Arts & Creative Industries Department
The Department of Arts & Creative Industries (ACI) at Deree, built on the rich values of The American College of Greece—celebrating Greek heritage and culture while embracing the forward-thinking principles of the American liberal education model—envisions becoming a distinguished center of creativity and innovation in education and research in Greece. In this vision, Graphic Design, Visual Arts, and Cinema Studies each stand as pillars of creative excellence, fostering a transformative environment that unites these disciplines while allowing them to thrive independently. ACI cultivates a community that inspires creativity, nurtures critical thinking, and empowers visionary leaders in each field. We aspire to shape socially engaged creators who make lasting contributions to society in Greece and beyond, enriching the global landscape with their unique perspectives and impactful work.
Mission
At ACI, we are committed to providing a dynamic environment that integrates teaching and research, fostering a culture of inquiry, collaboration, and experimentation. Through a curriculum that balances theory and hands-on learning, we empower students with the skills, critical insight, and practical experience to excel in a rapidly evolving industry. As a research hub, we advance knowledge in the arts and creative industries, addressing contemporary challenges and pioneering new forms of expression. By bridging academia and industry, we cultivate creativity, inspire innovation, and contribute to a socially impactful and inclusive creative landscape.
Goals
1. Cultivate creativity, innovation, and research
Facilitate creative growth within the areas of Graphic Design, Visual Arts, and Cinema Studies, encouraging innovative approaches and employing robust methodologies to problem-solving and artistic/personal expression that deepen expertise and originality in each discipline.
2. Master traditional media and lead in digital and emerging technologies
Master classic media and become a leader in exploring, researching, and implementing traditional as well as digital and emerging technologies, setting standards for innovation, scholarly contribution, and application in the creative fields.
3. Enhance public engagement, community impact
Develop initiatives that engage with local and global communities, using creative projects and applied research to address social issues, inspire public dialogue, and create positive societal impact.
4. Promote cultural and global awareness
Instill a deep understanding of cultural diversity and global perspectives, empowering students to create work and conduct research that resonates with a broad and inclusive audience.
5. Expand industry and partnership opportunities
Build strong partnerships with industry leaders, cultural organizations, and NGOs to create projects, internships, mentorships and research opportunities that enhance student learning, advance professional readiness, and contribute to the creative industry worldwide.
Vision
The Department of Arts & Creative Industries (ACI) aims to become a vibrant hub and leader in creativity, innovation and excellence in education and research. At ACI, the disciplines of Graphic Design, Visual Arts, and Cinema Studies unite in a dynamic environment where teaching and research ignite creativity, cultivate critical thinkers, and empower visionary creators and socially engaged leaders ready to make an impact in Greece and beyond.
Teaching Vision
Our vision is to empower students with the creative skills, critical thinking, and technical/technological expertise needed to thrive in an evolving global landscape. By fostering innovative exploration, methodological rigor, and interdisciplinary collaboration, we enable students to experiment with traditional as well as emerging and diverse media, while embracing human-centered practices. Our programs emphasize innovation, contextual awareness, evidence based design, and public engagement, ensuring graduates are skilled creators and socially conscious contributors to the cultural dialogue. With a commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and ethical practice, ACI shapes the next generation of designers, artists, and filmmakers who will influence global culture responsibly and impactfully.
Research Vision
As a research hub, ACI aspires to transcend traditional skill-teaching, generating new knowledge that expands creative fields. Faculty, students, and collaborators engage in interdisciplinary and discipline-specific research that tackles complex issues, from sustainable practices and socially responsive design to virtual reality and human-centered innovation. The act of researching within these programs cultivates a space where new questions constantly emerge, and knowledge evolves through experimentation, critique, and production. Through publications, exhibitions, and collaborative projects, ACI’s research impacts academia and society, enriching cultural dialogue and advancing creative practice on a global scale.
