The Hartford Art School was founded in 1877 by a group of prominent Hartford women…

including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Olivia Clemens, Elizabeth Colt, Mary Bushnell Cheney, and Susan Warner. The school was housed for a time at the Wadsworth Atheneum, the nation’s oldest public art museum, in downtown Hartford. Since 1957, Hartford Art School has been an exceptional school within the University of Hartford.

In addition to University funding, the Hartford Art School is supported by Hartford Art School Endowment, Inc., (“HASE, Inc.”) an independent, nonprofit corporation dedicated to advancing the school’s academic and program excellence as well as to providing financial assistance for students who demonstrate artistic merit and/or financial need.

The Board of Trustees and Board of Corporators are responsible for the oversight and management of the Hartford Art School endowment and other assets in accordance with donor intent. Trustees and Corporators actively support the Art School financially through their own contributions; by identifying and soliciting other donors; and through the development of, and attendance at, fundraising events, gallery exhibitions, and other special opportunities.