City: Santa Fe, NM

Category: Education

Telephone: (505) 424-2300

Address: 83 Avan Nu Po Rd.

Description: Some of America’s leading American Indian artists—among them Dan Namingha, David Bradley, Estella Loretto, Denise Wallace, Allan Houser, T. C. Cannon, and Darren Vigil-Gray—have taught and/or studied at this unique institution. Established in 1962, the IAIA stands alone as the only two-year fine-arts college devoted solely to the study and contemporary practice of the arts and cultures of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The federal government, on which the IAIA depends for most of its support, has reduced the school budget dramatically since 1995. However, the IAIA has managed to move forward, raising needed funds for core operations from alumni and supporters throughout the country. Enrollment is now around 230 at a new campus on the south side of Santa Fe, near Santa Fe Community College. In its new home, the school has expanded its two-year associate degree program to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree with a curriculum encompassing visual art and design, creative writing, performing arts, cultural studies, and liberal arts incorporating Native American perspectives. The new programs also include business courses to help artists become entrepreneurs.The superb IAIA Museum houses The National Collection of Contemporary Indian Art, the largest curated by American Indians in the world. The museum, with a collection of more than 6,500 pieces, is located in a historic Santa Fe-style building in downtown Santa Fe and features student and alumni work (see our Attractions chapter).