People
Vision & Mission of ACI Programs
Vision
Aligned with the mission of The American College of Greece, the Cinema Studies program at ACI is committed to providing students with a rigorous curriculum that combines theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential to the discipline of Cinema Studies. Our goal is to enhance students’ intellectual, creative and practical engagement with film, fostering a new generation of filmmakers with unique personal voices and a deep understanding of cinema’s impact on society and culture.
The Cinema Studies program is an international program that is rooted in a liberal arts context, and brings together students from different cultural backgrounds, encouraging them to explore and integrate a range of approaches to making and analyzing cinema, from historical to contemporary perspectives and incorporating new sustainable practices. Our faculty, with diverse backgrounds in academia and the film industry, guide students in mastering the artistic and the ever-evolving technical aspects of cinema, covering the full spectrum of pre-production, production, and post-production workflow. Creative expression and cinematic exploration are cultivated along with a solid immersion in Industry practices and methodologies. This immersive educational experience is enriched by training workshops, masterclasses, visiting artists, internship placements and other networking opportunities in film industry events.
The Cinema Studies program also provides a strong foundation for those interested in research and graduate studies. Students gain critical skills in film analysis, theory, and cultural studies, documentary and film production preparing them for advanced study in fields such as audiovisual development and production, media studies, screen cultures, and most disciplines in the humanities and/or social sciences. Faculty-led initiatives and active participation in national and international calls for audiovisual development, scholarship and industry forums enhance students’ exposure to state-of-the-art scholarship and innovative industry practices, preparing them for impactful graduate studies and professional careers.
Mission
Our mission to our students and faculty is to:
1. Sustain a comprehensive curriculum of theoretical and production modules by supporting faculty research, creative work and professional development. Our goal is to update and add new modules that reflect advancements in the field and align with faculty expertise.
2. Create a competitive research profile for our program by supporting faculty-led research & creative practice, grant writing and participation in national and European calls on audiovisual development, innovation and media literacy.
3. Provide professional standards in film facilities where students can train in production and post-production practices.
4. Keep students at the forefront of industry innovations by expanding our internship placements, by hosting extracurricular technical seminars and creating pathways for students to engage in professional development workshops and film industry events.
5. Contribute to the ACG sustainability strategy through curriculum development and by encouraging sustainability-focused creative research and artistic work.
Vision
Aligned with the mission of The American College of Greece, the Graphic Design program at ACI aims to cultivate innovative, adaptable, and socially responsible designers, prepared to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital and traditional media landscape. The future-proof program with a strong methodological base and a human-centered approach, emphasizes a seamless integration of cutting-edge technology with time-honored design principles, fostering a creative environment where students can experiment, learn, and grow in both new and traditional media.
Through a curriculum grounded in design methodologies and evidence-based design, students will engage with the latest research in user experience (UX) to inform their creative process. By embedding research as a core component, students will learn to approach design not only as an artistic practice but as a strategic, problem-solving discipline driven by data and real-world outcomes. A strong emphasis on human-centered design ensures that graduates of this program prioritize the needs, emotions, and behaviors of people in their work. They will be equipped to design with empathy, inclusivity, and sustainability, creating experiences and solutions that resonate deeply with diverse audiences.
Overall, by focusing on creativity, research, innovation, and human connection, this program will empower designers to shape the future of communication, culture, and technology. Graduates may progress further in their studies through our newly established graduate program (MDes in UX/UI Digital Design) and dive deeper into the research and specialization in the field.
Mission
Our mission is to develop forward-thinking, human-centered, and research-driven visual communication designers who excel in both traditional and emerging media with a competitive advantage in the marketplace through a strong methodological basis. We aim to achieve this through the following targeted goals:
1. Mastery of design fundamentals: Equip students with a solid foundation in visual design principles, typography, color theory, and composition, ensuring a deep understanding of traditional design techniques while fostering an appreciation for evolving media platforms.
2. Emphasis on human-centered design: Foster empathy-driven design thinking that prioritizes user needs, inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainability, ensuring students create meaningful, human-centered solutions across diverse audiences and industries.
