The culture of the arts at Simmons

At the beginning of the fall 2023 semester, the announcement that the arts and arts administration majors would be sunsetted rocked the Simmons community.

Now, the last of the arts majors consist of rising seniors and recently graduated seniors, meaning they were only freshmen and sophomores when Simmons University sunsetted multiple majors.  Some even declared their majors despite the news.

When the change was announced, the university emphasized there would still be support for students within the arts. 

To some extent, that was true. Students already enrolled in the program were able to complete their majors and minors, but they lost out on opportunities available to their predecessors. Many of these opportunities were what drew students to Simmons in the first place.

“There was a specific New York City semester-long arts administration program where you [could network], and work in museums and get some really great hands-on experience,†said  Hadley Stockwell, a rising senior in arts administration. 

The capstone requirement changed, too. Instead of a dedicated arts or arts administration, students now have to take the general humanities capstone. Stockwell took the general capstone as a sophomore. 

Capstones were once specifically tailored to majors. For example, arts administration students could take “Arts in the Community†that paired a seminar with an external internship,  gaining hands-on experience selecting pieces for collections. 

“It was worth double the credits. You got to plan a show. You got to run an artist talk,†Stockwell said on the old capstone. 

But by comparison, the capstone she actually took was more generalized.

“We no longer got to work with the Trustman Gallery to plan a show. It was more, ‘find your own internship and do a more generalized course alongside it.'â€

The decline of arts programs certainly isn't unique to Simmons. 

The Association of Independent Colleges of Arts and Design (AICAD) has seen several member schools close within the past decade. Just last month, Hampshire College, a liberal arts institution in Amherst, known for its student-led approach to teaching, announced its imminent closure. 

Still, the lack of a formal arts major at Simmons doesn't reflect a lack of interest in the programs. Loretta Park, the Director of the Trustman Gallery and a professor, was adamant about that. 

“…[B]ased on the waitlist that we have, honestly, we need to offer more sections,†she explained. Some of the arts classes, such as Draw What You See and Color Studio, have had waitlists as large as the classes themselves. 

Art spaces, just like art courses, are valuable. The fourth floor of the Main College Building is still a tiny world dedicated to the arts. 

The darkroom, tucked neatly into the labyrinth of the fourth floor, is used in classes.

Right next to the darkroom is the Trustman Gallery, the active gallery boasting various artists and their exhibitions throughout the year. For the past few years, the space has also held the annual student art sale and this past winter students displayed their art on the walls in the Common Ground exhibition.

In the fall 2026 catalogue, six unique art courses and only one arts administration course are being offered. Color Studio and Draw What You See both have multiple sections, bringing the total number of art and art administration courses to nine. During the 2022-2023 academic year, 38 art courses were listed, with a wide range of topics.

Of the nine courses appearing next fall, four are completely full. 

The problem isn't that students don't want the arts. It is a lack of support and availability that has existed in the past – although it seems the effects have yet to be realized.