Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) was a private, for-profit
art school
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-sec ...
in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...
. The university was built from the non-profit College of Santa Fe (CSF), a Catholic facility founded as St. Michael's College in 1859, and renamed the College of Santa Fe in 1966. After financial difficulties in 2009, the college closed and the campus was purchased by the City of Santa Fe, the State of New Mexico, and Laureate Education, and reopened with a narrowed focus on film, theater, graphic design and fine arts. As Santa Fe University of Art and Design it became a secular college of 950 students. The university closed in May 2018, due to significant ongoing financial challenges.
History
St. Michael's College was established at the behest of Archbishop
Jean-Baptiste Lamy
Jean-Baptiste Lamy (October 11, 1814 – February 13, 1888), was a French-American Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Willa Cather's novel ''Death Comes for the Archbishop'' is based on his ...
, who had arrived in New Mexico in 1851 to find that formal schooling in the territory was nonexistent. After establishing the Loretto Academy for girls in 1852, Lamy recruited the De La Salle Christian Brothers to open a similar school for boys, and St. Michael's held its first classes in the fall of 1859. In the 1870s, the school appointed a new leader, Brother Botulph, who oversaw its growth into an institution of higher learning. Under Botulph, St. Michael's began offering high school diplomas, and later, teaching certificates. In 1874 it received a charter from the territorial legislature, making it the oldest chartered college in New Mexico.Colleges and Universities City of Santa Fe Economic Development In 1878, the school completed a new main building which still stands in altered form on Old Santa Fe Trail.
Eventually, with different types of educational institutions becoming more sharply delineated, St. Michael's phased out its post-secondary courses by the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
to operate strictly as
St. Michael's High School
St. Michael's High School is a private Catholic junior/senior high school located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is privately run under the auspices of the international Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, better known as the De ...
. However, in the 1940s, the school's former principal Brother Benildus of Mary decided to re-establish St. Michael's College as an institution of higher learning. In 1944 he launched a fundraiser to build a new college on the existing campus which fell short of the goal. However, he got a second chance when the former Bruns Army General Hospital on Cerrillos Road was declared surplus property at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. In 1947, Benildus managed to secure a portion of the hospital complex totaling and 39 semi-permanent wooden buildings for the new college, which was ready to begin classes in the fall. By 1949 the college had over 200 students, and in 1961 it completed its first permanent building, Brother Benildus Hall.
In 1966, the Christian Brothers changed the name of the school to the College of Santa Fe.
In February 2009, the College of Santa Fe declared a state of financial emergency. Attempts to merge with
Highlands University
New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) is a public university in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Founded in 1893, it has satellite campuses in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington and Roswell. NMHU has an average annual enrollment of approximate ...
faltered due to funding concerns, and the school nearly closed. In September 2009, a public-private partnership that included the City of Santa Fe, the New Mexico State Governor's Office and Laureate Education (a for-profit corporation) purchased the campus, reopening the school as The College of Santa Fe, under different leadership.
The name changed to Santa Fe University of Art and Design on August 30, 2010 after the school decided to narrow its focus on art and design. There is no longer an affiliation with the Lasallian Brothers or the alumni of College of Santa Fe.
On May 18, 2016 the school announced that it would be acquired by Raffles Education, a Singapore-based private company. However, the deal fell through, leaving ownership of the school with Laureate Education. Citing "significant ongoing financial challenges," the university closed after the 2017-2018 school year.
Campus
The Santa Fe University of Art and Design was housed on 60-acres. Approximately 70% of its student body lived in college-owned housing.
Facilities
The campus is the location of the Greer Garson Theatre Center, which includes the Weckesser Studio Theatre, a black-box performance space, a dance studio, the Claire Stewart Williamson Acting Lab, practice rooms and costume shops.
The Visual Arts Center houses the art and photography departments. The facility is a series of interconnected buildings designed by Ricardo Legorreta.
