Chicago Academy of Design - 1882

From the Stephen Douglas monument
by Lawrence W. Volk, founding member
of the Chicago Academy of Design








Note the date, 1882
four years after it's officers
had declared bankruptcy
and then joined a new organization,
the Chicago Academy of Art,
that would purchase its property at auction,
and later change its name to the Art Institute of Chicago


Note that this a free school,
supported by studio rents and exhibition sales






Note the stated purpose:

"Encouragement of the true and the beautiful in the arts of design"
(no doubt referring to the "Academia del Designo"
founded by Cosimo De Medici in the 16th C.)

and note that the dominant governing class of membership,
"the Academicians"
are to be those recognized as Artists

The "Honorary Academicians" is a self-appointed body
that chooses one of the three directors,
and would include both artists and major donors.

The other kinds of members are either
students or donors







note that whatever income exceeds expenses
is to be devoted to the purchase
of works of art and books
for the establishment of a permanent
art gallery and library

President: annually elected by academicians. His job is to preside at meetings,
oversee the work of treasurer and secretary (meetings may be called by any three members)


Vice pres: annually elected by academicians. Serves in place of president when necessary

Secretary: annually elected by academicians (he may be an honorary academcian)

Treasurer: chosen by the board of 3 directors from among themselves

3 directors appointed by: mayor, honorary academicians, academicians -- 5 years
in charge of all property, executes all contracts

Council of 6: annually elected by academy


Executive Committee: All of the above


Director of schools: 5 year term, appointed by executive committee

Recording secretary: 5 year term

So...

The Academicians (artists) have final say,
since they can meet whenever they want,
and elect the majority of the executive committee

But the organization is mostly run by the 3 directors
(one of whom is chosen by the Mayor of Chicago)
who serve 5-year terms
and enter into contracts on behalf of the academy.


(I believe this system
was modeled
after the large, free
art academies of some European cities,
like Munich)

***************

Here is the original 1869
charter
for the organization






Note that both

Lawrence W. Volk
and
J. F. Gookins


are among the founding members,
as well as those who
who presented
the revised
constitution of 1882




Here's a painting by Gookins



who was also something of an art critic
as evidenced by
a quotation printed
in the New York Times of 9/13/1886:

Gookins attacks those "who are bent on warping and prejudicing the public mind in favor of the greenery-gallery school in landscape and the Plutonian school in figure painting" as well as "They ,in a languid assumption of blase repose, commend the things done bya few young men in imitation of French landscapists who have done the same things so much better and they are aesthetically entranced by the pictures of what may be termed the mother-may-I-go-out-and-swim school and the lost-her-fig-leaf school, and they seek to make all that sort of thing fashionable and force it upon the American public to the exclusion of much that is pure and nobel and greater in every way."

...while Leonard Volk was the leading Midwestern sculptor
of his time
(and even got Lincoln to actually sit for a portrait)

(note: a fine essay on this topic may be found here )