Living the Professional Campus Life
The school partners with four training centers located on a former automobile industrial site, transformed in the 2010s into a professional education campus.
This campus features a municipal media library, a student residence, Vélo’v bike rental stations, a gymnasium, and a student cafeteria. It is located in the Zénith park, which is often referred to as the first urban park in France designed to combat heatwaves and free from allergenic plants.
The school is committed to an eco-friendly approach on this site. For example, students created the signage to raise awareness among park users about the importance of taking care of it.
Partner Institutions:
Opening Minds
Beyond the academic curriculum, the year is marked by a series of events:
- Regional Fairs and Festivals: Students participate in local cultural events such as the Villeurbanne Youth Book Festival, Villeurbanne Short Film Festival, and the Lyon BD Festival.
- Career Talks: Each month, professionals from various fields such as youth book publishers, comic book directors, video game art directors, animation producers, and startup developers, share their experiences in interactive conferences.
- Study Days and Symposia: The school’s research center (CRHI) organizes an annual study day on a particular artist (e.g., André Franquin, Emile Cohl) and biennial symposia on topics like the femme fatale in the arts or video games.
- Lunch-time Concerts: One or two times a year, the school hosts private concerts during lunch breaks, featuring renowned musicians such as violinist Hilary Hahn, pianist David Bismuth, and oud master Mohamed Abozekry. Students can either enjoy the performance or take the opportunity to sketch the artists.
- Exhibitions: The school partners with institutions that open their exhibition spaces to students, who have showcased their work at places like the National Opera of Lyon, Lyon 3 University, Théâtre des Marronniers, Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, and the Montluc National Memorial.
Joining the Student Association
The Student Association plays a major role, organizing clubs and events, publishing fanzines, managing projects, and running a drawing supplies purchasing service.
- Purchasing Service: The association manages “La Centrale,” an art supplies store at the school, offering materials at preferential prices throughout the year. The products are selected by the faculty.
- Art Jobs: The association filters job offers sent by companies, associations, and individuals, and distributes them to students. It also manages the contracts.
- Integration Party: At the beginning of October, the association organizes an integration party where new students are assigned a mentor to help them navigate their first year, offering practical advice and tips on their artwork. No hazing is allowed; the students are welcoming and supportive.
- Themed Events: The association organizes events for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Carnival, Easter, etc.
- Cohl’Art Fanzine: The association publishes a semestrial fanzine, Cohl’Art, which is sold and signed during events. The association handles all aspects, including gathering and selecting artwork, layout, publishing, and coordinating with the printer.
- Activity Clubs: The association runs several activity clubs, such as life drawing (to explore new techniques), theater, cinema club, sports, music, and hospital drawing, among others.