TL;DR: TAG + National Guild Asset Transfer

• TAG is sunsetting its nonprofit status, but the work lives on! TAG is transferring key digital assets (like the Pay Rate Calculator, Asset Map, website resources, and networks) to the National Guild for Community Arts Education (the Guild).
• Starting July 1, 2025, TAG’s programs and select digital assets will live under the Guild.
• This is not a merger—the Guild is acquiring selected TAG assets to steward and grow them, while other resources (like the resource database) have been shared with aligned partners (e.g., ITAC).
• The Guild shares TAG’s mission, has teaching artists on staff and board, and is committed to continuing TAG’s legacy—centering teaching artists, advocating for fair pay, and expanding access to resources.
• TAG Asset Map Member Data (such as profile info and contact details) and TAG Newsletter Subscribers will be transferred to the Guild unless you opt out by June 30, 2025. [Opt Out of Newsletter, Delete My Asset Map Account (Login, select “Account,” and then “Delete Account”)].
• The Guild’s new membership model offers mental health services, legal and financial support, discounted services, and flexible dues. [Learn more and register for their May 9 info session]

Together, we’re building a stronger, more sustainable future for teaching artists.

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Dear Teaching Artists and Arts Education Advocates,

In our last newsletter, we shared the somber news that TAG is shutting down its 501(c)(3). While we are sad to let that go, we are excited to share how TAG’s legacy will live on. Since the beginning of 2024, TAG staff have been in conversation with leaders at the National Guild for Community Arts Education (the Guild). Founded in 1937, the Guild is the sole national service organization for providers of community arts education, representing over 200 members across the country. 

TAG has a history with the Guild. At previous Guild Conferences, a number of TAG tools—like the Social Justice Resource Database—were created from grassroots, working groups of teaching artists. In fact, the Teaching Artist Manifesto came out of one of these working groups:

The Guild shares TAG’s mission of raising the visibility of arts educators and fostering connection with communities throughout the country. Both organizations are deeply committed to supporting teaching artists and advocating for the essential role they play in enriching communities. TAG’s strong track record of advocating for teaching artists’ rights, recognition, and professional development aligns with the Guild’s focus on supporting arts education nationally.

Moreover, TAG’s deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the field of arts education, particularly in underserved communities, complement the Guild’s national platform, enabling a broader exchange of ideas, resources, and best practices. The Guild will help TAG to strengthen its impact, providing a greater platform to raise the visibility of and advocate for teaching artists within the organizations and communities that they teach in. 

Lastly, we believe that the Guild will provide a stability that TAG has not had before. TAG has always been under the direction of teaching artists who act as part-time administrators, fitting in the needs of TAG when possible. Because of the often disappearing funds, teaching artists could not make TAG their first priority. The Guild has dedicated staff members who will ensure the continued accessibility of key digital assets and community resources created by TAG. This will ensure continuity in programming and connection, better serving teaching artists everywhere. TAG assets (online resources and programming) the Guild will be acquiring and stewarding includes:

• TAG website and resource pages
• TA Pay Rate Calculator
• TAG Asset Map
• TAG Newsletter
• TAG Awards
• Regional Network Members will be invited to join and/or apply to lead a Guild Collective (regional hubs for local connection and collaboration).
• National Advisory Committee Members will also be invited to join and/or apply to lead a Guild Collective — AND they will be invited to join and/or apply to lead the Guild’s Teaching Artist Unity Network, which offers opportunities for members to connect with peers who share similar roles and responsibilities within the community arts education ecosystem.

If you are interested in a Guild Collective or Unity Network, join the Guild’s Office Hour Webinar on May 23rd dedicated to exploring their collaborative networks. Registration is here: May 23 Office Hour

Some legalese: We want to emphasize that this partnership is not a merger – the Guild is acquiring selected programming and resources that TAG has identified were best fit for the Guild to manage. Other resources are moving to other organizations. For instance, TAG has merged all relevant teaching resources from our database over to the International Teaching Artists Collaborative’s (ITAC’s) resource database (the resource database can be found in ITAC’s member portal—it’s free to become a member!). The Pay Rate Calculator, while the Guild will ensure it stays updated and functional, will still be connected to the Economic Policy Institute. Through this acquisition, TAG keeps its unique and distinct identity in the community even while the organization itself is dissolved. We have been able to be flexible and nimble on which partners were most aligned in shepherding the next iteration of our work.

