We’ve been here for 149 years, pioneering, sustaining, and refining a world-class education in art and design, and sending skilled and experienced scholar-artists out into the world as professionals, ready to shake-up and shine on local and global stages. In 1873, the Massachusetts Normal Art School opened its doors in response to the Massachusetts Drawing Act, a progressive 1870 mandate requiring all cities in the Commonwealth of over 10,000 residents to include drawing in their public school curricula (“normal schools” were the precursors to teachers’ colleges). The Industrial Revolution was changing the way the world functioned, and mid-19th Century Bostonians believed that industry wasn’t the only way to build a stronger nation. Art, they felt certain, was also essential to growing a powerful country, a vital economy, and improving and advancing the well-being of citizens. London and Paris - thriving cities with grand museums and galleries - were compelling examples. At MassArt, we’ve always believed that art is an igniting force for positive change. From our earliest days, we’ve offered a bright gate where access to a world-class art education isn’t defined by economics or privilege. We’re committed to providing an education and the promise of a future based on talent, ambition, and drive. As the first publicly supported freestanding visual arts college in the US, we take great pride in our ability to nurture and support students with extraordinary creative promise, regardless of limitations in college prep opportunities, or financial status.

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Population: 5000

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