By Judith Reynolds Special to the Herald A large selection of works by 16 members of the American Academy of Women Artists is on display this month at Termar Gallery. Interspersed with works by the gallery s other artists, AAWA s are set off in mini-exhibits with artist s statements and exhibition histories. Several members are so proud of their affiliation with the group they have added a bold AAWA after their signatures.
Artistic affiliations have a long and proud history in Western art.
In the medieval period they flourished as guilds with admission standards, competitions and guidelines on pricing and patronage. By the 19th century, particularly in France and England, official academies held annual salon exhibitions which determined who would succeed and who wouldn t. By 1863, these shows were so exclusive that hundreds of rejected artists effectively protested and got exhibition space of their own the famous Salon des Refuses. In 1874 Monet, Pissarro and others formed an independent group, the Societe Anonyme, and held seven subsequent annual shows which put Impressionism on the artistic map. The practice of artistic affiliation has continued into the modern era, especially among women artists.