The postgraduate School of Decoration aims to provide students with advanced artistic, technical, and operational training, enriching their cultural horizons and offering professional opportunities, transforming today’s student into tomorrow’s operator/artist. The master program addresses contemporary aspects of decoration in relation to architecture and design, the urban environment, and artistic practices. The techniques of painted and plastic decoration, in stucco, glass, ceramics, screen printing, and etching are studied alongside a design approach that incorporates both traditional methods and tools as well as digital and computer technologies. Students engage in practical training directly in the laboratory on wall surfaces and project rooms, effectively simulating the “construction site” context, experimenting with a wide variety of techniques: potassium silicate painting, stucco, wallpaper, and painted papers (papier peint), using both traditional techniques and those related to new technologies. In addition to experiences within the Academy, the program allows students to experiment with mural painting interventions in urban contexts, both within the Genoese territory and beyond.

The postgraduate School of Decoration encourages students to approach the study and practice of decoration also in relation to the specificities of the local tradition (addressed during the undergraduate program), reinterpreting and reinventing the past through the lens of contemporary visual culture, in dialogue with the growing interest in painted walls that street art, public art, urban regeneration, and architectural and interior design have demonstrated over recent decades. The organization of masterclasses, workshops, and roundtables with contemporary artists, designers, and industry experts are proposed as moments for deepening knowledge and fostering critical and creative reflection on the theme of decoration and its specificities within current visual practices.

The faculty of the postgraduate School of Decoration aims to enhance students’ cultural background, develop technical skills, artistic and creative abilities, and the capacity to independently organize their work both in direct and indirect professional contexts. The program also focuses on equipping students with the skills and competencies required by the market, and the ability to conceive, design, and execute innovative decorative solutions in harmony with the visual imagery of contemporary culture.

Graduates of the program will undertake specialized professional activities related to decoration in various fields, with a particular focus on the design, planning, and execution of mural interventions for both interior and exterior spaces, as well as interventions within the realm of public art. Their expertise in traditional artistic techniques (such as painting, ornamental sculpture, and graphic art, to name a few) and knowledge of design methodologies linked to digital technologies enable them to apply their skills in various creative practices, from independent artistic creation to working with public and private clients. From a glocal perspective, the expanded view of how decoration is applied today, combined with the ability to engage with various job opportunities, finds its essential reference point in the specificities of the national context.

To support such employment prospects, the Academy organizes, in cooperation with public and private entities, the most suitable internships and placements to help students acquire specific professional skills and further define training models for each course of study. In addition to the “natural” career path of a decorator, this specialization also opens the door to teaching positions in institutions of various levels, allowing for the acquisition of the necessary academic credits for teaching.