Getty Education Institute for the Arts

The Getty Center for Education in the Arts, later known as the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (GEI), was one of the original programs established by the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic organization serving both general audiences and specialized professionals. The Trust is a not-for-profit institution, educational in purpose and character, that focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions. As of 2009 the Trust supports and oversees four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Foundation, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Research Institute. The Trust founded the Getty Center for Education in the Arts in 1982 with the mission of improving the quality and status of arts education in the nation's public schools. The education programs were guided by three premises: the visual arts should be an essential part of every child's education because knowledge of the arts is a principal means of understanding human experiences and transmitting cultural values; art education's content must be broadened to include instruction in art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics -- an approach known as discipline-based art education (DBAE); and the most effective art education programs are based on partnerships among teachers, administrators, artists, museums, universities, and parents.

During its first ten years, the Getty Center for Education in the Arts / GEI concentrated on the implementation and dissemination of DBAE. This was achieved by advocating for the value of arts in education, through the dissemination of print publications and videotapes, national conferences, and collaborative projects; professional development for school and university personnel, through in-service programs such as the Los Angeles Institute; theory development to encourage evolution of DBAE, through seminars, doctoral fellowships, and the commissioning of scholarly publications; curriculum development to support creation of model instructional materials; and special initiatives to encourage others to champion DBAE. In January 1986 responsibility for administering arts education grants was transferred from the Trust's Grant Program to the Center for Education in the Arts. The goal of the arts education grant program was to support the development of model DBAE programs across the country.

Lani Duke was the founding director of the Getty Center for Education in the Arts / GEI and continued to lead the program for 17 years. Duke resigned at the end of June, 1998 upon notice of the GEI's imminent dissolution. President Barry Muntiz named Ted Mitchell, former dean of the UCLA School of Education, as the Getty Trust's Vice President for Education and interim director of the Education Institute until the program's dissolution in 1999. When the Getty Education Institute for the Arts was dissolved one of its last projects was to record the legacy of its programs, most specifically the DBAE program, through interviews with leading arts educators of the time. The Center for Education in the Arts commissioned former senior program officer Dr. Stephen M. Dobbs in 1998 to conduct, record and transcribe these interviews. This project was called the Art History Archives project and was completed in June 1999.

The Getty Center for Education in the Arts, also known as the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (GEI), was founded in 1982 by the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic organization serving both general audiences and specialized professionals. The Trust is a not-for-profit institution, educational in purpose and character, that focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions. As of 2009 the Trust supports and oversees four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Getty Foundation; the Getty Conservation Institute; and the Getty Research Institutewith the mission of improving the quality and status of arts education in the nation's public schools. The GEI's programs were guided by three premises: the visual arts should be an essential part of every child's education because knowledge of the arts is a principal means of understanding human experiences and transmitting cultural values; art education's content must be broadened to include instruction in art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics - an approach known as discipline-based art education (DBAE); and the most effective art education programs are based on partnerships among teachers, administrators, artists, museums, universities, and parents.

During its first 10 years, the GEI concentrated on the implementation and dissemination of DBAE. This was achieved by advocacy of the value of arts in education, through the dissemination of print publications and videotapes, national conferences, and collaborative projects; professional development for school and university personnel, through inservice programs such as the Los Angeles Institute; theory development to encourage evolution of DBAE, through seminars, doctoral fellowships, and the commissioning of scholarly publications; curriculum development to support creation of model instructional materials; and special initiatives to encourage others to champion DBAE.

In addition to improving the quality of arts education in primary and secondary schools, the GEI also concentrated on the education of museum visitors. Focus group research and other studies resulted in a number of publications aimed at the museum world. The GEI was dissolved in 1999; some aspects of its activities may have been absorbed by other programs.

Administrative History

The Getty Center for Education in the Arts, later known as the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (GEI), was one of the original programs established by the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic organization serving both general audiences and specialized professionals. The Trust is a not-for-profit institution, educational in purpose and character, that focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions. As of 2009 the Trust supports and oversees four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Foundation, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Research Institute. The Trust founded the Getty Center for Education in the Arts in 1982 with the mission of improving the quality and status of arts education in the nation's public schools. The education programs were guided by three premises: the visual arts should be an essential part of every child's education because knowledge of the arts is a principal means of understanding human experiences and transmitting cultural values; art education's content must be broadened to include instruction in art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics—an approach known as discipline-based art education (DBAE); and the most effective art education programs are based on partnerships among teachers, administrators, artists, museums, universities, and parents.

During its first ten years, the Getty Center for Education in the Arts / GEI concentrated on the implementation and dissemination of DBAE. This was achieved by advocating for the value of arts in education, through the dissemination of print publications and videotapes, national conferences, and collaborative projects; professional development for school and university personnel, through in-service programs such as the Los Angeles Institute; theory development to encourage evolution of DBAE, through seminars, doctoral fellowships, and the commissioning of scholarly publications; curriculum development to support creation of model instructional materials; and special initiatives to encourage others to champion DBAE. In January 1986 responsibility for administering arts education grants was transferred from the Trust's Grant Program to the Center for Education in the Arts. The goal of the arts education grant program was to support the development of model DBAE programs across the country.

Lani Duke was the founding director of the Getty Center for Education in the Arts / GEI and continued to lead the program for 17 years. Duke resigned at the end of June, 1998 upon notice of the GEI's imminent dissolution. President Barry Muntiz named Ted Mitchell, former dean of the UCLA School of Education, as the Getty Trust's Vice President for Education and interim director of the Education Institute until the program's dissolution in 1999.

When the Getty Education Institute for the Arts was dissolved one of its last projects was to record the legacy of its programs, most specifically the DBAE program, through interviews with leading arts educators of the time. The Center for Education in the Arts commissioned Dr. Stephen M. Dobbs in 1998 to conduct, record and transcribe these interviews. The project was completed in June 1999.

Administrative History

The Getty Center for Education in the Arts, also known as the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (GEI), was founded in 1982 with the mission of improving the quality and status of arts education in the nation's public schools. The GEI's programs were guided by three premises: the visual arts should be an essential part of every child's education because knowledge of the arts is a principal means of understanding human experiences and transmitting cultural values; art education's content must be broadened to include instruction in art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics—an approach known as discipline-based art education (DBAE); and the most effective art education programs are based on partnerships among teachers, administrators, artists, museums, universities, and parents.

During its first 10 years, the GEI concentrated on the implementation and dissemination of DBAE. This was achieved by advocacy of the value of arts in education, through the dissemination of print publications and videotapes, national conferences, and collaborative projects; professional development for school and university personnel, through inservice programs such as the Los Angeles Institute; theory development to encourage evolution of DBAE, through seminars, doctoral fellowships, and the commissioning of scholarly publications; curriculum development to support creation of model instructional materials; and special initiatives to encourage others to champion DBAE.

In addition to improving the quality of arts education in primary and secondary schools, the GEI also concentrated on the education of museum visitors. Focus group research and other studies resulted in a number of publications aimed at the museum world.

The GEI was dissolved in 1999; some aspects of its activities may have been absorbed by other programs.