I am passionate about research among other pursuits. If you’ve read some of my blog entries you may note that once I choose to learn about a subject, because I’m obsessive, I learn all there is to learn about that subject. Case in point my color studies published earlier.
One day at an open studio session with a figure model, no instructor just a nude model and a group of artists, during the breaks the artists began talking about just how many organizations are run for the benefit of fine artists. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to learn a musical instrument or ride a bicycle, you’ve learned that in order to get better, you need to practice. Painting and drawing are no different. The most difficult and instantly evaluated painting and drawing are portraits and figure paintings.
Certainly there are extremely difficult painting subjects other than humans. Glass, reflective metal, dew on flower petals are all difficult, but the human figure and face (portrait) are instantly recognizable by every human on the planet. The ability to recognize one’s own species is imprinted at birth and never leaves you. Add to that that you do this practice during specific time intervals and often times shoulder to shoulder with other artists makes completion of an alla prima painting more of a test of your capabilities. While I was writing this I googled “the earliest incidence of a figure study” and received two bits of wisdom. Gu Kaizhi ca 344-406 has a scroll of figure studies and the various Art encyclopedias hint at the stone age cave paintings, but all agree the Renaissance developed this training technique.
With this new millennium there are other opportunities to study the figure. Photography is accessible to everyone with a portable phone leaving many pictures freely accessible on the Internet. Developments in electronics allow the artist to project an image onto the canvas, bypassing drawing; a modern camera obscura. While this works to a degree, my experience suggests that it lacks expression both in the human being depicted and the lighting.
My point being, open studio sessions are a cornerstone practice of a professional artist. Are there others?
Certainly, a class with a master would be high on the list. When all of the artists have similar capabilities or interests, talking is essential. That way we can learn from each other. Questions from “how’d you get that skin tone?” to “what does it cost to make a giclee of a painting?” are answered face-to-face. Naturally, for oil painters studio rental is essential, their materials stink. Finally, it would be wonderful if the location offered a gallery space so the artist could display their work and make a little money.
This list gave me a lot to consider. In another open session at a different Art Club the conversation turned to the topic, but this time the group of artists considered the administration of the club. Universities and private training schools were ruled out because of their cost. Equally, museums and galleries were disqualified because their administration is directed to the mission of preserving the museum or gallery and training artists is not essential to that mission. It would be practical and legally affirming if the organization was classified as a 501(c)3 non-profit with the USA government.
Finally, there is the notion of permanent space, a building or not. Many of the oldest Art Clubs are tied to historic landmark buildings. Some clubs, because of the nature of their study, are Internet based only. One group, the plein air painters of Chicago, uses a building solely for exhibition of their work. Other sketch group organize for flash art drawings and return back to their homes. What is essential is the ability to communicate. An Internet presence is essential.
I began simply enough, I Googled “Art Clubs USA” and I received terrible results. If you are a researcher you may have noticed that searching on your browser has changed over the past 10 years. No longer are search conducted using Boolean terms, now that voice searching is on the rise every term is searched and presented in order of descending order. All bracketed by advertising. Ick.
Art Club is the generic search, I learned to substitute, League, Association, Society, Guild and Coalition for club. At this point, I stumbled into a bit of luck, Art-Support.com. This organization has a freely accessible list they compiled of all of the Art 501(c)3 by State nationally.
My procedure is to scan the list, visit the candidate’s website, find the history and mission statement. If the history and mission fit, I scan the membership requirements and services. If all of the candidate’s information fits my criteria, I email the candidate and ask them to verify my finding by responding to my email with their inception date. I also ask them to name any other organizations that they may know that meet the criteria.
I figure that I’ve viewed 300 or so websites, and from Art-Support’s list, I have another 300 or more to go. After I compile this list, I plan do two clean up features, review certain entries (you can see some in different colors) these are a concern for me and rescan the non respondents. All things considered, I hope to finish by September 2016.
