The visual and performing arts are an integral part of academic and student life at The White Mountain School. Teaching and learning are united in an interactive process at White Mountain that creates high standards of critical awareness within each individual. By establishing a foundation for critical thinking, concepts, and basic skills based upon traditional and contemporary approaches to teaching in a studio atmosphere, White Mountain demonstrates that art and creativity contribute to individual growth while nurturing an aesthetic awareness within the School and society. The visual and performing arts allow us to move beyond verbal language since many of our senses and abilities are involved in producing and experiencing works of art. The development of a visual vocabulary provides a balance within our verbally and textually-oriented society.

Our visual and performing art offerings include studio art, ceramics, photography, dance, music, and theater. Students can participate in the arts formally or informally through academic courses (including AP courses), Field Courses, as a sport or co-curricular, or on evenings or weekends during free time. Our incomparable setting in the White Mountains of New Hampshire has long attracted artists, musicians, actors, and filmmakers. There is a thriving community of artists of all kinds on campus and in the surrounding New England communities just minutes from campus.

Spaces to Create

Whether you are interested in learning to throw a pot in our ceramics studio, develop film in our darkroom, or hone your skills in our art studio, there’s time and space for you to do it. More of a performance artist? White Mountain actually owns and operates a full dance studio, Creative Edge Dance Studio, which offers several styles of dance at beginner to expert levels. There are also three full-scale performances per year. Singers, songwriters, and musicians—there’s a place for you, too, in our music classroom, recording studio, practice rooms, or the outdoor Ruhl Family Amphitheater. Are you interested in theater, either on stage or behind the scenes? Let out your inner thespian, playwright, or techie in our versatile Blackbox Theater. 

Opened in January 2014, our Catherine Houghton Arts Center is one of the most beautiful and versatile arts facilities in New England and houses our studio art, music, and dance facilities. In keeping with the School’s longstanding commitment to sustainability, the building was designed to achieve net-zero energy use. In fact, it produces more energy than it uses!

Performing Arts

Whether you are just curious about dance or come to White Mountain with many years of dance training, you can find your stage here! As the parent organization of Creative Edge Dance Studio—which also serves non-White Mountain students locally—we can offer numerous and varied dance opportunities for a White Mountain student to explore or further their interest in dance. Our offerings include academic courses and technique and performance-based classes for several different dance styles and dancer ability levels.

Visual Arts

White Mountain offers courses in traditional studio art, ceramics, and photography. Students can elect to participate in AP courses in drawing/painting, 2D design, or 3D design. We also offer visual arts programs after classes during the winter season. Our curriculum also includes regular art show openings, field trips to art museums, and portfolio review sessions with art school representatives, other high school art departments, and representatives at the National Portfolio Day in Boston.

  • California College of the Arts
  • Emily Carr University College of Art
  • Maryland Institute College of Art
  • Parsons
  • Penn State University: Stuckeman School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Graphic Design
  • Pratt Institute
  • Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
  • Savannah College of Art and Design
  • School of Visual Arts
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  • School of the Museum of Fine Arts

Meet Our Leaders in the Arts