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 with over 40 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.