Arts and Crafts Society of Los Angeles

Arts and Crafts Society of Los Angeles
Name	Arts and Crafts Society of Los Angeles
Formation	1906
Type	Arts organization
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Region served	Southern California
Leader title	President

Arts and Crafts Society of Los Angeles The Arts and Crafts Society of Los Angeles formed in the early 20th century as a regional manifestation of the international Arts and Crafts movement and a counterpart to organizations such as the Craftsman movement and the California Arts and Crafts movement. Operating amid the cultural growth of Los Angeles and Southern California, the Society connected practitioners associated with institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California Institute of the Arts, and University of Southern California to patrons from circles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and the Huntington Library. The Society fostered exchange between figures linked to Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley, Gifford Pinchot, and regional architects active in Pasadena and Santa Monica.

History

The Society emerged during debates that included participants from William Morris's circle, the Manchester advocates, and practitioners influenced by Philip Webb, Charles Voysey, John Ruskin, and proponents aligned with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Early meetings involved designers and makers associated with Gustav Stickley, Henry Hobson Richardson, Bernard Maybeck, Greene and Greene, and patrons from families like the Huntington family and the Booth family. The Society's formation paralleled events such as exhibitions at the World's Columbian Exposition and discussions tied to the Panama–California Exposition; membership included people with connections to Otis College of Art and Design, Riverside Art Museum, Pasadena Museum of History, and craft centers in San Diego. Over decades the Society intersected with municipal projects in Los Angeles City Hall, collaborations with the California State Library, and conservation efforts alongside the National Trust for Historic Preservation, reflecting debates sparked by figures like Frank Lloyd Wright, John Ruskin, and William Morris.

Mission and Activities

The Society articulated a mission resonant with principles championed by William Morris, John Ruskin, and Gustav Stickley: to promote handmade craftsmanship, integrated design, and local production networks linking studios, galleries, and schools such as Chouinard Art Institute, Otis Parsons School of Design, University of California, Los Angeles, and Occidental College. Activities included workshops led by artisans with ties to Greene and Greene, exhibitions curated in cooperation with Los Angeles County Museum of Art, lectures featuring scholars from UCLA Department of Art History, exchanges with the British Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, and craft fairs modeled after events at Guild of Handicraft and Camden Town Group shows. The Society sponsored preservation initiatives connected to properties influenced by Bernard Maybeck, Silas Reese Burns, and Julia Morgan.

Membership and Organization

Membership consisted of craftspeople, architects, designers, patrons, and academics drawn from networks that included Gustav Stickley, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Greene and Greene, Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, and representatives from institutions such as the Huntington Library, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California Institute of the Arts, Occidental College, and Pasadena Playhouse. The governance structure mirrored societies like the Craftsman Club and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, with committees coordinating exhibitions, education, and outreach tied to venues such as LACMA, Getty Center, Huntington Library, and regional museums including the San Diego Museum of Art and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Notable Members and Contributors

Contributors and members included designers, makers, architects, and patrons associated with names such as Greene and Greene, Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, William Morris, John Ruskin, Philip Webb, Gifford Pinchot, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Carpenter, E. W. Godwin, Erik Gunnar Asplund, and regional figures from Pasadena and Santa Monica. Patrons and supporters referenced connections to collectors like Henry E. Huntington, J. Paul Getty, Chester C. Bolton, and institutions including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Getty Research Institute, Huntington Library, The Museum of Modern Art, and universities such as UCLA and USC.

Exhibitions and Publications

The Society organized exhibitions in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Huntington Library, Pasadena Museum of History, and venues comparable to the British Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society and the Guild of Handicraft. Shows highlighted furniture inspired by Gustav Stickley and Greene and Greene, textiles echoing William Morris, metalwork recalling Charles Robert Ashbee, and ceramics in conversation with Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada. The Society produced bulletins and catalogues drawing on scholarship akin to publications from The Burlington Magazine, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Architectural Digest, and exhibition catalogues from MoMA and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Influence and Legacy

The Society influenced preservation campaigns resembling those led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and affected curriculum development at Chouinard Art Institute, Otis College of Art and Design, and California Institute of the Arts. Its legacy is evident in municipal conservation policy dialogues involving Los Angeles City Hall, the programming of LACMA and the Getty Center, and the sustained interest in makers linked to Greene and Greene, Julia Morgan, Gustav Stickley, and William Morris. The Society's imprint endures in archives held at institutions such as the Huntington Library, Getty Research Institute, and university special collections at UCLA and USC.

Category:Arts organizations in Los Angeles