The New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA) is a public/private partnership comprised of the New Mexico School for the Arts, a New Mexico state charter high school, and School for the Arts – NM, a nonprofit art educational institution. The purpose of the New Mexico School for the Arts is to provide the highest standards of excellence in preparing New Mexico’s artistically talented students to compete in the national arena for post-secondary education and/or professional careers in the arts. NMSA will offer pre-professional instruction in the performing and visual arts in combination with rigorous academics leading to a New Mexico diploma. NMSA will be located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is scheduled to open in Fall 2010.
NMSA is modeled after other public art schools in Alabama, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. Information from expert arts advisors and from the nation’s leading arts secondary schools is being used to develop the curriculum. NMSA will prepare a diverse community of students to continue their arts education at institutions of higher learning and to lead productive and creative lives that enrich society.
Click here to see the legislation –Senate Bill 34.
Click here to see the charter school application and the charter school approval process.
Mission
NMSA is dedicated to arts mastery and academic excellence assisting passionate young artists in developing their full potential.
Statement of Purpose
New Mexico School for the Arts is a public/private partnership comprised of School for the Arts – NM (SA-NM), a tax exempt arts educational institution, and New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA), a statewide charter high school. NMSA was created to give New Mexico students who demonstrate exceptional promise, aptitude and passion for the arts the opportunity to work toward mastery in their chosen fields and to earn a New Mexico high school diploma.
Vision
The primary vision of the School is to provide students with the tools to pursue a career in the arts, either as a practicing artist or in the arts industry, and to successfully receive a high school diploma. The School envisions its graduates to be productive members of the artistic and creative workforce and/or to be successful college students.
The School will focus in three primary areas to achieve this vision – “art, smart and heart.” First, the School will focus on artistic studies providing instruction up to, and including, college level instruction – “art”. The School will be aligned with art college entrance requirements and teach the skills needed to prepare students to continue to the next step to becoming professional artists, if they have the drive, desire and dedication to work towards these very competitive jobs. The School will also introduce the students to the wider arts market and industries, since many art high school graduates nationwide pursue careers in the arts industry, not as practicing artists. Academically (“smart”), the School will prepare the students for college, and the School will align its academic curricula to meet college admission requirements. Finally, the School will focus on personal discipline, social, emotional and physical health in the students’ lives, so that the students will carry forward personal health, balance and discipline in their lives – “heart”.
Goals
- Students will excel academically and artistically and graduate with a strong academic and arts education.
- Students will receive an education aligned with the requirements of entrance into higher educational institutions and professional arts programs.
- Students will receive instruction up to, and including, college level instruction in the arts.
- Students will develop discipline, a standard of excellence, and a belief in themselves.
- Students will be competent in the fundamental skills of their art form and understand the classic core of their art form.
Nondiscrimination Policy
The School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, sexual preference, culture, and religion or with any disability to all of the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to its students. NMSA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, sexual preference, culture, disability and religion in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid programs and other programs.