Montserrat College of Art

 

Montserrat was born in the late sixties, a time when people were questioning the status quo and seeking new solutions. A group of artists who were working and teaching in the Boston area had a bold idea: to create a new kind of art school in Massachusetts for professional education in the visual arts – a school that would not only focus on the arts, but would also focus on the individual needs of each student. A simple idea, but one that had seldom been attempted and rarely achieved. Foregoing the security – but also the limitations – that traditional institutions offered, these artists labored to breathe life into their idea.

In the early years, Montserrat School of Visual Arts, as it was then called, offered a professional diploma in the same studio concentrations for which it is known today. By the 1980s, this still-young Massachusetts art school was accredited and granted the authority to award the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. With that milestone came a new name: Montserrat College of Art.

By 1990, Montserrat had outgrown its original facility and moved to historic downtown Beverly, Massachusetts, into the Hardie Building, a newly renovated, nineteenth century building with expanded teaching facilities. Steadily, the art college acquired residence halls and the Cabot Studio Building, establishing a vibrant and eclectic seaside Massachusetts campus.

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Today, the dream of those artists back in the sixties is a reality. Just as they had hoped, creativity flows at Montserrat College of Art. Students are drawn by the intensive studio environment and one-on-one instruction from our faculty of accomplished artists, designers, and scholars. At Montserrat art school you will find a place of inspiration, respect, and encouragement, where you can develop your talents and achieve your vision of the future.

To learn more about the college’s history, watch this video produced by alumni Mel Powsner ’17 and Dino Rowan ’16 from their class with Professor Ethan Berry.

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President
Kurt T. Steinberg, Ed. D.
President of Montserrat College of Art

Dr. Kurt T. Steinberg, Ed.D. is the 8th President of Montserrat College of Art. He began his tenure at the college on July 1, 2018 after 12 years as Executive Vice President and one year as Acting President at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

An authority in collegiate operations, Dr. Steinberg has delivered guest lectures on higher education finance, urban planning, and the Massachusetts political process at Suffolk University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and many professional higher education conferences.

He has served on and chaired accreditation teams for the New England Commission of Higher Education (N.E.C.H.E.), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (N.A.S.A.D.), National Association of Schools of Music (N.A.S.M.), and the National Association of Schools of Dance (N.A.S.D.). He was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce in the fall of 2018.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He earned his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University.

A resident of Framingham, MA, Dr. Steinberg is an Honorary Trustee of the Danforth Art Alliance after serving as Trustee of the Danforth Museum and School. He was an elected member of the Framingham Town Meeting and later chair of the Town Finance Committee. Dr. Steinberg is married to Sarah Steinberg, a graduate of the Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts and an artist-educator with the Wellesley Public Schools. Mrs. Steinberg maintains a studio practice at Saxonville Mills in Framingham. The Steinbergs have two sons, one of whom attends Framingham High School and the other the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Read more about Dr. Steinberg here