A dynamic member-based nonprofit educational organization dedicated to expanding the knowledge of traditional fine arts. Through exhibitions, programs and publications, CAC supports a network of contemporary artists and provides opportunities for art enthusiasts to partake with the arts community.

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Fact Sheet

Mission:
  • To promote traditional fine arts in the fields of painting, drawing and sculpture, with a special emphasis placed on the academic traditions and craftsmanship established by the Club’s founders;
  • to produce and promote art exhibitions that foster understanding and interpretation of traditional art heritage and California history;
  • to furnish educational opportunities in the fine arts.
Year Established:

1909
Club Founding:
Created by the Los Angeles Painters Club, which had been established in 1906 as an informal group of male artists. A significant impetus to form the California Art Club was to allow both sculptors and women artists to participate.

Club Activities:


Gold Medal Exhibitions:  The Club’s Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibitions, considered to be one of the country’s premier exhibitions of contemporary-traditional fine, art are held at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.
  Ongoing Exhibitions:  These include:
 
  • Celebrating the Golden State, an ever-changing exhibition of paintings at the Club’s permanent gallery at the historic El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill) in San Marino, Calif.
  • A selection of scenic paintings of Northern and Southern California at the historic Maxwell House, the headquarters of the Western Justice Center Foundation.
  • Themed exhibitions of artwork created by the Club’s Painting/Sculpting Patrons at the Arts & Crafts building known as The Blinn House, headquarters to the Women’s City Club of Pasadena.
  • Themed exhibitions of paintings by members of the Club known as the “Pasadena Art Colony” at the famed Marston’s Restaurant in Pasadena, Calif.
  Special Events and Exhibitions: The Club collaborates with prominent museums and cultural organizations to present exhibitions and programs that showcase aspects of California’s rich history. Included among these institutions are:
 
  • Academy of Art University, San Francisco
  • Autry National Center
  • Bowers Museum
  • Carnegie Art Museum
  • Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
  • Chinatown Business Improvement District
  • Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy
  • Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art
  • The Getty Center
  • Haggin Museum
  • The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
  • The Irvine Museum
  • Kidspace Museum
  • La Casita del Arroyo
  • Los Angeles Arboretum
  • Luckman Fine Arts Complex
  • Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
  • Norton Simon Museum
  • Mission San Juan Capistrano
  • Pasadena Museum of California Art
  • Pasadena Museum of History
  • Pasadena Public Library
  • Springville Museum of Art
Collectors’ Circle Events: Special activities for this category of membership include the Annual Collectors’ Circle Benefit and Preview of the Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, the Annual Art Dinners at homes of private collectors, and tours of artist studios and other art-related venues.

Master Artist Workshops:  Renowned artists teach and demonstrate traditional fine art skills of painting, sculpture and drawing

Publication of the quarterly California Art Club Newsletter

Membership Meetings: Topics for these meetings range from discussion and demonstrations on traditional fine arts, to lectures on California art history, conservation, framing, and more.

“Paint-Outs”:  These events enable art patrons to watch Club artists at work at different scenic locations throughout the Golden State.

Membership Categories:

Artist Member – professional fine art painter residing in California; selected by the membership jury.  Number of Artist Members is limited.
Sculptor Member – professional fine art sculptor residing in California; selected by the membership jury.  Number of Sculptor Members is limited.
Signature Artist Member – Artist or Sculptor Member recognized for outstanding achievement as a fine artist and approved by a majority of the board.  Signature Membership is limited.
Mentor Program Member – art student or professional artist under age of 30 years residing in California; selected by the membership jury.
Out-of-State Artist Member – nationally renowned fine artists invited to join the Club based on upstanding recognition and reputation for high traditional art standards.
Honorary Life Member – designated by the board in recognition for services rendered to the club.
Collectors’ Circle Member –patrons of the Club interested in providing greater financial support, while receiving exclusive opportunities to learn more about traditional fine and building relationships with artists and others who share their passion for art.
Patron Member – supporter of the Club.
International Patron Member – supporter of the Club outside the United States.
Associate Artist Member– supporter of the Club recognized as an artist but not an Artist or Sculptor Member. (previously Painting/Sculpting Patron Member.)
Club Chapters:  Los Angeles/Pasadena
Malibu/Ventura County
Orange County
San Diego
San Francisco Bay Area
Santa Barbara


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