The Arts and Crafts movement originated in Europe during the late 19th century as a response to the industrial aesthetics of the machine age.

[4] The initial campus was in the "Studio Building" at 2045 Shattuck Avenue, and they had forty three enrolled students.

[6] After the San Francisco campus was opened, the Oakland campus continued to house the more traditional, craft based studios like the art glass, jewelry metal arts, printmaking, painting, sculpture and ceramic programs.

[9] In the 1980s, the college began renting various locations in San Francisco, and in 1996 it opened a campus in the city's Design District, converting a former Greyhound maintenance building.

[13] Other parts of the Oakland campus remained unused in 2024, with plans to create a mixed-use development with hundreds of residential units.

In 2013 the Wattis Institute recruited a new director, Anthony Huberman, formerly of Artist's Space in New York.

CCA as the #1 art school in the United States for return on investment and #4 for average alumni salary (bachelor's degree).