About the School
The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts was founded in 2004 by HRH The Prince of Wales as one of his core charities. It developed from the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts Programme (VITA) that was established at The Royal College of Art in 1984 by Professor Keith Critchlow who pioneered a post-graduate programme based on the practice of, and research into, the traditional arts. The Prince’s School offers practising artists the opportunity to undertake research at the highest level with post-graduate degrees (MA, MPhil, PhD) validated by the University of Wales.
The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts welcomes students from around the world who wish to rediscover the values of the traditional arts and who would like to make a practical contribution to their survival.
The School’s courses combine the teaching of the practical skills of the traditional arts and crafts with an understanding of the philosophy inherent within them. People come from all over the world to study at The School making a diverse and unique mix of students.
The postgraduate courses are the foundation for the development of the Short Course Programme and the work conducted by the Outreach team, both in the United Kingdom and abroad. These programmes enable people to learn practical skills, encourage an appreciation of the universal values that are essential to the practice and understanding of the traditional arts and crafts, and support the recognition of the traditional arts as a valid means of contemporary expression.
