Education of Visual Arts

The roots of Pamukkale University Faculty of Education go back to the Denizli Girls’ Teacher Training School, established in 1957. In 1982, the institution was renamed Denizli Higher Institute of Education and affiliated with Dokuz Eylül University, Buca Faculty of Education. Following the establishment of Pamukkale University by Law No. 3837 on July 3, 1992, the Faculty of Education was officially restructured on November 10, 1992. In 1994, the Department of Art and Crafts Teacher Education was established within the Faculty of Education. The first studio classes were held in temporary buildings adjacent to the Vocational School of Technical Sciences, known colloquially as the “school with the plane,” while theoretical courses took place in the former girls' teacher training school building. In 1998, under the Council of Higher Education – National Education Development Project (YÖK-MEGP), the department was reorganized and renamed the “Department of Art and Crafts Education,” operating under the Division of Fine Arts Education. With this reorganization, the department gained its current institutional structure. The studios were relocated sequentially over the years: first to the KYK Dormitory building in İncilipınar in the early 2000s, then to the Faculty of Education building on the Kınıklı Campus in 2008, and finally to the current C Block building in 2020. Today, the entire infrastructure of studios and classrooms is located in C Block. Graduate programs began in the mid-1990s under the Social Sciences Institute and have continued under the Institute of Educational Sciences, established in 2011. A doctoral program was launched in 2023, and the first cohort of students was admitted in the 2024–2025 fall semester. With a history spanning over three decades, the Department of Art and Crafts Education has significantly contributed to the academic, cultural, and artistic life of Denizli. It stands out among similar programs in Turkey with its strong academic staff, contemporary educational approach, and rich artistic activities.