The NB Haifa School of Design, named after Neri Bloomfield and formerly WIZO Canada, is a college of art located in the German Colony in downtown Haifa, Israel. It is the leading professional and academic institution for higher education in art in northern Israel.^{[1][promotional source?]} The academy's president is Dr David Alexander.

History

The academy was founded in 1971 by the international WIZO organization to train professional artists and art teachers. Initially, the academy shared a building with the WIZO high school of art in the neighbourhood of Upper Hadar. In 2004 the academy moved down to a refurbished modern building in the German Colony.

Departments

The academy has six departments in the design professions - Architecture, Management, Graphic design, Photography, Film and Fashion design. The design studies are combined with getting a diploma in education, and the academy is thus destined to qualify the students to become teachers in the post-primary schools in the fields of design and art.

Building

The building that houses the academy today, formerly a youth centre owned by the city, was renovated by architects Yoram Poper and Esti&Eli Hirsch(E.E.Hirsch Architects) together with Galit Rmeo/ Luciano Santandreu, winners of the design competition.^[2] The entrance floor serves as a gallery to alternating exhibitions of the students and artists. The building's interior was designed in a modern and dynamic style whereas its exterior blends with the character of other old structures in the German Colony.