ésam Caen/Cherbourg

ésam Caen/Cherbourg (École supérieure d'arts & médias de Caen/Cherbourg) is a public institution of higher artistic education under the supervision of the ministère de la Culture, born from the merger of the art schools of Caen and Cherbourg. It awards nationally recognized diplomas: the DNA (bachelor's level) after three years and the DNSEP (master's level) after five years.

Its distinctive feature is operating across two sites in Normandy, allowing for differentiated paths: the Caen campus notably offers instruction in design graphique alongside art, while Cherbourg-en-Cotentin offers a curriculum centered on art, in a more intimate setting conducive to individualized mentoring.

The pedagogy is based on the studio and personal projects: drawing, painting, volume and sculpture, photography, video, sound, performance, publishing, typography, printed and digital image. The school has technical workshops (printing, wood, metal, image, sound) and combines practice with theoretical teaching in art history, aesthetics and media culture, as well as an introduction to research.

ésam is part of an active regional network around visual arts and contemporary art, with institutional partnerships, workshops led by invited artists and designers, exhibitions, and commissioned or publishing projects. International exchanges (such as Erasmus+) and support for professional integration round out the students' education.