliel Saarinen-designed building in 1942. In 2011, the museum underwent a $22 million restoration and expansion, creating a state-of-the-art Collections Wing that makes its entire 6,000+ collection visible—and accessible—to students, scholars, and visitors.

Today, it presents original exhibitions and educational programming on modern and contemporary architecture, art, crafts, and design, promoting an understanding of their relevance and contribution to society. In addition, the Academy’s annual Graduate Degree Exhibition fills the entire first-floor galleries and surrounding grounds.

Complementing the rich program of exhibitions, lectures, and symposia, the Cranbrook Art Museum offers many opportunities for Academy students to gain hands-on museum experience under the guidance of the professional curatorial, education, and exhibitions staff.

Visit the Museum website