About Somerset County Artists Association
The Somerset County Artists Association is dedicated to the advancement of the public interest in creative art and to the encouragement of the growth of art. The Association works to promote interest in local art and artists who work in a wide variety of mediums. Anyone who enjoys working in art, no matter what the skill level, will feel right at home meeting with SCAA members.
Our monthly meeting covers a wide variety of topics, from demonstrations and lectures, to how to promote our local art and artists through art shows at the Phillip Dressler Center for the Arts and at other local county events. We have a once a year juried art show for exhibit prize money, plus an annual open members’ show to display our works of art for sale. Other opportunities to show, sell and serve arise each year.
Prospective members are welcome to attend any meeting, and are encouraged to bring a few examples of recent work. An annual fee of $25 is required for membership, which entitles you to exhibit in our shows and to hold office.
Meetings are held, usually at 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month, March through October at the Dressler Center, home of Laurel Arts, 214 South Harrison Avenue, Somerset. The SCAA is one of 15 affiliate groups of the Laurel Arts organization. Laurel Arts hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. Closed Friday and Sunday.
We appreciate your interest and look forward to sharing your visual creativity with us in the near future.
Somerset County Artists Association
(Taken from Records 1950 - 1962)
The Somerset County Artist Association had its beginning approximately 33 years ago.
Members chose their meeting place to be the Somerset Library, known now as the Mary S. Biesecker Library.
The first date of the secretarial record is October 25, 1951. But the list of presidents in the back denoted 1950 being the first year of an elected president.
The journal that was used for the secretarial records is numbered and 1951-52 is the first year recorded. It mentions the year 1951 as not the starting date, but shows its organization being at least one year old.
The growth of the arts in Somerset was one goal set for the group. Because of this, a Junior Artist Club was formed in February 1953. Dues were $.50. The scheduling of a Junior Art Exhibit, the last two weeks in April 1953, was noted. Because of missing pages no other information can be found on the Junior Artist Club.
The journal showed the Somerset County Artist Association to be an active group, with teas, picnics at Trent Park and exhibits at the Mountain Playhouse, Manor Hill Hotel. Armory, Maple Festival, and Ferner Hotel.
The record showed seven pictures sold in the year 1954-55.
One of the places for exhibits seemed to be the Armory.
Pennsylvania Week is also mentioned.
The meetings of the Artist Association echoed the words and demonstrations of artists still known as great to all, even to this day.
Talent of this type, today, would be beyond the imagination to even conceive in our meetings of today, and our course is to go back in time in our imagination to those years and try to hear the words of these great artists.
No doubt that the Somerset Artist Association did indeed leave footprints in the sand of time, in bringing the Arts into the County of Somerset.
Let our goals to go beyond that standard for all of the future years yet to come.
Research done by Jeane Thomas; Secretarial Records dated, 1950 - 1954; Secretarial Records dated, Sept. 1955 - Sept. 1962; Record books given by Elizabeth Matthews