World Class Art in Flint

The Flint Institute of Arts is the second largest art museum in Michigan and one of the largest museum art schools inthe United States. Each year, more than 160,000 people visit its galleries and participate in its programs and services.For 90 years, the FIA has been responsible for acquiring, protecting, and presenting a collection of art and artifactsspanning the globe. The world-renowned collection, which exceeds 8,000 objects, is significant for its depth ofimportant European and American paintings and sculptures, 15th century to the present, and its extensive holdingsof decorative and applied arts including important ethnographic study collections dating back five millennia. The FIApromotes the power of the visual arts by providing lifelong learning opportunities to engage and educate a diverseregional audience. The FIA is committed to making art available, approachable, and accessible to all through a broad range of interpretiveprograms in order to provide multiple ways of accessing information on the permanent collection and temporaryexhibitions through guided tours; lectures and community dialogues; art classes, workshops, and studio demonstrations;gallery, studio, and outreach programs for PreK-12, Head Start, and homeschool students; films and videos; print,audio, and multimedia resources. The FIA presents educational lectures and community dialogues focusing on exhibition themes; offers 180 artclasses, educator workshops, and studio demonstrations for participants ranging in age from toddlers to seniorc tizens; and schedules more than 45 curriculum-based PreK-12 and homeschool programs serving tens ofthousands of children. Films shown in the 330 seat FIA theater are selected to appeal to three distinct audiences:adults, college students, and senior citizens. Printed exhibition and collection catalogs, gallery guides, schoolbrochures, audio guide entries, and online resources are produced to enhance educational opportunities for thebroadest possible audience. As the fifth largest museum art school in the country, the FIA Art School runs at full capacity seven days a week withan annual enrollment of more than 1,700 students. The Art School remains dedicated to educational enlightenmentthrough formal studio instruction in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, printmaking, ceramics,mosaic, fiber, glass blowing, and flameworking. The school also provides summer camps for youth, free familyactivities, and a pre-college portfolio development program for gifted high school students. The FIA is accredited by the American Association of Museums, an honor held consistently for more than 40 years,and has also maintained membership to the American Association of Museum Directors since 1989, proving itsdedication to quality programming, adherence to standards of excellence, and commitment to education.