The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts is a private low-residency graduate school based in Portland, Maine.
Smith created the program to offer the Doctor of Philosophy to visual artists who wanted an academic credential beyond the Master of Fine Arts, a group he termed "artist-philosophers".
[1] African-American art historian David Driskell called the institution "one of the single most important developments in the recent history of art education.
[3] The school is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
[4] In 2024, Italian artist Simonetta Moro was named its second president.