The Plastic Club facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Plastic Club

Plastic Club members in their early Chestnut Street studio, c. 1901
Established	1897; 128 years ago (1897)
Founder	Emily Sartain
Founded at	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Purpose	arts organization for women to promote collaboration and members' works
Headquarters	247 South Camac Street
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
President (1897)	Blanche Dillaye

The Plastic Club is an art group located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It started in 1897 just for women. This makes it one of the oldest art clubs for women in the United States. It's on Camac Street, also known as the "Little Street of Clubs." This street was a popular place for culture in the early 1900s. Since 1991, men can also join the club.

History of the Club

The Plastic Club was started by an art teacher named Emily Sartain. It was created to help women artists work together and show their art. This was partly because of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, which was only for men. The first president of the club was an etcher named Blanche Dillaye.

The club's motto comes from a poem by Theophile Gautier:

All passes. Art alone
Enduring stays to us;
The Bust outlasts the throne,—
The Coin, Tiberius

Insignia of The Plastic Club

The special design for The Plastic Club was made by Elisabeth Hallowell Saunders.

The club offered many activities for its members. These included art classes, fun social events, and art shows. They even had an annual costume party called "the Rabbit."

Famous Early Members

Many talented women were early members of the Plastic Club. Some of them were Elenore Plaisted Abbott, Cecilia Beaux, Fern Coppedge, and Violet Oakley. Many of these artists had studied with a famous teacher named Howard Pyle. In 1898, an art show featured works by Pyle's former students. These included Elizabeth Shippen Green, Jessie Willcox Smith, and Violet Oakley.

In 1918, the club helped start the Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy. This shows how art and crafts were connected to helping people recover from injuries or illnesses back then.

Changes Over Time

In 1991, the Plastic Club decided to allow men to become members. This was a big change for the club. During the 1990s, the club also worked to attract new art students. They offered free memberships to two recent art school graduates each year.

The building where The Plastic Club is located, at 247 South Camac Street, was recognized as a historic place in Philadelphia in 1962.

Notable Past Members

The Plastic Club has had many important artists as members. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: The Plastic Club para niños