Institute of American Indian Arts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)

Type	Public tribal land-grant college
Established	1962
Affiliation	AIHEC
President	Robert Martin
Location	Santa Fe , New Mexico , United States 35°35′13″N 106°00′36″W / 35.587°N 106.010°W / 35.587; -106.010
Colors	Silver & Turquoise
Mascot	Thunderbird
Website
Federal Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
20th Century postcard depicting the Federal Building
Location in New Mexico Show map of New Mexico Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	108 Cathedral Place at Palace St., Santa Fe, New Mexico
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1920 (1920)
Architectural style	Pueblo
NRHP reference No.	74001207
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 15, 1974

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a special college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. It is a public college for Native American students. IAIA focuses on teaching and celebrating Native American art.

The college also runs the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA). This museum is in the old Santa Fe Federal Building. This building is a famous example of Pueblo Revival style. The museum holds the National Collection of Contemporary Indian Art. It has more than 7,000 amazing art pieces.

Discovering IAIA's History

The Institute of American Indian Arts was started in 1962. It was co-founded by Lloyd Kiva New (who was Cherokee) and Dr. George Boyce. The school received money from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The BIA is a U.S. government agency that works with Native American tribes.

IAIA was created for a few reasons. People were not happy with the art program at the Santa Fe Indian School. Also, the BIA started to show more interest in higher education. The Southwest Indian Art Project and the Rockefeller Foundation also helped make the school happen.

IAIA first opened on the Santa Fe Indian School campus in October 1962. From 1962 to 1979, IAIA had a high school program. In 1975, it began offering college and advanced art classes.

In 1986, IAIA became a special kind of nonprofit organization. This meant it was no longer directly controlled by the BIA. It became similar to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1994, IAIA was named a land-grant college. This helped it get more support for its programs.

The school became fully accredited in 2001. This meant its four-year degrees were officially recognized. In 2013, a two-year MFA program in creative writing was also accredited.

Today, IAIA has a large campus. It is about 12 miles south of downtown Santa Fe. The college also runs the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe Plaza. Plus, it has a Center for Lifelong Education.

Exploring the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, 2004

In 1991, the college opened the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum. It is now called the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA). This museum focuses on modern art made by different Native American tribes.

The MoCNA is located in the historic Santa Fe Federal Building. This building used to be the old Post Office. It is a famous Pueblo Revival style building. The museum also has the Allan Houser Sculpture Garden. This garden features beautiful sculptures.

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  Performance by Wayne Nez Gaussoin (Picuris/Navajo) at MoCNA

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  IAIA MoCNA columns next to a sculpture by Bob Haozous (Chiricahua Apache)

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  The main entrance of MoCNA

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  The MoCNA building

Working Together: IAIA Partnerships

IAIA is part of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. This group includes colleges for Native American students. They work to make tribal nations stronger. They also help improve the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

IAIA often helps Native American students who live in faraway places. These students might not have many other ways to get an education after high school.

In the early 1970s, a group from IAIA toured the country. They were called the E-Yah-Pah-Hah Chanters. They performed with the American Indian Theatre Ensemble. This group shared traditional and modern Native American music. Their songs came from many different areas of Indian Country.

Amazing Faculty Members

Many talented artists and scholars have taught at IAIA. Here are some of them:

Successful Alumni

Many students who attended IAIA have gone on to become famous artists, writers, and leaders. Here are some of them:

Important Leaders and Staff

Here are some key people who have worked in leadership roles or as staff at IAIA:

See also

• C.N. Gorman Museum, a museum similar to the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, also focusing on modern Native art.