National Arts Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Arts Club is a New York City-based "Private Arts Club ... dedicated to furthering Art and Artists in America." [1] It was founded in 1898 by Charles De Kay, a New York Times art critic, to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Since 1906 the organization has occupied the Tilden Mansion, a Gothic Revival brownstone at 15 Gramercy Park, next to and West of The Players. The two clubs, which border exclusive and private Manhattan's Gramercy Park, are often seen to be in competition with each other for new members because they have similar interests. The club offers a variety of shows, educational programs, and awards in areas including theater, visual arts, film, literature, and music. [2][3][4][5][6] The club's current president is O. Aldon James, who has run the organization since 1985. The National Arts Club is one of the few private clubs which has, since its inception, admitted women as full and equal members. Among the distinguished painters who have been members are Robert Henri, Frederic Remington, William Merritt Chase and Cecilia Beaux. Sculptors have included Saint-Gaudens, Daniel Chester French, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Paul Manship. Many renowned literary figures have been members.
The National Arts Club is proud of its early recognition of new media artforms, like photography, film and digital media, and counts Alfred Stieglitz as one of its early members. Musicians Victor Herbert and Walter Damrosch were members, as were architects Stanford White and George B. Post. The Dramatic Arts are currently represented by members Martin Scorcese, Ethan Hawke, Dennis Hopper, Robert Redford and Uma Thurman. As well, through the years, the membership of the National Arts Club has included three presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Dwight Eisenhower.
[edit] References
- ^ National Arts Club. National Arts Club FAQ.
- ^ NAC Theater Committee.
- ^ NAC Visual Arts Committee.
- ^ NAC Film and Video Committee.
- ^ NAC Literary Committee.
- ^ NAC Music Committee.
