The chair of artistic textile is one of the oldest in L'viv Academy of Arts. It was founded in 1946 when L'viv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Art was set up. L'viv Academy of Arts was created on the base of the institute in 1946.

Traditions of folk and authorized hand weaving were alive in the Western Ukraine at the time when the institute was founded. Therefore the new chair had favourable conditions for its development. The first students graduated in 1953. In general from the very beginning till this time the chair has prepared 704 specialists and it is proud of them. Among them People's and Honoured Artists, Honoured Figures of Culture and Industry of Ukraine, chief artists of big textile enterprises, State T.G.Shevehenko Prize Laureates, doctors and candidates of art criticizm.

Related but independent speciality called "Artistic modelling of costume" was set up at the chair of textile. The first artists of costume modelling were trained just here. In 1972 on the base of former experience a separate chair of Modelling of costume was founded there.

From the beginning till this time the chair of artistic textile was oriented towards wide and universal training of specialists. Now the educational programme includes teaching different textile techniques and methods such as loom controlled and jacquard weaving, tapestry and kylym weaving, fabric decorating by different methods e.g. batik, painting, fotoprint. Besides the programme includes creating peaces of textiles of different characters and functions e.g. topical tapestries and panels, decorative fabrics for enterior and cloth, different suvenirs.

Due to the character of subjects studied for six years the students get professional preparation. This subjects are the following: bases of composition, professional composition, craft, theory of weaving structures, theory of colour, chemical technology of textile materials. Broad artistic specialization and erudition are provided by such subjects as drawing, painting, history of art and others taught by corresponding chairs. The chair possesses well equipped study rooms and workshops where classes in craft are held under supervision of experienced masters.

The teachers of the chair are engaged in constant research. Taking into consideration recent rapid growth of the scale of artistic information, quick and constant changes in the world textile avant- garde, new economical realities, professors and teachers of the chair renew educational programmes and methods.

The chair of artistic textile celebrated it's 50-th anniversary in October 1996. There was held a scientific conference and exhibition of artistic works created by lecturers, students and graduators of the chair. The exhibition wich took place in Lviv Palace of Art represented achivements of Lviv school of artistic textile. There was presented more than 200 works by 115 artists. Among creations there were tapestries, baltiks, paintings, graphics, wearable and industrial textiles.
At the chair of artistic textile in L'viv Academy of Arts students are trained in the spirit of refined taste, understanding the character and specific features of the craft, love towards folk Ukrainian and world textile traditions . Perhaps this broad outlook based on traditions and new range of professional methods forms the heart of the phenomenon named "L'viv style", "L'viv school of artistic textile".
Halyna Kus'ko