Independent Schools Association of the Southwest

Arts Festival

The ISAS Arts Festival is officially sanctioned and supported by the Association to help promote and develop Upper School (Grades 9 through 12) arts activities and curricula of its member schools. Participation in the Festival is intended to foster high standards and stimulate creativity in the performing and fine arts programs of the schools and in the individual endeavors of students and teachers.

The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Arts Festival began in 1967 with an invitation from the Casady School Choir to the choirs of Wichita Collegiate and Holland Hall to participate in a joint program. Since then, the Festival has grown to be the nation’s premiere annual regional arts festival among independent schools. Typically occurring each spring at a different member school campus, the Festival is a collaborative enterprise featuring an average of thirty participating schools. From its inception, rather than a competition for prizes or rankings, the ISAS Arts Festival has been designed as a celebration of sharing and learning with critiques by professional artists and performers. This approach has fostered creativity and experimentation and has proven to be an exceptional opportunity for schools to come together to understand and to appreciate qualities in one another’s programs and other facilities. The Festival has been instrumental in the development of strong arts programs in participating ISAS schools and richly inspirational to their students. Thus, the Festival has grown in both stature and popularity over the years.

The 2024 ISAS Arts Festival will be held April 11th-13th at
St. Andrew's Episcopal School
Austin, Texas


"The ISAS Fine Arts Festival is a one-of-a-kind showcase and celebration of the arts by remarkably gifted and talented high school students. The creativity, passion and energy of 3,000 students from more than 50 schools across the region is a sight to behold and an experience to treasure."

~ Chris Gunnin, Head of School
St. Stephen's Episcopal School