My preliminary list is below
FINE ART CLUBS USA
| ||
YEAR
|
NAME
|
LOCATION
|
1825
|
National Academy of Design
|
NYC
|
1860
|
Philadelphia Sketch Club
|
PA
|
1871
|
Salmagundi Art Club
|
NYC
|
1875
|
Art Students League
|
NYC
|
1879
|
Copley Soc of Art
|
Boston
|
1880
|
Providence Arts Club
|
RI
|
1890
|
Cincinnati Art Club
|
OH
|
1895
|
Palette & Chisel
|
Chicago
|
1897
|
The Plastic Club
|
Philadelphia
|
1897
|
Society of Arts and Crafts
|
Boston, MA
|
1898
|
National Arts Club
|
NYC
|
1901
|
Seven Oaks Art League
|
Columbia, SC
|
1906
|
California Art Club
|
CA
|
2000
|
Louisville Art Association
|
Louisville, CO
|
1911
|
Fargo Arts Club
|
ND
|
1913
|
FA Club of Pasadena
|
CA
|
1914
|
Guild of Boston Artists
|
Boston
|
1915
|
Louisville Visual Art
|
Louisville, KY
|
1919
|
Santa Cruz Art Center
|
Santa Cruz, CA
|
1921
|
Oak Park Art League
|
Oak Park, IL
|
1922
|
Silvermine Guild of Artists
|
NewCanaan, CT
|
1928
|
Arizona Artist Guild
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
1926
|
Art Center Sarasota
|
Sarasota, Fla
|
1928
|
Ogunquit Art Association
|
Ogunquit, ME
|
1931
|
DaVinci Art Alliance
|
Philadelphia
|
1934
|
Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center
|
Makawao, HI
|
1936
|
Mesa Art League
|
Mesa, AZ
|
1936
|
Vero Beach AC (Sketch club)
|
Florida
|
1936
|
Richmond AC
|
Richmond, CA
|
1942?
|
Washington Art Association
|
Washington Depot, CT
|
1951
|
Peoria Art Guild
|
Peoria, IL
|
1954
|
Eastern Shore Art Center
|
Fairhope, AL
|
1954
|
The Art League
|
Alexandria, VA
|
1955
|
Atlanta Artists Center
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1956
|
Chico Art Center
|
Chico, CA
|
1956
|
Venice Art Center
|
Venice,FL
|
1956
|
Deer Isle Artists Association
|
Deer Isle, Maine
|
1956
|
Naples Art Center
|
Naples, FL
|
1956
|
Art League of Ft. Myers
|
Ft. Myers, FL
|
1957
|
Fine Arts Assoc
|
Willoughby, OH
|
1957
|
Huntsville Art League
|
AL
|
1958
|
Sedona Arts Center
|
AZ
|
1958
|
Kittery Art Association
|
Kittery Point, Maine
|
1961
|
SCVAA, Tubac Center of the Arts
|
Santa Cruz, AZ
|
1961
|
Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen
|
Berea, KY
|
1965
|
DCCAH
|
Fairhope, AL
|
1967
|
Arizona Clay Association
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
1958
|
Art Guild of Pacifica
|
Pacifica, CA
|
1961
|
Coeur d'Alene Art Association
|
Coeur d'Alene, ID
|
1962
|
Arkansas Craft Guild
|
Mountain View, Ark
|
1963
|
Vacaville Art League
|
Vacaville, CA
|
1963
|
Aet League of Ocean City
|
Ocean City, MD
|
1965
|
Intersection for the Arts
|
San Francisco
|
1967
|
Berkeley Art Center
|
Berkeley, CA
|
1966
|
Anderson Ranch Art Center
|
Aspen, CO
|
1969
|
O'Hanlon Center for the Arts
|
Mill Valley, CA
|
1970
|
Galeria de la Raza
|
San Francisco
|
1970
|
Mountainside Art Guild
|
Lakewood, CO
|
1971
|
Stanford Arts Association
|
Stamford, CT
|
1971
|
Roswell Fine Arts Alliance
|
Roswell, GA
|
1973
|
Atlanta Contempory
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1974
|
Ridgefield Guild of Artists
|
Ridgefield, CT
|
1974
|
The Torpedo Factory
|
Alexandria, VA
|
1974
|
SF Camerawork
|
San Francisco
|
1975
|
Spruill Center for the Arts
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1977
