LABA Valencia. School of Art Design and New Media, is the first headquarters opened in Spain by the prestigious Italian University of Art and Design LABA, Libera Accademia di Belle Arti, with more than 20 years of history and 2,500 students enrolled each year. LABA is an Italian institution of higher education, accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education Universities and Research (MIUR). LABA Valencia offers degrees recognized throughout the European Higher Education area within the framework of the Bologna Plan.
LABA Valencia has opened its doors in Spain in the 2021/2022 academic year, offering a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Digital media and one in Photography, two of the specializations with the best career opportunities in the cultural and creative industries. Furthermore, LABA offers an International Master in Multimedia Creation for Performing Arts and Live Shows, which culminated on 11 December with the premiere of the play “Amor” at the TEM – Teatre el Musical in Valencia.
LABA Valencia, following the LABA Italy philosophy, is a living space, with a proactive environment focused on cultural research, where you can nurture your creativity and talent, in an amazing city and at the heart of the latest trends. With a clear international vocation and a strong market orientation, LABA Valencia is committed to those sectors where art and technology merge. Artists and creatives will discover the powerful combination of the best opportunities for their professional future and new ways of personal expression.
In addition to classes with outstanding teachers, you will find continuous motivation and inspiration through: exhibitions such as the annual academic exhibitions with a selection of the best student work, Designers of the Univers, Augmented Worlds, Photo LABA Firenze, events like BlablaNights Cycle of masterclasses on Design, Technology and New media, workshops, collaborations with artists, national and international museums and galleries such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, the Museum of the Image in Portugal, the National Museum of History in Slovenia, the Labyrinth Gallery in Poland and many others.
The campus and facilities
The campus LABA Valencia is located in the city centre on Calle Quart 21-23, one of the most representative streets of Valencia, in the heart of the neighbourhood El Carmen, famous for its mix of a young creative crowd and the Valencian essence, the cafes, artists’ studios, museums, contemporary art centres, art galleries, the Conservatory of Music and several art schools.
LABA Valencia recovers an emblematic space for the city. Its facilities are born in the former headquarters of the Valencia Cinema, a historic place which was probably one of the most active and groundbreaking cultural and artistic spaces in the city and which has now been completely restored. Located on the ground floor of a 19th-century mansion, it has been completely renovated inside to house the modern facilities of LABA Valencia, with first-rate technological equipment:
- State-of-the-art IMAC computer rooms, with all the hardware and software needed by professionals in the field
- Sets of photography and video
- Library
- Umbracle Room, for events, masterclass, or simply to take a break and have a coffee…
- Gallery and exhibition spaces, for rotating exhibitions of both students and renowned artists and creators
You will have first-rate professional audiovisual equipment at your disposal, from the latest and most powerful Canon Mirrorless models to Blackmagic consoles for live stream broadcasting, lighting of the best brands (Profoto, Elinchrom, etc.), professional drones, the latest graphic tablets, etc.
Part of this equipment is available to students to be booked so you can use it for your work outside of school.
All LABA Valencia students have included in the tuition fee, an individual license of the complete package Adobe Creative Cloud, with access to all professional software: Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effect, Animate, Adobe XD, etc.
Key points of the LABA methodology
The methodology, with 20 years of experience and 4 campuses in Italy, has a practical approach focused on the labour market, simultaneously fostering creative experimentation and the development of the most artistic products by students.
- It is based on learning by doing and design thinking (thinking like a designer), combining face-to-face classes, online learning, workshops and masterclasses with leading artists and entities in the area and internships in companies.
- Small classes, with a maximum of 18 students per group. This facilitates teaching and personalized attention and allows establishing a very close relationship with the teachers and professionals who collaborate with LABA Valencia.
- A high-level teaching staff, made up of outstanding active professionals, thus offering students a training experience close to professional practices and the latest market trends
- Professional digital portfolio. LABA Valencia students develop, throughout the entire period of their studies, an attractive digital portfolio, in which they present their skills and their best work, accompanied by evaluations from both teachers, external professionals, and companies, thus becoming a key tool to introduce yourself and access the best positions in the labour market.
- Internships in national and international companies. As a LABA Valencia student, during the last year of your degree, you will carry out long-term internships, of approximately 3 to 6 months, in leading companies in the sector, with the possibility of doing this internship also in companies in Italy.
LABA Valencia, an international experience
Studying at LABA Valencia means studying and developing your talent in an international and multicultural environment, rich in opportunities for artistic growth and professional networking, to set the foundations for your career.
- International exchanges with LABA Italy. All our students participate in one week of workshops in Florence, learning from great professionals Made in Italy and sharing the experience with LABA students from Italy.
- Classes in English and Spanish.
LABA Valencia also offers you the possibility of free courses in both languages, a two-week intensive course in September, before the start of the academic year, and weekly classes throughout the academic year. A unique opportunity to learn Spanish or improve your English to a minimum level B2. - Networking. As a student at LABA Valencia, you will have the opportunity to create an important network of contacts, thanks to the numerous events, workshops and masterclasses with artists and renowned national and international professionals that LABA Valencia organizes every month. An agenda rich in opportunities, which will help you spread your wings once you finish your studies.
LABA promotes your talent
At LABA Valencia we pay special attention to promoting the talent of our students, through some high-impact initiatives:
Exhibition of students’ work. The work of LABA Valencia students is exposed and presented each year in dedicated events:
- In Valencia, at the headquarters LABA Valencia and in collaboration with other institutions and renowned experts who will give feedback to students
- In Italy, at the headquarters of LABA Florence in a pavilion of Florence Design Week, one of the most important design events in Europe