3. Commitment to design methodologies and evidence-based design: Cultivate a methodic and research-driven approach where students use data and design research to inform their creative decisions, ensuring solutions are effective, functional, and backed by empirical evidence.
4. Integration of market software and emerging technologies: Train students to harness state-of-the-art software used in the marketplace and cutting-edge technologies and tools and interactive media while blending these innovations with established design practices.
5. Sustainability and ethical design: Instill a sense of social responsibility, teaching students to consider the environmental and ethical implications of their design decisions, with a focus on creating sustainable and equitable solutions.
6. Connection with industry through practical experience: Foster strong industry connections by offering students opportunities for internships, studio visits, workshops, and professional networking, ensuring that they gain practical experience and insights into real-world applications of their skills.
By achieving these goals, we strive to develop graduates who are equipped not only with the technical skills of a designer but also the strategic mindset, creativity, and empathy needed to shape the future of visual communication design.
Vision
Aligned with the mission of The American College of Greece, the Visual Arts program at ACI cultivates a new generation of artists through its conceptually rigorous, experimental, and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary arts research and practice. Prioritizing versatility across a range of media, it prepares students for diverse roles within a constantly evolving creative field. Students work in a dynamic, inclusive, and collaborative environment, with a low student-faculty ratio, ensuring that they receive personalized feedback to support their growth as creatively-empowered people.
Grounded in embodied, practice-based, and contextual learning, the program develops the whole person. Students utilize observation, research, critical thinking, somatic awareness, and experimentation as they deepen their artistic skills through studio practice. The explicitly interdisciplinary curriculum also exposes students to socially-engaged, performative and collaborative practices, helping them become socially responsive and responsible makers. Students are empowered to use art as a transformative tool to inspire change, bridge communities, and advocate for the well-being of our interconnected world.
Through its support of the artistic research and creative output of students and faculty, the program intends to influence cultural discussions, initiate new modes of practice, and reach diverse audiences. The VA Program explicitly educates for a sustainable relationship with artistic materials and methods, critically explores new technologies, embraces the dialogue between traditional art methods and new forms and concepts, and generates fruitful collaborations across disciplinary boundaries.
Mission
Our mission is to support visionary, creative practitioners with the practical and conceptual skills to thrive in the continuously evolving, expanded fields of art and culture. Our commitment to our students and faculty includes:
1. Commitment to open-ended and speculative methodologies: We constantly probe the objectives, boundaries, hierarchies and assumptions we have about art and culture, understanding that what constitutes knowledge or methodology today is socially/historically determined, and change is a given.
2. The mastery of art fundamentals and emerging practices: Equip students with a solid foundation in composition, visual analysis, color theory, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, performance, digital imaging, video art, and site-specific or social practices. Students develop skills in visual, spatial and contextual observation and analysis, as well as practice-based research and project management.
3. A competitive research profile: Support faculty-led research & creative practice, grant writing, and participation in national and international exhibitions, festivals and other public venues. Promote student achievements. We envision the development of a low-residency, interdisciplinary MFA, connecting an international body of scholars with Greece.
4. Promotion of collaborative, interdisciplinary work: Encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration across the fine, performing, cinematic, and graphic arts, as well as with environmental sciences, engineering, social sciences, psychology, and beyond. Support experimentation within and across disciplines to generate new modes of inquiry and forms of expression.
5. Thoughtful integration of emerging technologies with traditional studio practice: Provide forward-looking facilities and equipment for studio work and installations, sculptural fabrication, video and media production. Train students to evaluate and harness new technologies with an eye to communication, context, and sustainability. Research and engage the ways new technologies and methodologies are challenging societal assumptions about art, craft, collaboration, ownership, and authorship.
6. Promotion of sustainability, inclusivity and social equity in our materials and methods: Develop research on the full life-cycle of materials, as well as the carbon footprint and water use of our activities. Promote inclusivity through activities connecting art and community. Foster a collaborative and transparent research and learning environment.