Art education in the community colleges of America is much like art education in the comprehensive four-year colleges and universities, that is, important and enduring, but not central to institutional mission. Many students taking the classes in handicrafts, painting and drawing, design, and graphics intend to make careers in the arts. Others take these classes as college electives. A sizable minority attend for their own personal interest as a way of gaining access to the staff and facilities. A national study conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges involved a survey of students enrolled in arts classes at 78 community colleges and a count of the arts classes offered in 109 randomly selected community colleges. It was found that the curriculum in the arts was still dominated by music and the visual arts, each accounting for 43% of the enrollment. Around 4% of the enrollment in the community colleges in any one term was in the arts. The students reported a high degree of satisfaction with the art courses and, compared with students in other curriculums, much greater gains toward self-confidence, respect for other people, openness toward new ideas, employable skills, and awareness of alternatives in education and work. Whether the state should reimburse the colleges for the students who take art classes repeatedly without making progress toward completing a program is a continuing policy issue. (Author/EJV)