Founded in 1937, the National Guild for Community Arts Education supports and advances access to lifelong learning opportunities in the arts. We foster the creation and development of community arts education organizations by providing research and information resources, professional development, networking opportunities and funding, and by advocating on behalf of the field.

Our more than 460 member organizations include community schools of the arts; arts centers; and arts education divisions of performing arts institutions, universities, museums, and other organizations. They are located in urban, suburban and rural communities in 45 states.

Collectively, our members offer direct instruction to more than 1.2 million students each year, employ more than 16,000 teaching artists and reach an additional six million Americans through performances and exhibitions in rural, suburban and urban communities across the nation. In addition to providing classes and lessons within their own facilities, most members also collaborate with senior centers, hospitals, public schools, and other agencies to increase communities’ access to arts education.

Guild members have played a seminal role in ensuring community-wide access to quality arts instruction. The antecedents of the movement emerged in the late nineteenth century as arts programs provided by urban settlement houses and neighborhood centers. Over the past 100 years, sustainable business models and strong community connections make Guild members one of the most influential segments of the arts sector in terms of lifelong impact.