American Academy of Arts and Letters facts for kids

The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a special group of 300 talented people. Their main goal is to "help, support, and keep alive" excellent work in writing, music, and art in America. Once someone is chosen, they are a member for life.

The Academy's main office is in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan, New York City. It shares a beautiful complex called Audubon Terrace with other organizations. This complex is on Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets.

The Academy has galleries that are open to the public at certain times. They show art like paintings, sculptures, and photos by modern artists. They also display works by new members and people who have won awards. In 2014, a special exhibit opened that shows the recreated studio of the famous composer Charles Ives.

The Academy's auditorium is very popular with musicians and sound engineers. This is because its sound quality is considered one of the best in the city. Many commercial music recordings have been made there.

History

How it Started

The American Academy of Arts and Letters grew from three older groups. The first was the American Social Science Association, started in 1865. The second was the National Institute of Arts and Letters (NIAL), created by the first group in 1898. To join the NIAL, you had to be very good at art, music, or writing. At first, only 150 men could be members.

The third group was the American Academy of Arts (AAA), which the NIAL members started in 1904. This group wanted to be the top arts organization in the country, like the famous French Academy.

The first seven members of the AAA were chosen by the NIAL. They included famous writers like William Dean Howells and Samuel L. Clemens, artists like Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and the composer Edward MacDowell. In 1904, the NIAL created two levels of membership: 50 "Academicians" (the elite group) and 200 "regular members" (the "Institute"). This two-level system lasted for 72 years.

In 1908, the poet Julia Ward Howe became the first woman to be elected to the AAA. She was 88 years old.

In 1976, the NIAL and AAA joined together. They became the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. This combined group could have up to 250 living U.S. members. They also used to have up to 75 honorary members from other countries, but this stopped in 1993.

Official Recognition

The Academy has a special recognition called a Congressional charter from the U.S. government. This means Congress officially recognized the Academy as an important national organization. This special recognition does not mean Congress controls the Academy. The Academy works independently.

Important people like Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and former President Theodore Roosevelt helped the Academy get this official recognition. It was a bit tricky to get, and the first try in 1910 failed. But in 1916, Congress finally approved it.

Buildings

The bronze entrance doors to the administration building on West 155th Street. They were designed by Academy member Adolph Alexander Weinman.

The Academy uses three buildings in the Audubon Terrace complex. This complex was built by Archer Milton Huntington, who was very rich and gave a lot of money to good causes. He helped convince the Academy and the National Institute of Arts and Letters to move there by giving them money for buildings and future support.

The first building, on West 155th Street, was designed by William M. Kendall. It opened in 1923 and is used for administration. Another building, with an auditorium and gallery, was designed by Cass Gilbert. It was built between 1928 and 1930. Both Kendall and Gilbert were members of the Academy.

In 2007, another group moved out of a building next to the Academy. This building then became the Academy's Annex. It has more gallery space. In 2009, the space between the Annex and the main administration building was turned into a new entrance.

Membership

Members of the Academy are chosen for life. Many of them have been leading figures in American art, music, and literature. They also serve on committees that give out yearly awards to new artists.

Even though many members were famous in their time, some interesting stories exist. For example, William James once turned down his membership because his younger brother Henry was chosen first! Also, a member named Robert Underwood Johnson strongly opposed modern art and writing for many years.

For a long time, women were not chosen as members. But in January 1908, Julia Ward Howe became the first woman member. In 1926, four more women were elected, which was seen as a big step. The first African-American woman to be elected was Gwendolyn Brooks in 1976.

Below is a partial list of past members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and its earlier groups:

Current Academicians

Awards

The Academy gives out many awards to support talented people in the arts. Most candidates for these awards must be nominated by an Academy member.

Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts

This award is a certificate and $1,000. It goes to a U.S. resident who has "done great service to the arts."

• 2003: Leon Botstein
• 2008: Judith Jamison

Other Awards

• Arts and Letters Award: These awards started in 1941 to encourage creative work. Now, they are $10,000 each. They are given yearly to artists, writers, composers, and architects.
• Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize: This yearly prize of $5,000 goes to an architect from any country. It is for someone who has "made a contribution to architecture as an art."
• Jimmy Ernst Award: This $5,000 award is given to a painter or sculptor. It honors someone whose artistic vision has been "consistent and dedicated" throughout their life.
• E. M. Forster Award: This $15,000 award is given to a young English writer. It helps them visit the United States for a longer time.
• American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medals: Each year, the Academy gives out gold medals for amazing achievements in two different categories. These medals honor a person's entire body of work. Categories include:
  • Writing (Belles Lettres, Criticism, Essays) and Painting
  • Biography and Music
  • Fiction and Sculpture
  • History and Architecture
  • Poetry and Music
  • Drama and Graphic Art
• William Dean Howells Medal: This award is given every five years. It recognizes the most outstanding American novel published during that time.
• The Charles Ives Prize: This award helps young composers. Six scholarships of $7,500 and two fellowships of $15,000 are given yearly. There's also the Charles Ives Living award of $75,000 a year for three years. This award helps a promising composer focus only on music.
• The Charles Ives Opera Prize: This $50,000 award is given from time to time to a composer and writer for a recently produced opera. It is one of America's largest awards for vocal music.
• Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction: This $5,000 prize is for the best first novel or collection of short stories published in the past year.
• Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater: These awards help pay for full productions or staged readings of musicals in New York City. They are for composers and writers who are not yet well-known. These are the only awards where you can apply directly.
• Rome Prize in Literature: Each year, the Academy chooses two young writers. They help pay for them to live for one year at the American Academy in Rome.

See also

In Spanish: Academia Estadounidense de las Artes y las Letras para niños

Images for kids

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  Audubon Terrace in April 2008