|
Works San Jose
|
San Jose, CA
|
1977
|
Maine Women in the Arts
|
Kennebunkport, ME
|
1978
|
Havasu Art Guild
|
Havasu, AZ
|
1979
|
SOMarts
|
San Francisco
|
1981
|
Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts
|
Duluth, GA
|
1982
|
Headlands Center for the Arts
|
Marin, CA
|
1983
|
Kaua'i Society of Artists
|
Kaua'i, HI
|
1984
|
Washington Sculptors Group
|
DC
|
1985
|
Sonoran Arts League
|
Cave Creek, AZ
|
1986
|
Sacramento Fine Arts Center
|
Sacramento, CA
|
1986
|
Bakehouse Art Complez
|
Maimi, FL
|
1988
|
Center for Photographic Art
|
Carmel, CA
|
1989
|
MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
|
SAn Jose, CA
|
1990
|
Delaware Foundation for the Visual Arts
|
Claymont, SE
|
1990
|
Wellington Art Society
|
Royal Palm Beach, FL
|
1992
|
The Drawing Studio
|
Tucson, AZ
|
1991
|
Lana'i Art Center
|
Lana'i, HI
|
1993
|
Artel
|
Pensacola, Fla
|
1993
|
Newark Arts Alliance
|
Newark, DE
|
1994
|
Arizona Pastel Artist Association
|
Sedona, AZ
|
1996
|
Sedona Visual Artist Coalition
|
Sedona, AZ
|
1995
|
Center for Contempory Printmaking
|
Norwalk, CT
|
1996
|
Fountain Street Studios
|
Framington, MA
|
1997
|
Carbondale Clay Center
|
Carbondale, CO
|
1999
|
CFAAM
|
Maine
|
2000
|
Rehoboth Art League
|
Rehoboth, DE
|
2000
|
Dover Art League
|
Dover, DE
|
2000
|
Kentuck Art Center
|
Northport AL
|
2000
|
Space OneEleven
|
Birmingham AL
|
2000
|
Scottsdale Artists League
|
Scottsdale, AZ
|
2000
|
Tucson Artist Colony
|
Tucson, AZ
|
2000
|
Art Students Legue of Denver
|
Denver
|
2000
|
Cottonwood Center for the Arts
|
Colorado Springs, CO
|
2000
|
RedLine
|
Denver/Milwaukee
|
2000
|
Thompson Valley Art League
|
Loveland, CO
|
2000
|
Society for Arts
|
Chicago
|
2000
|
Hoosier Salon
|
Indianapolis
|
2000
|
Lexington Art League
|
Lexington, KY
|
2002
|
DamienB Contempory Art
|
Maimi. FL
|
2004
|
Center for Fine Arts Photography
|
Ft Collins, CO
|
2003
|
Gilbert Visual Arts League
|
Gilbert AZ
|
2007
|
Arizona Plein Air Painters
|
web, AZ
|
2008
|
The Compound Gallery
|
Berkeley, CA
|
2011
|
Central Illinois Art Organization
|
Peoria, IL
|
If you’re a student of history, particularly Art movements and government funding, you can see the influence in the creation of these clubs. For instance, the earliest clubs were preserving Realism. Later on in the 20’s you may see the results of the Armory Show. In the 60’s the clubs developed with USA Block Grant money with the thought of providing an emotional outlet for the poor.
Some of the responding organizations have had difficulty with my criteria, pointing out that their organizations hold multiple incorporations where the founding organization is a 501(c)3, the gallery is not or the building was Federally funded and houses other programs which include the Art Club. OK, please remember, I did ask if the organization met the criteria in their opinion. Only one said NO. Surprisingly, some asked, “What’s in it for us?” My response, “nothing”.
Dear Reader, Yes I know my typing sucks, I am a two fingered typist. My list is preliminary and in the raw unedited state (see above). When I have the final, this is it list, I’ll try to publish it beyond my blog, at the very least with Wikipedia.
