About Us

Founded in 1947, the National Art Education Association is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts, design, and media arts education professionals.

Our vibrant Community

Members include preK, elementary, middle, and high school visual arts educators; college and university professors; university students preparing to become educators; researchers and scholars; teaching artists; administrators and supervisors; and art museum educators—as well as more than 54,000 students who are members of the National Art Honor Society. We represent members in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, U.S. Possessions, most Canadian Provinces, U.S. military bases around the world, and 25+ foreign countries.

Mission

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) champions creative growth and innovation by equitably advancing the tools and resources for a high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education throughout diverse populations and communities of practice.


Vision

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) harnesses the power of the visual arts, design, and media arts to educate and enrich the lives of all learners and communities, especially those who are members of historically marginalized groups, and serves as a catalyst for developing creative and culturally competent future generations.


Core Values

Working in tandem with NAEA’s 2021-25 Mission, Vision, and Strategic Pillars (MVSP), the NAEA Board and Staff has developed a set of organizational values for the association. These values reflect core attributes and behaviors that the association uplifts and holds dear, in alignment with the MVSP.

View NAEA’s core values here.


What are the Visual Arts?

Visual Arts, as defined by the National Art Education Association, include the traditional fine arts, such as, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture; media arts, such as, animation, video and emerging digital technologies; design, such as, communication, product, and interactive; environmental, such as, architecture, landscape architecture, interior and urban planning; conceptual, performance, participatory, street, and folk arts and works of art in clay, glass, metal, wood, fiber, paper and other materials.

View the 2021-2025 NAEA Strategic Vision

View NAEA Constitution and Bylaws

View NAEA’s Platform and Position Statements

NAEA Member Benefits

NAEA Governance

Writing for NAEA

Advertising Opportunities

For more financial information on NAEA or other nonprofit associations, please visit www.guidestar.org.

2024 NAEA National Convention - Register Now!

Experience the 2024 NAEA National Convention, April 4-6, 2024, in Minneapolis, MN, or post-event via On Demand content. There's still time to register!

Learn More!