Richmond Artists Association (RAA)

Richmond Artists Association (RAA) (1955-2005) was a twentieth-century incorporated organization of artists active in Virginia well into the 21st century. Organizational plans began in 1955, and RAA was founded and started building up its membership during 1955-1965, securing its first certificate of incorporation in 1956. Artist/lawyer Westwood Winfree was the first president. RAA was allied with the Richmond Federated Arts Council, Arts Council of Richmond,^[1] Artists Equity Association, and the Southern Arts Association. The group brought to Richmond the show Three Modern Painters: Hartley, Feininger, Beckmann, featuring the art of Marsden Hartley, Lyonel Feininger, and Max Beckmann in January 6–27, 1957 and Max Ernst Works on Paper in 1968. The RAA remained active until 2005 when some of the membership merged with another art organization to form the Richmond Metropolitan Artists Association.^[2]

Officers and Members of RAA

Theresa Pollak, a teacher and founder of the art departments at both the University of Richmond and Richmond Professional Institute (also known as RPI, an extension of the College of William and Mary which became the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts) was Vice President of the Richmond Artists' Association from 1958-1959. In 1978, she became a lifetime Honorary Member and frequent exhibitor in the group's juried shows.^[3] Other presidents of RAA after Westwood Winfree were Barbara Kennedy (1963-1964), Thomas Gay, Jr. (1964-1965),^[4] Nadara Goodwin (1965-1966),^[5] Ruth Ensign (1965-1967),^[6] Kenneth Rowe (1967-1968),^[7] Baylor Nichols (1968-1969),^[8] Gwyn Beitzell (1971-1972),^[9] Kitty Schwartzchild (1972-1973),^[10] Etta Edwards (1974-1975),^[11][12] Ed Steinberg (1976-1978),^[13] Anne Savedge (1979),^[14] Margot Blank (1982-1984),^[15] Mitzi Humphrey (1985-1986),^[16][17][18] Mary Montague Sikes (1986-1987),^[19] Anne Perkins (1988-1992),^[20] Irene Jesse Perry (1992-1994),^[21] and Mary Melton.^[22]

RAA members also included Gertrude K. Russi^[23] (a vice president (1967-1968), Ruth Rose, Bea Klein (a founding member),^[24] Jane Ware, Gloria Blades (a vice-president), Henrietta Near,^[25] Willie Anne Wright,^[26][27] Ann Oppenheimer,^[28] Helen Hull,^[29] Roomy Pak,^[30] James Bumgardner,^[31] Bell Worsham,^[32] Gail McKennis,^[33] (owner of Scott-McKennis Gallery and co-founder with RAA member Nancy David of the Richmond Printmaking Workshop).

Other artist members were Barbara Ames,^[34][35] Louise Cochrane,^[36] Janice McMurray,^[37] Barbara Bishop,^[38] Pam Shelor,^[39] Viola "Pete" Butzner, Isota Epes, Kitty Boldock, Celeste Hicks, Margaret Cramer, Judith Kowler, Mary Shumate, Homer Springer,^[40] Frances Rex,^[41] Nancy David,^[42] Ed Wiles (author of a 1990 history of RAA), and Anne Perkins (art director of the Richmond Public Library exhibitions).^[43]

Exhibitions

In 1963 the Petersburg Area Art League featured the Richmond Artists' Association member Helen S. Hull in one of their exhibitions, and she presented a critique session for the group.^[44]

RAA members were frequent exhibitors in the juried and curated shows of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Women's Caucus for Art, and local galleries such as Schindler Gallery, Scott-McKennis Gallery, Artspace, 1708, Uptown, Shockoe Bottom Arts Center, and Art6.

In 1992 Baylor Nichols presented a show at Artspace Gallery on Broad Street in Richmond, a gallery originally founded in Shockoe Slip by members also affiliated with RAA. The Richmond Artists' Association was one of the sponsors of the national book art show Art ex Libris shown at Artspace, and several member artists contributed art to the exhibition.

A favorite public exhibition site for RAA was the Gellman Room gallery space at the Richmond Public Library, presenting juried member shows and receptions there from 1977-1983. It was usual to invite a well-known artist, often artists-in-residence or visiting artists from the University of Richmond or Virginia Commonwealth University to act as juror and to give in the library's auditorium a follow-up lecture/critique about their choices .

There were also early annual public exhibitions of members' art at the Carillon in Richmond, Virginia, Thalhimers, and Miller & Rhoads. The 35th Anniversary Show of RAA was held in 1992 in the gallery of Richmond's Crestar Bank.^[45]

Projects and sponsorships

In 1955-1960 RAA presented a Festival of the Arts Summer Show.

From February 1 to March 1, 1964 RAA sponsored the exhibition of Hans Hoffmann and his students held at the Carillon in Richmond's Byrd Park and Maymont area. Entitled Hans Hofmann and his students 1963-1964, this was a nationally circulating exhibition of 58 works of art by 51 artists organized by William Seitz for the Museum of Modern Art.

In 1976 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its founding, RAA published an edition of original postcards by its members, a copy of which is archived in James Branch Cabell Library special collections at Virginia Commonwealth University.^[46]

In July 1993, RAA sponsored a trip for members to see the Barnes Collection and to visit the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

Late history, dissolution, and merger of the RAA

Upon the dissolution of the Richmond Artists Association, a group of former members in 2005 merged with the Metropolitan Artists Association (which had evolved and grown from the West End Art Alliance) to become the Metropolitan Richmond Artists Association (MRAA).

References

External links

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