Our Story
Where we started
The Community School of the Arts (CSA), formed in 1991 by a group of passionate citizens under the leadership of the Rev. G. Carswell Hughs, aspired to close the gap in art and music education offered by public schools in East Tennessee.
CSA officially earned nonprofit status in 1992 and became the first educational arts organization in Tennessee to offer free, high-quality instruction to children and families who otherwise could not afford the cost.
Our CSA faculty members are committed to creating a safe and nurturing after-school environment where children have an opportunity to develop positive relationships with peers, role models and mentors, while boosting their self-esteem and fulfilling their potential.
Thanks to the generous help from important partner organizations, including the City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department, National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts (now National Guild for Community Arts Education), and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC), CSA opened its doors Sept. 15, 1992, under the leadership of Executive Director Jennifer Willard, who has been with the organization since its inception.
The school became fully accredited just two years after it was formed, making it one of only three institutions in the state that accomplished this feat, including the Cadek Conservatory of Music at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the Rhodes School of Music at Rhodes College in Memphis.
Our love of the arts, paired with our dedication to East Tennessee’s youth, allows CSA to produce significant results while pursuing our mission to help students unleash their passion and develop the discipline and skills to excel.
The first class at CSA consisted of 22 children, ages 7-12, with 17 of them graduating from the program as high school seniors. Many of our students have become classically trained musicians, acclaimed artists and world-class chefs. These accomplishments are the result of encouragement, discipline, talent and dedication by the students and the staff.
Our students truly are our story.
Awards and Grants
The Community School of the Arts has received prestigious awards, including the Mayor’s Arts Award in education and special projects in 1995 and 1997.
CSA is recognized as “one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the country” by both the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The school also was one of 35 finalists for the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards for its Side-By-Side Visual Arts Apprentice Program.
Executive Director Jennifer Willard and senior faculty member Carol Zinavage, who serves as principal keyboardist for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, both received the YWCA Tribute to Women award in the arts category for their work with CSA.
The school is funded by private and public sources. We receive significant and generous support from the Tennessee Arts Commission, East Tennessee Foundation, Bernau Family Foundation, Haslam Family Foundation and Church Street United Methodist Church. Other sources include St. John's Endowment, Rotary Club of Knoxville, Frank and Virginia Rogers Foundation, The Clayton Family Foundation, Home Federal Bank, Mount Rest Fund and LAMP Foundation.
We have operated within budget during every year of our existence. We take pride in fiscal responsibility and accountability to donors. The school’s mission is to provide young people of all backgrounds with arts education and long-term mentoring and guidance. We rely on grants, donors and other means of funding to accomplish our mission and fully appreciate the support.