| 1981 |
NFAA is incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization by founders who saw the need for an organization to identify, encourage, and reward emerging talent in all art forms.
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| 1982 |
First ARTS Week (later named YoungArts Week) held in Miami with national finalists chosen in dance, music, theater, visual arts, and writing from over 4,300 participants.
NFAA assumes sole responsibility for nominating students for the Presidential Scholars in the Arts awards and presents the first Kennedy Center performance featuring the Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
NFAA begins recruiting colleges, universities, and conservatories for the Scholarship List Service.
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| 1983 |
First Affair of the Arts gala.
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| 1985 |
Career advancement granting program for former YoungArts national finalists established.
ARTS Fests are established as an outreach program.
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| 1986 |
NFAA creates the New World Symphony, which becomes a separate but affiliated organization in 1987.
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| 1988 |
In partnership with the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., NFAA creates the Career Advancement in the Visual Arts program to provide financial support for individual visual artists (through the form of residencies in Miami Beach). The program is renamed Fellowships in the Visual Arts in 1997.
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| 1991 |
NFAA establishes an affiliation with the International Association of Jazz Educators, enabling the YoungArts program to add jazz music as a separate artistic discipline.
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| 1992 |
Applications to the YoungArts program from around the country surpass 6,000.
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| 1993 |
Astral Career Grants established.
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| 1994 |
Photography becomes a separate discipline within the YoungArts program.
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| 1995 |
Career development internships for YoungArts winners are launched with the Utah Shakesperean Festival, the Sundance Theatre Laboratory, and the Socrates Sculpture Park.
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| 1996 |
Voice becomes a separate discipline within the YoungArts program.
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| 1997 |
NFAA goes online with its first website, www.nfaa.org; YoungArts applications reach 7,000.
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| 1998 |
YoungArts applications reach an all-time high of 8,112.
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| 2000 |
NFAA forms a partnership with the Music for Youth Foundation to provide $25,000 in monetary awards exclusively to YoungArts winners in Music, Voice, or Jazz.
NFAA debuts a new website with interactive elements, www.ARTSawards.org.
Film and Video becomes a separate discipline.
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2000/
2001 |
Regional ARTS established (later named YoungArts). A two-year pilot program in Madison, Wisconsin serving Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota.
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| 2001 |
NFAA celebrates its 20th anniversary by presenting the first Arison Award to Quincy Jones at its annual gala. The Arison Award is given to an individual who has made a significant impact on the artistic lives of America’s youth. The award is named for NFAA's founder, the late Ted Arison, and carries a $10,000 donation to the winner’s charity of choice.
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| 2002 |
Jacques d’Amboise, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and creator of the National Dance Institute, receives the Arison Award at the 2002 gala.
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| 2003 |
Roberta Guaspari, New York City strings teacher, founder of Opus 118, and subject of the film Music of the Heart, starring Meryl Streep, receives the Arison Award at the 2003 gala.
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| 2004 |
The $10,000 YoungArts Gold Awards are established to be given for extraordinary achievement to a national finalist in each of the nine ARTS disciplines.
Placido Domingo receives the Arison Award at the 2004 gala.
First Annual Educators Conference held in conjunction with YoungArts week activities.
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| 2004 |
YoungArts is the subject of an hour-long, nationally broadcast PBS special, American Talent, on September 22, 2004.
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| 2005 |
The Gelman Trust national sponsorship of Visual Arts allows YoungArts to increase the total number of YoungArts Week national finalists to 130 from 125, adding an additional five finalist positions in Visual Arts.
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| 2005 |
Mikhail Baryshnikov receives the 2005 Arison Award and conducts a master class for the Dance finalists.
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| 2006 |
NFAA celebrates its 25th anniversary by inviting 160 students to YoungArts Week (an all-time record); by increasing the monetary awards for all winners by 50% to over $525,000; by increasing the number of $10,000 YoungArts Gold Awards from nine to 15; by creating 30 $5,000 YoungArts Silver Awards; by increasing the monetary awards to Honorable Mention and Merit award winning students; and by adding an additional day to YoungArts Week.
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| 2006 |
NFAA launches YoungArts magazine and distributes 50,000 copies three times each year to teachers, YoungArts applicants, YoungArts alumni, donors, sponsors, supporters, judges, and elected officials in April, September, and December.
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| 2006 |
Michael Tilson Thomas, artistic director of the San Francisco Symphony and the New World Symphony, receives the sixth Arison Award and conducts a master class for the Music Finalists. Vanessa Williams, Tony and
Grammy-nominated actor and singer, receives the inaugural YoungArts Alumni Award and conducts a master class for the Theater and Voice Finalists. |
| 2007 |
Dave Brubeck, pianist and composer, receives the seventh Arison Award for his valuable contribution to the education of young musicians, ensuring the next generation of jazz artists. Allegra Goodman, National Book Award finalist, receives the second YoungArts Alumni Award and conducts a master class for the Writing Finalists. |
NFAA TIMELINE
