The Newark Community School of the Arts (NCSA) transforms lives by providing affordable, high-quality education in the performing and visual arts. Founded in 1968, the community-based institution serves students of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels, fostering artistic growth across music, dance, drama, and visual arts.

Mission Statement

• Transforming lives: Empowering youth and community members through sequential education and training in the visual and performing arts.

• Radical accessibility: Welcoming students of all ages, financial backgrounds, and physical or artistic abilities while maintaining affordability.

• Community integration: Serving as a family-oriented cultural hub through local partnerships, performances, and specialized professional training tracks.

History

• Establishment (1968): Founded to bridge the gap in arts access, offering equal instruction in inner-city Newark regardless of a student's financial resources or prior training.

• Growth and Expansion: Expanded over decades to serve tens of thousands of individuals, adding intensive conservatory and ensemble divisions for advanced career-track students.

• Recognition: Designated as a "Major Presenting and Service Organization" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and repeatedly honored with Citations of Excellence.

• Ongoing Impact: Continues to deliver broad community programming, specialized instruction, and collaborative partnerships (such as with Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts) to support local creative development.