"Many benefits for the Eastern Band of Cherokee and for Western North Carolina's economy have flowed from gaming revenue produced by Harrah's Cherokee Casino. The opening of a course site in Cherokee by the country's premier institution for American Indian artists may be one of the most culturally significant.

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), a four-year fine arts college in Santa Fe, N.M., founded in 1962, will begin offering classes in Cherokee as soon as January, organizers say. It will be the only alternate site for the institute and could be an opportunity to propel the area to the forefront of Indian art, according to Lynne Harlan, a member of the Eastern Band who formerly worked as a curator at the IAIA museum.

'When IAIA opened in Santa Fe, it was a tiny artists colony with no economic engine,' Harlan said. 'Now it's a mecca for Indian art.'"

Get the Story:
Editorial: Coming Native-American arts courses at Cherokee offer an exciting opportunity for WNC (The Asheville Citizen-Times 8/9)

Relevant Links:
Institute of American Indian Arts - http://www.iaiancad.org

Related Stories:
IAIA to open site on Eastern Cherokee Reservation (8/1)
IAIA seeking $37M for multidisciplinary center (01/18)