Upcoming Transfer of Member Data to the National Guild

As part of TAG’s transition and the transfer of digital assets to the Guild, we will be transferring ownership of the newsletter and Asset Map to the National Guild. While the Asset Map will remain on the TAG website for now, this does include membership profile information, including contact details. This transfer is intended to maintain continuity of service, preserve community relationships, and support the mission-aligned work of both organizations.

If you do not wish for your data to be transferred to the National Guild, you may opt out by June 30th, 2025. To opt out of the newsletter, click here:

To delete your Asset Map account: 1. Login to your account. 2. Select “Account” from the drop-down menu under your profile name. 3. Select “Delete Account.” Click here to access your account:

After this date, member data will be transferred and governed by the Guild’s privacy practices. TAG will no longer retain or manage this data. By continuing to use our services after this notice, or by not opting out before the deadline, you consent to this data transfer.

But TAG was always by teaching artists for teaching artists… how will the Guild support that mission? 

The Guild is committed to continuing TAG’s legacy by providing heightened visibility and stewardship of key programming and digital resources TAG and teaching artists have created. Starting July 1, 2025, Guild staff and board members who also self-identify as teaching artists will oversee TAG’s programs and resources listed above. Currently, the Guild and TAG are co-pursuing funding to increase the Guild’s internal capacity to manage selected TAG digital assets, and provide paid opportunities for teaching artists to lead and create future programming. As funding becomes available for focused projects and professional opportunities, the Guild will reach out to this community for teaching artists to fill those needs. In the meantime, the Guild includes active teaching artists on its board and staff, a practice they will continue to guarantee TAs are central in decision-making.

While TAG members and leadership were initially hesitant at the idea of an arts administration-focused organization taking over TAG’s operations, our fears have been addressed through meetings with Guild Executive Director Dr. Quanice Floyd and Operations and HR Director Precious Diamond B. In addition to their track record of advocacy work for teaching artists, both Quanice and Precious are teaching artists themselves. Precious served on a panel at our first federally-funded, national conference for teaching artists—Our Shared Future—and spoke about her white paper on “Teaching Artist Relationships with State Arts Agencies”.

The National Guild for Community Arts Education has long recognized the essential role teaching artists play in shaping vibrant, creative, and just communities. When the Teaching Artists Guild (TAG) announced it would sunset its operations, the Guild saw not an ending but a call to action.

TAG has been a trusted home for teaching artists across the country, advocating for their rights, visibility, and professional growth. TAG has cultivated an ecosystem that honors teaching artistry as both profession and practice. That’s why the Guild has chosen to take on TAG’s digital assets, with deep respect and intention. Through this digital acquisition, the Guild’s hope is to honor a legacy—a legacy that aligns with the Guild’s mission to build a more equitable and just arts education ecosystem.

The Guild committed to uplifting teaching artists as core to the field because they are cultural workers, educators, and movement builders whose voices deserve to be centered in everything from programming to research to advocacy. The Guild is maintaining and revitalizing TAG’s digital infrastructure while exploring ways to expand and improve access. The Guild is also doubling down on advocacy for fair pay, benefits, and professional recognition by building policy efforts, partnerships, and convenings that push for real economic justice and workplace protections. Teaching Artists will continue to find spaces for connection, growth, and leadership through initiatives like GuildCollectives, Unity Networks, and more. And most importantly, the Guild is co-creating this future with teaching artists, staying rooted in listening, collaboration, and shared stewardship.

We are hopeful about this new frontier for TAG. With the Guild, TAG can break through barriers that previously inhibited our advocacy work. And this model is how it should be—arts organizations supporting the teaching artists who work for them. We hope our new partnership will act as a model for the field and for funders, ultimately illustrating how we are stronger together. 

The Guild has also transformed their membership to be more responsive and relevant to teaching artists. Some benefits of their new membership include:

• Individual members receive access to the Guild’s Employee Assistance Program that provides mental health counseling, financial education, free legal consultations, personal and professional development webinars, and more
• A tiered “Select As You Wish” membership dues model that considers different levels of financial access and privilege
• Expanded voting rights to individual members
• Deeply discounted rates to a variety of member benefit partners that offer services in artist resilience/crisis planning, somatic/movement based practices, grantmaking support, brand design, and more.
• 1:1 Coaching with Guild Board Members

You can learn more about the Guild’s refreshed membership model here. And, join the Guild during their Membership Open Hour Webinar on Friday, May 9th at 3:30pm EST. Register here. During this webinar, TAG Executive Director Katie Rainey will join the Guild team to discuss more about this partnership and the Guild will share how teaching artists can be supported through their membership and programs.