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.

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