New Hampshire Institute of Art

New Hampshire Institute of Art

Type	Private
Established	1898
Endowment	$24.9 million (as of June 30, 2014)[1]
President	Kent Devereaux
Academic staff	100[2]
Students	506[3]
Location	Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Campus	Urban
Website	www.nhia.edu

The New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) is a private, non-profit college of creative arts located in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the United States. NHIA is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NHIA is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).^[4]

NHIA offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Art Education, Ceramics, Creative Writing, Fine Arts, Design, Illustration and Photography, as well as Master of Fine Arts degrees in Creative Writing, Photography, Visual Arts, and Writing for Stage and Screen, and a Master of Arts in Art Education (M.A.A.E.).^[5]

History

NHIA was founded in 1898 as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences with the goal of promoting a "cultivation of the arts and sciences, to give a more general impulse and systematic direction to scientific research and encourage and stimulate the study of history, literature, and industrial institutions."^[6] In 1916 the institute moved into a new permanent home with the construction of the French Building, named in honor of the institute's patron, Mrs. Emma Blood French.^[7] In 1924, the New Hampshire State Board of Education certified the institute's four-year program to prepare high school graduates to teach art. Shortly thereafter, a four-year program in Fine Arts was approved.^[8]

In 1997, the State of New Hampshire authorized the institute to award the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. It was at this time that the school adopted a new name: New Hampshire Institute of Art.^[9] The college received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)^[10] in 2001 and from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in 2011.^[11]

In the late 1990s, the college was the beneficiary of a $24 million bequest from the estate of Mary Fuller Russell.^[12] This allowed NHIA to establish an endowment and embark upon a major expansion of its campus. From 2002 to 2012, under the leadership of then president Roger Williams, the college's enrollment and physical plant expanded rapidly to encompass over 500 students.^[13]

The 2012 closure of Chester College of New England, a small liberal arts college based in Chester, New Hampshire,^[14] resulted in over 80 percent of the student body and several full-time faculty members transferring to NHIA.^[15]

That same year NHIA reached agreement with the Sharon Arts Center, a small community-based arts education center with operations in Sharon and Peterborough, New Hampshire, to merge operations.^[16] The Sharon Arts Center was incorporated on October 22, 1946, its stated purpose being "To stimulate, encourage and provide education in the theory and practice of the arts and crafts through instruction, exhibitions and marketing assistance."^[17]

The merger with the Sharon Arts Center also allowed NHIA to introduce a new, low-residency M.F.A. program based in Sharon and Peterborough in 2013.^[18]

Campus

The New Hampshire Institute of Art owns or leases a total of fourteen buildings in Manchester, Sharon, and Peterborough, New Hampshire. Notable among these:

• French Building (148 Concord Street, Manchester), named in honor of NHIA's patron, Mrs. Emma Blood French, houses Admissions, Financial Aid, Printmaking, and Fine Arts departments as well as a 325-seat auditorium.
• Fuller Hall (156 Hanover Street, Manchester). The former New Hampshire Fire Insurance Co. building was renovated and opened to house NHIA's photography department and Teti Library and Special Collections in 2000. It was renamed Fuller Hall in recognition of Mary Fuller Russell.^[19]
• Roger Williams Studios Building (77 Amherst Street, Manchester). Purchased in March 2005, the former Stan's Masury paint store was renovated and reopened in January 2006. The building is now home to the Ceramics and Foundations departments as well as a student lounge, faculty offices, senior studios, and NHIA's Amherst Street Gallery.^[20] The building was dedicated in honor of former president Roger Williams in 2014.^[21]
• Lowell Street Studios and Residence Hall (88 Lowell Street, Manchester). In 2009, NHIA embarked on the challenging task of combining the existing building at 88 Lowell Street with a newly constructed, six-story residence hall, which ultimately achieved Gold LEED Certification.^[22] This innovative project entailed moving the historic structure that had been home to Manchester’s first public high school closer to the street and earned the project architect Dennis Mires, P.A. an American Institute of Architects New Hampshire Excellence in Architecture Design Award.^[23]
• Sharon Arts Center (457 Route 123, Sharon). Ground was broken for the school and administration building in Sharon in the spring of 2000. The building was completed in November and dedicated in December. New classes were started in January 2001.^[24]

Program of study

NHIA offers the following accredited degree programs through its undergraduate and graduate divisions, as well as a combined B.F.A./M.A.A.E. degree.

• Art Education - M.A.A.E.
• Ceramics - B.F.A.
• Creative Writing - B.F.A., M.F.A.
• Fine Arts - B.F.A.
• Design - B.F.A.
• Illustration - B.F.A.
• Photography - B.F.A., M.F.A.
• Visual Arts - M.F.A.
• Writing for Stage and Screen - M.F.A.

Through its Community Education (CE) division, NHIA offers the following certificate programs:

• Interior Design
• Painting
• Photography
• Ceramics

Notable faculty

• Monica Bilson
• Jim Burke
• Joel Christian Gill
• Tim Horvath
• Jason Landry
• Buzz McLaughlin
• Maureen Mills
• Patrick McCay
• Eric Pinder
• Gary Samson
• Craig Stockwell

References

1. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2014/020/222/2014-020222154-0b20cbea-9.pdf
2. https://www.nhia.edu/about. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
3. National Center for Education Ipeds (2013 data). http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/ Retrieved 18 February 2015.
4. NEASC accreditation: https://cihe.neasc.org/about-our-institutions/roster/new-hampshire-institute-art Retrieved 18 February 2015.
5. http://www.nhia.edu/programs. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
6. Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences. Proceedings of the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences. 1 (1899): [9].
7. Clough, Albert L. President's report. (Manchester: Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences, 1916) [1].
8. Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences Annual Report 1995-1996. (Manchester: Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences, 1996) 2-3.
9. Thomas P. Manson, Chairman of the Board (n.d.). "Chairman's Report." New Hampshire Institute of Art 1996-1997 Annual Report. [1].
10. NASAD List of Accredited Members. http://nasad.arts-accredit.org. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
11. Institute Receives NEASC Accreditation. nhia.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
12. Hartford Courant, (2001, November 07). Mr Fuller’s Extraordinary Gift. (http://articles.courant.com/2001-11-07/news/0111070350_1_trinity-s-history-mr-fuller-gift). Hartford Courant. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
13. "New Hampshire's Art Secret…NHIA". nhnpr.org. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
14. "Chester College will close." https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/21/chester-college-will-shut-down Retrieved 18 February 2015.
15. Former Chester College Students Flock to Another Arts School. http://www.eagletribune.com/news/article_fa2fbb4a-2ed7-57e1-9736-2386dcecaff0.html. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
16. "New Hampshire Institute of Art and Sharon Arts Center Announce Merger." nhia.edu. Retrieved February 2015.
17. "NH Art Institute to Manage Sharon Arts." ledgertranscript.com. Retrieved February 2015.
18. http://www.nhia.edu/nh-institute-of-art-launches-new-low-residency-master-of-fine-arts-program/. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
19. RECON BULLETINS. (2000). New Hampshire Business Review, 22 (23), 41.
20. NHIA – Amherst St. thearchitects.net Retrieved February 2015.
21. NH Institute of Art Honors Former President Roger Williams at Building Dedication. Nhia.edu. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
22. LEED Gold: http://www.usgbc.org/projects/nhia-88-lowell-st. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
23. AIA Design Award: http://www.aianh.org/design-awards/2010-awards. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
24. http://www.sharonarts.org/about/history. Retrieved 18 February 2015.

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 42°59′30″N 71°27′39″W / 42.99167°N 71.46083°W