Watkins College of Art at Belmont University is an art and design college of

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. It is accredited by the

National Association of Schools of Art and Design The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees ...

(NASAD) and offers

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

(BFA) degrees as well as post-graduate degrees in film and visual arts. As of 2019, approximately 200 students were enrolled, mostly full-time. The college resides in a facility in the MetroCenter area of north Nashville and offers on-campus housing. It was established in 1885. In 2020, the college merged with

History

Watkins was founded as the Watkins Institute in 1885 by Samuel Watkins, a self-educated Nashville businessman. The school became nationally accredited by the

(NASAD) in 1996. Watkins was accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

(SACS) and a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). First located on Church Street in downtown Nashville, the school moved to temporary facilities in the 100 Oaks area in 1999, and then to a permanent location in 2002. Watkins opened its first residence hall in 2005 and the second in 2008. The college merged with

and moved to the university's campus in 2020. The merger plans were not welcomed by all Watkins students and faculty with some particularly concerned about Belmont University's practices of firing non-Christian faculty and staff and restrictions of practices deemed incompatible with the university's Christian beliefs e.g., not allowing drawings of nude models, demanding a director remove swearing from a play's script.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins College of Art at Belmont University Art schools in Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1885 1885 establishments in Tennessee