The Art Institute of Seattle (AIS) in Seattle, Washington is one of The Art Institutes, a system of more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing education in design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts. The Art Institutes system is a subsidiary of Education Management Corporation (EDMC), which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Art Institute of Seattle was founded in 1946 as the Burnley School for Professional Art. It became part of The Art Institutes and changed its name to The Art Institute of Seattle in 1982. Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) , The Art Institute of Seattle is located in several buildings near the Elliott Bay waterfront in the Belltown district of Downtown Seattle, near many of the city's design studios, restaurants and corporate offices. The Art Institute of Seattle's fashion design students and faculty have been featured in local newspaper articles including The Seattle Times' April 10, 2008 article about AIS's annual fashion design student showcase "Underground Couture" , as well as The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's April 25, 2008 article about fashion trends .