About Us
The New Hampshire Institute of Art was established as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences in 1898. From the Institute’s outset, it has had a firm commitment to educating diverse traditional and nontraditional students in the fine arts. As an art college accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Institute offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Certificate Programs and a strong Continuing Education program. Dedicated faculty promote intellectual and artistic development and teach students to respond artistically to contemporary social, political, and aesthetic issues.
The New Hampshire Institute of Art supports excellence in teaching and recruits practicing artists, working writers, designers, and arts-oriented liberal arts faculty who are highly qualified educators and community members. They provide curriculum that balances the teaching of technical skills with the development of critical, intellectual, and creative abilities.
A Little History
Apart from its mission as an institution of higher education, the Institute serves as an important cultural center for the state of New Hampshire. In 1924, the 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.
In 1997, the New Hampshire Postsecondary Commission authorized the Institute to award the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. At that time the Institute became the New Hampshire Institute of Art. In 2001, the New Hampshire Institute of Art received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Institute is a candidate for accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Since 2001, with the opening of Fuller Hall, the Institute has experienced exponential growth and has quickly become one of the finest, small art colleges in the region. With the growth in the student body, the faculty, staff and physical plant has expanded. Currently, the Institute owns or operates 12 buildings in the downtown Manchester area, all within a three-block radius of Victory Park.
