The IAIA was founded by visionaries who sought to reawaken artistic traditions that had been a primary mode of Indian expression for centuries. As the first Indian educational institution to be premised on the value of the cultural heritage of America's Native peoples, self-identity and individual expression were encouraged, and the contemporary arts were taught as a vehicle for that expression. Established in 1962 by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Arts Development (IAIA) was initially a high school. In 1975 the Institute became a two-year college offering associate degrees. The institute also includes a major contemporary Indian art museum located just off the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe (NM).
( www.iaiancad.org )
