THE PROGRAM
HISA’s full semester studio courses are designed to merge formalistic exercises with creative and experimental work. The Art Workshop, Interrelated Media, and both the black and white and color digital elements of the photographic program are all project-based, and students are encouraged to use and explore their imaginative impulses and individualized perceptions in their artistic endeavors.
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HISA’s Liberal Arts courses are all based on syllabi created to encourage discussion, insight into challenging material, and the accumulation of knowledge central to intellectual and creative growth. A core element of HISA's program is that we offer an environment conducive to creative output, social interaction, and positive experiences so that students can make the most progress in their art and academic work.
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The individualized nature of the HISA program allows students to exercise a broad degree of autonomy over their studies and projects. As well, the wide range of courses offered and the advanced levels available in many of them offer students the option of concentrating on one discipline or arranging a set of core courses and electives that can most significantly advance their degree ambitions.
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Woven into the overall program at all levels is HISA’s historical sites and cultural immersion modules.
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Midterm Break
The optional mid-term study break (Semester): To ensure that students gain the widest possible European contextual appreciation of art, culture, and manners, HISA has arranged its course schedule to accommodate an optional five day study break. During this period, students will be free to travel alone, or with others, to any nearby European destination as well as other sites in Greece. Faculty and staff will help provide travel and destination information, and the five day study break will include course assignments, readings and journal entries, according to each student’s course selection. Study break dates will be announced before the start of the semester.
Academic Field Trips in Greece
HISA’s historical sites component complements the material covered in class by exposing students to the breadth of island culture and art, introducing them to relevant archaeological sites on the Greek Islands. Civilization through the ages is revealed in a wealth of Cycladic artifacts, Minoan frescoes, Archaic sculpture, and classical sanctuaries on Delos, Mykonos, Naxos, and Santorini.
Immersed in this rich historical context, students find inspiration for their creative and academic projects. We retrace the footsteps of pilgrims and Roman soldiers on the Byzantine trail and investigate fortified settlements and tower houses once ruled by the Venetians and Ottomans. Exploring island landscapes including the fertile valleys and rugged mountains of Naxos, the sea-caves of Antiparos, the vast volcanic crater of Santorini, the ancient quarries, terraces, and quiet coves of Paros, allows students to appreciate the natural diversity of the Cyclades.
It is HISA's desire to provide students with a sense of being on Paros and in Greece, giving them the academic, artistic, and experiential lift essential to their educational and career goals. These trips are offered both in semester and summer programs.
