History of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Catharine Lorillard Wolfe was clearly a remarkable and independent woman, deeply concerned about a wide range of social issues, and with a profound interest in art. That the Club founded to honor her memory has survived for over 125 years is a tribute to the many women, also strong and independent and with widely diverse talents, who have been inspired by the standard she set and who have stepped up to the new challenges of constantly changing times. The fact remains that although opportunities for and recognition of women artists have increased, there is still a need for organizations fostering the position of women in the arts. The Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club has evolved in many stages, from a comfortable and welcoming home for young women in New York, struggling to gain recognition in all areas of arts and crafts, to a group of highly professional artists drawn from all regions of the country. Although in the early days the Club was perceived as a social support for needy and lonely students, the members’ serious commitment to art was evident in the continually renewed exhibitions they mounted in their rooms at Grace Church. Underlying the sense of mutual support and camaraderie was always the desire to demonstrate genuine professional achievement. As Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, the noted sculptor, stated in her letter of thanks for having been honored at CLWAC’s 75th Annual Exhibition in 1971: Our Club has always kept its standards high and never dipped its colors in the direction of eccentricity and caprice in art.... Don’t think for an instant that I mean to suggest that art should be static. Art is life and ebbs and flows, is depressed and exultant–but if the artist is to help his fellow man– to lift his spirit...he must portray truth and beauty, and in doing so there is no substitute for style and mastery of technique. This combination of genuine support for fellow artists and dedication to serious artistic values has been crucial to keeping CLWAC alive. Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, 1880-1980
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