engage [sic], National Association for Gallery Education, is based in the United Kingdom and promotes the visual arts through gallery education. engage's work helps galleries encourages people to participate in and enjoy the visual arts and become confident users of galleries and museums. engage is the leading international membership association for gallery education working with arts and education professionals. engage has over 1,000 members including gallery educators, teachers and arts professionals from across the UK and in 15 countries.
Professional Development - engage provides opportunities to promote good practice, support diversity and accessibility and helps practitioners develop their careers in gallery education and arts education, including an international annual conference, briefing days and an international summer school.
Communication - Exploring the latest ideas and issues surrounding gallery education through the twice-yearly engage journal and sharing findings from research programmes and projects through publications, including toolkits, briefing notes and research findings.
Support - engage Scotland, engage Cymru and the nine Area Groups in England provide peer support, networking and professional development. engage shares good practice, ideas, jobs and opportunities through its website and publications.
Projects - Working in partnership with members and key organisations, projects encourage gallery education practice which is accessible and diverse. Projects include a range of people from at risk and disadvantaged young people through envision, to deaf and disabled gallery visitors with Explore.
Research - Initiating research programmes with galleries and key partners such as higher education institutions and schools to develop understanding of gallery education and engage with new audiences. enquire is researching how young people learn with artists and contemporary art as part of the Strategic Commissioning Programme for Museum and Gallery Education.
Advocacy - Working to build wider recognition of the value of gallery education with decision makers, to influence policies and resourcing for gallery and arts education. engage is involved in key policy making groups on arts education and the visual arts.
engage is organised as a professional membership organisation, constituted as a company limited by guarantee with charitable registration and is governed by a Board and a Council elected by the membership.
The funding of the organisation comes from various lottery and charitable funds, namely: the Arts Councils of England, Scotland and Wales. engage is runs the enquire programme which is funded by the DCMS and the DCSF as part of the Strategic Commissioning Programme for Museum and Gallery Education.