Instituto Superior de Arte

Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), also known as the University of Arts of Cuba, is a Cuban higher-education institution dedicated to professional and advanced study in the arts. It was established by the Cuban government on 1 September 1976 as a specialized school for artistic education. Its original academic structure comprised three schools: Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. Over time, the institution broadened its remit to include Arts and Audiovisual Communication Media, reflecting the expansion of artistic practice into film, television, digital media, and related forms of cultural production. ISA's principal base is in Havana, and its teaching network also includes provincial schools in Camagüey, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba. The institution therefore operates both as a central university and as part of Cuba's wider state-supported system for training artists, teachers, researchers, and cultural professionals. Its academic model combines practical studio, rehearsal, and performance work with theoretical, historical, and research-based study. At the pre-degree level, ISA offers five broad areas of study: Music, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, Dance Arts, and Arts and Audiovisual Communication Media. Its postgraduate activity includes advanced degrees and other post-degree courses, while shorter and extension programs provide continuing education for Cuban and foreign participants. The institution also supports preparation for professors seeking doctoral qualifications in the sciences of art, linking artistic practice with formal research and pedagogy. ISA is significant within Cuba not only because it trains performers and creators, but also because it develops the country's professional arts-teaching workforce. Faculty members have included recognized practitioners and educators such as sculptor José Villa Soberón and violin professor Evelio Tieles. Its alumni include Cuban and Cuban-connected contemporary artists such as Alexandre Arrechea, Quisqueya Henríquez, and Reynier Leyva Novo. In 1996, ISA established the National Award of Artistic Teaching to recognize a lifetime devoted to arts education. The award reinforced the institution's role in valuing artistic pedagogy alongside artistic production. ISA's present identity is consequently that of a multidisciplinary public arts university whose activities span undergraduate education, postgraduate research, teacher preparation, cultural extension, and the professional formation of artists across several disciplines.

Instituto Superior de Arte was created on 1 September 1976 by the Cuban government as a dedicated institution for higher education in the arts. Its founding structure brought together three principal fields: Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. The institution was designed to provide advanced professional preparation for artists and to strengthen Cuba's national system of artistic instruction. The original structure later expanded. A fourth school was added for Arts and Audiovisual Communication Media, broadening the institution's academic coverage beyond traditional performance and studio disciplines. The resulting organization comprises four schools, while the pre-degree curriculum is described through five career areas: Music, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, Dance Arts, and Arts and Audiovisual Communication Media. Theatre and dance are treated as distinct areas within the wider performing-arts field. ISA also developed a provincial teaching presence. Its network includes one teaching school in Camagüey, two in Holguín, and one in Santiago de Cuba. These provincial facilities extend artistic education beyond Havana and connect the university's work with Cuba's broader cultural infrastructure. The institution's academic activity extends from initial professional training to postgraduate study and continuing education. In addition to pre-degree programs, ISA offers post-degree courses, brief courses, and extension courses. It also prepares Cuban and foreign professors for doctoral study in the sciences of art. This combination of artistic practice, scholarship, and teacher preparation gives the institution a dual role: it develops practicing artists while also reproducing the specialist teaching capacity required by Cuba's arts-education system. Faculty members associated with ISA include José Villa Soberón, a professor of sculpture, and Evelio Tieles, who has served as a violin professor and consultant professor. The institution's alumni include Alexandre Arrechea, a Cuban artist and sculptor; Quisqueya Henríquez, a Cuban-born Dominican Republic multidisciplinary contemporary artist; and Reynier Leyva Novo, a contemporary and conceptual artist. In 1996, ISA established the National Award of Artistic Teaching. The award was conceived to acknowledge a lifetime dedicated to teaching the arts and helped formalize recognition for artistic educators. Together with its degree programs, postgraduate work, provincial schools, and faculty tradition, the award reflects ISA's broader mission of treating arts education as both a professional discipline and a national cultural responsibility. ISA is commonly presented as the University of Arts of Cuba and remains an active Cuban institution. Its historical development has been characterized by expansion from three founding schools into a wider multidisciplinary system encompassing visual art, music, theatre, dance, audiovisual communication, research, continuing education, and arts pedagogy.

• 1996

  National Award of Artistic Teaching created

  [1]Instituto Superior de Arteen.wikipedia.org

  ISA established the National Award of Artistic Teaching to honor a lifetime of commitment to arts education.

• 1976

  Institution established

  [1]Instituto Superior de Arteen.wikipedia.org

  The Cuban government established Instituto Superior de Arte on 1 September 1976 as a higher-education school for the arts, initially organized around Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts.

• Academic scope expanded

  [1]Instituto Superior de Arteen.wikipedia.org

  The institution expanded beyond its three founding schools by adding Arts and Audiovisual Communication Media and developing a broader five-area pre-degree structure.

• Provincial teaching network developed

  [1]Instituto Superior de Arteen.wikipedia.org

  ISA developed teaching schools in Camagüey, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba, including two schools in Holguín.

A multidisciplinary public university specializing in professional artistic training, postgraduate research, and arts pedagogy within Cuba's state-supported cultural and education system.

• Pre-degree arts education · 1976

  Music

  ISA's music education combines specialist artistic training with the academic study expected of a university-level program. The field supports the preparation of performers, music professionals, and future educators within Cuba's national arts-training system.

• Pre-degree arts education · 1976

  Visual Arts

  The Visual Arts area provides higher-level preparation for artists working in studio and related visual practices. It is connected to ISA's tradition of sculpture and contemporary art education and forms one of the institution's original founding fields.

• Pre-degree arts education · 1976

  Theatre Arts

  Theatre Arts is one of ISA's principal pre-degree career areas. It belongs to the institution's wider performing-arts mission and prepares students through specialized artistic and academic study for professional and educational work in theatre.

• Pre-degree arts education

  Dance Arts

  Dance Arts is a distinct pre-degree field within ISA's performing-arts provision. The program contributes to Cuba's professional training pipeline for dancers, choreographic practitioners, and dance educators.

• Pre-degree arts education

  Arts and Audiovisual Communication Media

  This area extends ISA's remit into audiovisual communication and media-related artistic practice. Its inclusion reflects the institution's expansion from conventional music, visual-art, and performance disciplines toward newer forms of cultural and media production.

• Advanced arts education

  Postgraduate and doctoral preparation

  ISA offers post-degree study, brief and extension courses, and preparation for Cuban and foreign professors pursuing a Doctor of Sciences in Art. These offerings connect artistic practice with research, professional development, and higher-level arts pedagogy.

1. 1Instituto Superior de Arteen.wikipedia.org
2. 2ISA Universidad de las Artesisa.cult.cu