“It’s an experience I wouldn’t want to lose.”
-Tallulah Nepsted, NMSA Class of 2018, on the NMSA residence program
Above: NMSA Residence Hall at Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center, January 2015
Photo credit: Emily Wolf
One of the most unique characteristics of New Mexico School for the Arts is its burgeoning residence program.
Each year, an ever-growing number of students from all around the state, who live too far from NMSA to commute daily, head to NMSA’s dorm, their 5-day-per-week home away from home for the school year!
In the past, the residential students have been housed in New Mexico School for the Deaf and a bed-and-breakfast in downtown Santa Fe. This year, students live at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center, just about a mile west of their school and the Santa Fe Plaza.
Residential Director Stephanie Wilton says that while there are always kinks to work out in the residence program, things run more and more smoothly every year. “All aspects have been improving steadily from year to year. It feels more cohesive this year, like a family!”
The IHM Retreat Center has common areas and a caterer on-site, and students have quickly settled into the dorm, making it a home. “I feel like the NMSA dorm community is very flexible in how we adapt to change,” says Senior Theater major Isaiah Cordova, who hails from Mora, NM. “I like how kind and compassionate the people are, and I like that we have a principal who cares how we are doing.”
Students keep busy at the dorm, decorating it for holidays (above) and making it a place where they can practice their art, do homework, take walks & socialize, and (occasionally) sleep!
NMSA Residence Program: At-A-Glance
Number of students: 16
Where are our students coming from?
Mora, Taos, Alamogordo, Carrizozo, Alto, Tijeras, Las Vegas, Grants
Residential Director: Stephanie Wilton
Residential Advisor: Emily Wolf
Music majors: 5
Dance majors: 4
Theater majors: 5
Visual Arts majors: 2
A special thank you to The Frost Foundation, the Life Center Foundation,
and the many friends who provide annual support for NMSA’s Residential Program.
Be sure to join us on
May 22, 2015
for ARTSPRING
An array of inspiring performances and a visual arts exhibition by NMSA students!