|
The Saskatoon Art Club was established on June 16, 1925. As the earliest arts-related organization in Saskatoon, the Club grew out of the effort to establish the Saskatoon Collegiate War Memorial Gallery. With Principal A.W. Cameron of the Saskatoon Collegiate as president, the club sponsored art classes and organized two exhibitions a year. On April 3rd, 1928, the club opened the first Saskatoon exhibition of works created by the Group of Seven. Until 1930, the club made several failed attempts at convincing the city to establish a civic art gallery.
Revived in 1933 by Ernest Lindner and Les Saunders, the club's name changed to the Saskatoon Art Association and it became a member of the Canadian Federation of Artists. Its First Annual Exhibition was held in 1937. The Association became affiliated with the Saskatoon Camera Club and the Saskatoon Archaeological Society for the purpose of establishing an Art Centre. This was one of the earliest artist-run centers in Canada and was designed to be a community space for instruction, local and traveling exhibitions, lectures, and meetings.
|