Garson Studios is a 27,000-square-foot motion picture soundstage facility connected to the university's Film School. It has the largest permanent green screen in the state of New Mexico. The facility was founded in 1989 by actress and College of Santa Fe patron
Greer Garson
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the h ...
. According to the school, Garson Studios has been the filming location of over 30 films, which collectively have been nominated for 20 Academy Awards, with 5 wins. Students from all programs are eligible to intern on films produced at Garson Studios.
The Screen is a cinematheque with seating for 165. It screens international, artistic, and independent films, and also streams performances of operas, ballets, and plays via satellite. The theater is open to the public.
Academics
Santa Fe University of Art and Design was accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
.
The college offered degrees in arts management, contemporary music, creative writing, digital arts, film, graphic design, performing arts, photography, and studio art.
In 2012 the school began collaborating with actor
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Ceci ...
to offer a full-ride Unique Voice scholarship for
indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
, as well as several Emerging Artist Scholarships.
Notable alumni
St. Michael's College
*
Conrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr. (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American businessman who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916 Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disi ...
, hotelier
*
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (December 7, 1859April 7, 1930) was a Republican politician who served as the fourth governor of New Mexico and a United States senator. He was the first Mexican-American and first Latino United States senator.
Earl ...
, former
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
for
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...
Ari Aster
Ari Aster (born July 15, 1986) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for writing and directing the horror films '' Hereditary'' (2018) and '' Midsommar'' (2019).
Early life
Aster was born into a Jewish family in N ...
, filmmaker
*
Jeffrion L. Aubry
Jeffrion L. Aubry (born February 8, 1948) is an American politician who represents District 35 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises East Elmhurst, LeFrak City, and parts of Corona, Woodside, Elmhurst and Rego Park, Queens.
Early lif ...
, politician in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
* Ray Buktenica, television actor
* Suzanna Choffel, American singer-songwriter and musician
*Paul Collins and Nick Petree of the band
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
Rockmond Dunbar
Rockmond Dunbar (born January 11, 1973) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Baines on the NBC series '' Earth 2'', Kenny Chadway on Showtime family drama '' Soul Food'', and Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin on the Fox crime drama ...
Tim Huelskamp
Timothy Alan Huelskamp (; born November 11, 1968) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. Huelskamp, a member of the Republican Party, was rated the least bipartisan member of the House during the 114t ...
, U.S. Representative from Kansas's 1st district.
* Annie Lederman, comedian
*
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lew ...
Debbie Rodella
Debbie A. Rodella (born November 28, 1961) is an American politician who served as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1993 to 2018. A Democrat, she represented Legislative District 41 located in Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and ...
Democratic city council member who pleaded guilty to bribery in 2007
* Michael Tyburski, filmmaker
*
Bernadette Vigil
Bernadette Vigil (born 1955) is an American artist and illustrator whose work has been exhibited in museums and galleries nationally and abroad. She has produced permanent public artworks in the form of fresco murals for the cities of Santa Fe a ...
, muralist
Notable faculty
* Matt Donovan, Chair, Creative Writing and Literature. Recipient of the 2010 Whiting Writers’ Award.
* Chris Eyre, Chair, The Film School. Recipient of Peabody and Emmy awards for his work as a filmmaker.
* Jon Jory, President's Chair, Performing Arts Department. Member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame; recipient of the National Theatre Conference Award and the American Theatre Association's Distinguished Career Award.
*
Anne Valente
Anne Valente is an American writer. Her debut short story collection, ''By Light We Knew Our Names'', won the Dzanc Books Short Story Prize and was released in September 2014. She is also the author of the fiction chapbook, ''An Elegy for Mathema ...
, Creative Writing and Literature. Recipient of the 2011 Dzanc Books Short Story Prize
*
Susan York
Susan York (born 1951) is an American artist and educator, primarily known for her reductive cast graphite sculpture. She lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico where the quality of light and expansive emptiness of the high desert landscape prov ...
, Installation art and Ceramics. Sculptor.
* Horace Alexander Young, Chair, Contemporary Music Program. saxophonist and flute player