National Guild for Community Arts Education

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National Guild for Community Arts Education The mission of the National Guild is to ensure all people have opportunities to maximize their creative potential. www.nationalguild.org

We accomplish this by developing leaders, strengthening organizations, and advocating for community arts education. Our membership collectively serves 1.2 million students, employs over 16,000 teaching artists, and reaches an additional six million Americans through performances and exhibitions. Members include neighborhood music schools, arts centers, and arts education divisions of universities, theater and dance companies, museums, parks and recreation departments and others. Current national initiatives and partnerships include the MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Program, the Creative Aging Initiative and Engaging Adolescents Initiative, and the Community Arts Education Leadership Institute. The Guild partnered with the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Creative Communities, a $4.65 million, multi-year collaboration which provided arts instruction for children and youth living in public housing. It also received a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1995 for its New Arts Schools and Centers (NASCENT) program, which provided seed grants, training, and technical assistance to support the start-up of schools in underserved locations.

🎤 We're headed to Memphis for Grantmakers in the Arts 2026!Our Interim Managing Director, Dr. Roque Diaz, will join coll...
10/12/2026

🎤 We're headed to Memphis for Grantmakers in the Arts 2026!

Our Interim Managing Director, Dr. Roque Diaz, will join colleagues from Memphis Music Initiative, the Clare Rose Center for Creative Youth Development, and Allen Family Philanthropies for a conversation about the organizations and networks helping sustain Creative Youth Development and community arts education.

🧩 The Connective Tissue: How Intermediaries Fortify Creative Youth Development
📅 Monday, October 19 | 2:30–4:30 PM
đź“Ť Ballet Memphis, Discover Studio

We'll explore how partnerships, shared resources, and investment in infrastructure help strengthen the arts education ecosystem. If you're attending GIA, come connect with us!

Connect. Learn. Lead.

Arts education should be a place where more students can fully participate and belong.At our Philadelphia Regional Conve...
10/09/2026

Arts education should be a place where more students can fully participate and belong.

At our Philadelphia Regional Convening, Will Houchin, Shana Pistilli, and Lauren Stichter will lead Arts Education + Neurodiverse Learners, a practical conversation about creating more inclusive learning experiences for neurodiverse students and students with disabilities.

They’ll share strategies and lessons from their work across music, visual arts, K–12, and higher education.

đź“… November 6 in Philadelphia
🎟️ Registration is open: https://bit.ly/4yjPZBI

Come learn with us!

Connect. Learn. Lead.

What can mentorship look like across an entire arts education community?Join Dr. Najib Wong at our Philadelphia Regional...
10/08/2026

What can mentorship look like across an entire arts education community?

Join Dr. Najib Wong at our Philadelphia Regional Convening for All Voices Matter: The Impact of Mentorship at Every Level.

Drawing from the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth Artists’ Initiative, Najib will explore how students, families, faculty, staff, and peers can all be part of a stronger culture of mentorship.

đź“… November 6 in Philadelphia
🎟️ Registration is open: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/ngcae-regional-convening-philadelphia-nov--2026

Come be part of the conversation!

Connect. Learn. Lead.

đź“Ł Strong programs still need strong financial foundations.At our Philadelphia Regional Convening on November 6, Settleme...
10/02/2026

đź“Ł Strong programs still need strong financial foundations.
At our Philadelphia Regional Convening on November 6, Settlement Music School leaders Helen Eaton, Karin Orenstein, and Amelia Schmertz will lead Built to Last: A Capitalization Roadmap for Arts Education.

They’ll explore operating reserves, working capital, facilities, endowment growth, and how arts organizations can build the financial breathing room needed to weather uncertainty and invest in their missions.

🎟️ Philadelphia registration is still open: https://bit.ly/4yjPZBI

And don’t miss:
đź“Ś CAELI applications are open through November 4: https://forms.gle/PLzcjidS3nQd8eL8A

đź’» Guild Essentials: Doing More With Less is October 14. Free for Guild members and $30 for nonmembers. If your organization is a member, all employees can attend free: https://bit.ly/4xSq3Mn

Connect. Learn. Lead.

đź“Ł How do we move from working in isolation to building stronger arts education ecosystems together?At our Philadelphia R...
10/01/2026

đź“Ł How do we move from working in isolation to building stronger arts education ecosystems together?

At our Philadelphia Regional Convening on November 6, Dominique Enriquez, Indi McCasey, and Tessa Kennamer will lead Building Arts Education Coalitions for Local Impact, exploring practical approaches to coalition building, advocacy, professional development, and arts education equity.

