| | LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION: | Fonds | | No.: | PR1188 | | TITLE: | Edmonton Art Club fonds | | CREATOR: | Edmonton Art Club | | DATE RANGE: | 1925-1986 | | EXTENT: | 0.05 m of textual records | | ADMINISTRATIVE | | HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | The Edmonton Art Club is the oldest continuing art organization in Alberta. The Club was established in 1921 by a group of artists who wanted to develop the city's visual arts through encouraging wider appreciation, improving the quality of local art and encouraging local artists through criticism and exhibitions. The first meeting was held on October 6, 1921 in the studio of William Johnstone, Edmonton's only professional artist at the time, who became the club's first president. Other presidents included Robert Campbell, Major F.H. Norbury, Dr. H.E. Bulyea, J. Gordon Sinclair, Miss A.M. Daley and Florence Mortimer. Monthly meetings were held, as were annual exhibitions. The Edmonton Art Club was instrumental, through co-operation with the Local Council of Women and the Art Association in 1923, in the formation of the Edmonton Museum of Art, which was renamed the Edmonton Art Gallery in 1956; the first exhibition took place in 1924. The Edmonton Art Club was also involved in the establishment of the Alberta Society of Artists in 1931 and provided a link between Edmonton and Calgary artists. | | SCOPE AND CONTENT: | The fonds consists of notes on the history of the Edmonton Art Club, correspondence, newspaper clippings, exhibit programs, and a calendar, published by the Women's Committee of the Edmonton Symphony Society, featuring Len Gibb's artwork. | | GENERAL NOTE: | Information for the administrative history is from the records and from The Changing Picture: 65 Years of the Edmonton Art Club, which can be found in the Provincial Archives of Alberta Reference Library, 750.6071 C362. |
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