The Plastic Club is an arts organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1897 for women only, the Plastic Club is one of the oldest art clubs in the United States. It is located on the 200 block of Camac Street, the "Little Street of Clubs" that was a cultural destination in the early 1900s.[1] Since 1991, the club's membership also includes men.[2]
History
The Plastic Club was founded by art educator Emily Sartain. It was founded as an arts organization for women to promote collaboration and members' works, partly in response to the Philadelphia Sketch Club, an exclusively male arts club.[3] The first President was the etcher Blanche Dillaye.[4] The motto of the club was taken from a poem by Theophile Gautier:
All passes. Art alone Enduring stays to us; The Bust outlasts the throne,— The Coin, Tiberius[5]
In 1991, the organization opened its membership to include men. During the 1990s the club also sought to attract art students, offering free membership to two recent graduates a year.[2]
The Plastic Club building at 247 South Camac Street was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1962.[10]
Noted past members
The Plastic Club has identified the following noted past members:[11]
