SGFAA began as The Art Guild in 1935. After closing during World War II, the Association reopened in 1966 and has remained as a vital part of the arts community ever since. Such notables as Norman Rockwell, Frank Tenny Johnson, Arthur Beaumont, Sam Hyde-Harris, Los Angeles Times sketch artists Charles Owens, Clyde Forsythe, and Jack Wilkinson Smith, Karl Albert, Dan Toigo, Constance Marlow, Lester Bonar, Rosita Tseu, Lloyd Mitchell, and Darwin Duncan were among the first to exhibit with The Guild and/or the Fine Arts Association.