🎟️ Philadelphia registration is still open: https://bit.ly/4yjPZBI

Also coming up at the Guild:
đź“Ś CAELI applications are open through November 4: https://forms.gle/PLzcjidS3nQd8eL8A

đź’» Guild Essentials: Doing More With Less is October 14. Free for Guild members and $30 for nonmembers. If your organization is a member, all employees can attend free: https://bit.ly/4xSq3Mn

Connect. Learn. Lead.

CAELI is back.Applications are officially open for the 2026–2027 Community Arts Education Leadership Institute (CAELI) t...
09/25/2026

CAELI is back.

Applications are officially open for the 2026–2027 Community Arts Education Leadership Institute (CAELI) through the National Guild for Community Arts Education.

This year’s cohort will focus on Leading & Managing Through Change and Uncertainty, bringing together executive and senior leaders from across community arts education for virtual learning, individualized coaching, executive presence development, a 360-degree leadership review, peer connection, and a culminating in-person retreat.

There’s a lot shifting across our field right now. CAELI is a space for leaders to work through those real challenges together, strengthen their leadership practice, and build relationships with peers from across the country.

Applications are open through November 4.

Learn more and apply: https://nationalguild.org/programs/caeli/

What does doing more with less actually look like for arts organizations right now?Join us for our next Guild Essentials...
09/18/2026

What does doing more with less actually look like for arts organizations right now?

Join us for our next Guild Essentials: Doing More With Less with Camille Delaney McNeil and Lauren Shelton.

We’ll get practical about capacity, engagement, revenue, and strategies arts organizations can actually use in 2026.

đź“… Wednesday, October 14
đź’» Virtual
⏰ 11:00 AM PT | 1:00 PM CT | 2:00 PM ET
🎟️ Free for current Guild members | $30 for nonmembers
👉 Register here: https://bit.ly/4AlNSyO

And if you’re joining us in Philadelphia for our November 6 Regional Convening, don’t wait too long. Early Bird pricing ends September 20, and prices increase after that.

Lots happening at the Guild this fall!
Come connect, learn, and lead with us.

Guild Member Spotlight!Applications close TOMORROW for Guild organizational member Teaching Artists Training Institute (...
09/07/2026

Guild Member Spotlight!

Applications close TOMORROW for Guild organizational member Teaching Artists Training Institute (TATI)’s Lab Cohort VI Teaching Artists Training Institute (TATI)

This nine-month, full-tuition scholarship experience is built specifically for Teaching Artists — bringing together learning, reflection, peer connection, a regional practicum, and TATI’s signature Learning Retreat.

We’re proud to uplift the work of our Guild members and connect our national network to opportunities like this.

Apply today through the link in TATI’s bio.

Connect. Learn. Lead.

Guild Member Spotlight!We’re proud to uplift Guild organizational member Teaching Artists Training Institute (TATI) and ...
09/07/2026

Guild Member Spotlight!

We’re proud to uplift Guild organizational member Teaching Artists Training Institute (TATI) and their upcoming Lab Cohort VI.
This nine-month, full-tuition scholarship experience gives Teaching Artists space to learn, connect, reflect, and grow alongside peers across North America.

Applications close tomorrow. Check out TATI’s post below for details and how to apply.

Part of building the Guild is making sure we’re sharing and celebrating the opportunities already happening across our member network.

Connect. Learn. Lead.

Long days of teaching, performing, meetings, screen time, sitting at a desk, or standing on your feet can take a toll on...
08/28/2026

Long days of teaching, performing, meetings, screen time, sitting at a desk, or standing on your feet can take a toll on your body, focus, and energy. Sometimes you just need a chance to reset.

Join the National Guild on Thursday, September 10 for a practical, participatory session with Andrea Mislan exploring simple and accessible movement practices to release built-up tension, restore energy, and bring greater ease and presence back into your work.

Andrea is a professionally trained dancer, musical theatre performer, choreographer, and certified somatic and functional movement coach. Her career includes performing with Celine Dion and Cirque du Soleil, touring nationally in Chicago: The Musical, and appearing in productions at the Guthrie Theater.
Whether you’re a teaching artist, performer, educator, administrator, or arts leader, you’ll leave with simple tools you can use at your desk, between meetings, before teaching, or whenever your body needs a reset.

đź“… Thursday, September 10, 2026
đź’» Virtual
⏰ 10:00–11:30 AM PT | 12:00–1:30 PM CT | 1:00–2:30 PM ET
🎟️ Free for current Guild members | $30 for non-members
đź‘ź No experience, special clothing, or equipment needed
🎥 The session will be recorded and added to the Guild’s growing Resources collection.

Register here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/guild-essentials-embodied-reset-less-effort-more-presence

Not a Guild member yet? Check out membership and year-round benefits through the National Guild website.
www.nationalguild.org

Come reset with us!

Address

520 8th Avenue Rm 302
New York, NY
10018

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