In 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “As a member of the Chicago Society of Artists, I had a water color with a Society Exhibition, and sold it for a good price.” The fifteenth annual exhibition for the Chicago Society of Artists opened on January 31, 1911 (Chicago Tribune 31 January 1911, page 5).
Founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1889, the Chicago Society of Artists had two primary objectives: to advance art in the Chicago area, as well as cultivating the production of art and displaying artworks by its members.
The organization is noted as the oldest continuing association of artists in the United States, with membership including painters, print makers, graphic artists, photographers, sculptors, art critics and art educators. Here is a link to the Chicago Society of Artists website: http://chicagosocietyofartists.org/
Here is the current membership application process for the Chicago Society of Artists:
“The Board of Directors has developed a juried process for the selection of new members that insures maintenance and vitality of high professional standards. Applications are accepted at any time during the year from local, national, or international prospective members.
Please submit the following items for membership consideration:
Five (5) images of personal work via slides and/or digital prints for each medium in which the applicant works. If personal work is in a single medium, ten (10) slides/prints need to be submitted. Works may be submitted on a CD.
A biographical résumé (complete contact information, art training, educational background, etc.).
An art résumé (exhibitions, group shows, juried shows,
awards, publications,
other art related activities, professional affiliations, etc.).
A check for $35.00 made payable to the Chicago Society of Artists, Inc. This check covers the cost of $30.00 for annual dues and a $5.00 initiation fee. If the applicant is not accepted by the jury, the $35.00 will be refunded.
Submit the four items above to:
CSA Membership
C/o Corrie Lou Livingston Glass
383 Banbury Road
Mundelein, IL 60060
You will be notified by mail regarding the action of the jury.
Thank you for you for your interest in joining the Chicago Society of Artists.”
In 1892, Moses was one of the guests invited by members of the Chicago Society of Artists to a Bohemian party, complete with “music, dancing, red-hots, beer and smoke” (Chicago Tribune 12 Nov. 1892, page 6). At the time, the society was five years old and membership continued to increase. At the time, many of his close friends were the host so the party; a party specifically aimed to honor both members of the press and professional men.
By 1906, Moses wrote, “I joined the Palette and Chisel Club at the Chicago Society of Artists. I don’t know why, as I had so little time to give to pictures, but I live in hopes of doing something some day, that is what I have lived on for years, Hope, and how little we realize from our dreams of hope. As the years roll by, I think one’s whole life is one continuous dream, unless we are wonderfully gifted and fame drops on us while we sleep.”
In addition to Moses, there were many scenic artists who became members of the Chicago Society of Artists and its Palette & Chisel Club in the early twentieth century. Their ranks included many of Moses’ close friends and colleagues, such as A J. Rupert, Walter C. Hartson, Walter Burridge, Hardesty Maratta, Victor Higgins, Ernest Albert, Oliver D. Grover, Harry Vincent and Frank C. Peyraud.
During the spring of 1911, Wilson H. Irvine was chosen as the president of the Chicago Society of Artists (Chicago Tribune 5 April 1911, page 11). Other officers included Frank Phoenix as vice-president, George F. Schultz as secretary and Rudolph F. Ingerle as treasurer. Trustees were listed as H. Leon Roecker, Joseph Elliott Colburn, Lucie Hartrath, Charles Edward Boutwood, Water Marshall Clute, John F. Stacey, Frank C. Peyraud, Leonard Crunelle and Alfred Juergens.
To be continued…
