PROGRAMS IN THE ACADEMIC CENTER


Programs Introduction | Studio Arts | Museum Studies | Creative Writing
New Media Arts | Indigenous Liberal Studies | General Education | Primitive Edge Gallery


MUSEUM STUDIES

Degrees Offered

Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) and Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Museum management is one of the fastest growing job markets in North America.  With the advent of such institutions as the National Museum of the American Indian and tribally owned cultural centers, qualified museum professionals are being sought to assist and direct Indigenous ways of seeing, presenting, and caring for important cultural arts and artifacts throughout North America.

Who We Are
The Institute of American Indian Arts is home to the only bachelor of arts museum studies degree program designed from a Native American perspective in the world.  Although IAIA’s hands-on, experiential program conducts classes on the IAIA campus, students also complete internships in the Primitive Edge gallery and at numerous museums in the Santa Fe area, including the IAIA Museum, home to the largest National Collection of Contemporary Indian Art.

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Philosophy
Museums are cultural centers and repositories reflecting the truth of who Native people are, what Native people have contributed, and Native peoples’ dreams for the future. Native Americans in the field of museology maintain an important balance between knowledge from an intrinsic cultural perspective and the more mainstream methods of collections care and cultural presentation. Students in this program have the opportunity to shape the way museums and cultural centers evolve. In a very real sense, museum studies students have the opportunity to change the world.

Objectives
IAIA’s interdisciplinary museum studies program prepares students for the responsibilities of working in the museum job market by revealing the historical methods and philosophies of mainstream museum practice while at the same time encouraging students to expand and improve the way Native American cultures are portrayed within museum settings. IAIA’s program provides training in every aspect of museum studies including: museum management, collections care, conservation, exhibitions, research and repatriation. The Museum Studies Department is committed to the success of each student and to helping provide internship opportunities at regional, national, and international museums. Frequent field trips, guest curators, presentations, workshops, performances, and curatorial projects all ensure students the best possible preparation for becoming qualified professionals in this field.

Multiple Career Paths
Students are qualified for a wide range of positions in the museum profession upon graduating from this program, and can work in positions such as collections managers, curators, education managers, museum directors, repatriation officers and a number of other possibilities within the field of museology.