Copley Society of Art – Oldest Non-Profit Art Association Gallery in the Country

By: Teri Borseti

Newbury St., in Boston’s Copley Square neighborhood, has long been home to a variety of art galleries. But Co/So (Copley Society of Art) has roots that date back to 1879 when it was founded by the first class to graduate from The School of Drawing and Painting, which later became the Museum of Fine Arts School.

Copley Society of Art

Years later the gallery made a permanent home at 158 Newbury when a group of artists purchased the building. Today, it’s the oldest non-profit art association in the United States.

Copley Society Executive Director, Suzan Redgate has been involved with Co/So for more than 20 years and says there has never been a dull moment. “I think the big thing that helped establish our reputation was in 1913 when The New York Amory show sent works of Roualt, Dufy, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Picasso and Van Gogh here to be exhibited. This is a well known gallery and not just in Boston,” Redgate said.

Co/So has also exhibited the works of Winslow Homer, Dodge MacKnight, and John Singer Sargent.

There are currently over 500 living artist members affiliated with the gallery, which is operated by a board of governors. In 2005 a group of young professionals formed “Co/So Circle” to explore art and promote the gallery and Redgate says it’s been fun watching it evolve over time.

So many artists have affected the gallery and have had the gallery affect them and their careers. Rich Fleury is an artist from Eastham on Cape Cod who became involved with CoSo in 2006. The coastal landscape artist known for his minimalist style said “The Copley Society has had a profound influence on my career as an artist. Since our first meeting I’ve gone from a Cape Cod artist to a national, if not international artist. I will forever be grateful.”

Front of Copley Society of Art

Fleury added that there’s a distinction that comes with Copley recognition, along with credibility for collectors and the art community as a whole that reaches far beyond New England.

Becoming a member isn’t easy and involves several steps. Interested artists must file an application (which includes a $60 non-refundable fee). Next is a meeting with the Copley Society Membership Committee, and then digital images, (including 3D) and a final fee of $100 are required before an artist is juried in as a member. Redgate and Fleury both agree that the exposure, opportunity to teach a workshop, and attend artists exchange social evenings are, just a few reasons why artists are constantly applying.

There are 15-20 exhibits per year at the gallery where there are two levels as well as an additional exhibition room called “The Red Room”. The roomy space, which Redgate says is always changing, is often flooded with natural light but also has well-designed tract lighting designed to accent the exhibited art.

One never knows what works are just waiting to be seen at Co/So. A variety of mediums include watercolor, oil, sculpture, pastel, photography, graphite and other unusual creations. One such creation, done by artist Jeanne Staples are paintings of beets. It isn’t until one looks through the special glass put in place by Staples that a three dimensional view of the beets comes to life giving it a whole different look.

The current selection “Matter, Medium, and Meaning” is a contemporary still life collection that includes a painting by Sean Boyce entitled “Peanut butter in Boston” It depicts a jar of Skippy Peanut Butter, another of Welch’s grape jelly, and an open bag of Wonder Bread, with a freshly made PB&J next to it.

Geoffrey Chalmers Copley Society of Art

On another wall is a painting by George Hartley of several mischievous squirrels helping themselves to fruit set on a table. And “Trucks on Sunday” by Allan B. Hall is a wonderfully nostalgic painting that includes toy trucks, a game board and funny papers. Paintings large and small, contributed by artists from all over, vary widely. Some are so accurately painted that it would be easy to mistake them for photographs.

“We like to be on the cutting edge of the next art trend and currently we’re exhibiting something called “encaustic art,” Said Redgate. These contemporary works are made with nails, wire, metal, screws & wood. One such work is called “Fragments” by Patricia Gerkin.

There’s always something new to be seen at the gallery. In addition to a constantly changing array of paintings the gallery also features photography, and on occasion a solo show that spotlights one artist. In the Red Room, an exhibition by Anne Grandin, is a series of 14 paintings depicting her own “Living Circle”. Her unusual technique and style is shared with viewers in scenes from Uganda, The United States (including her house on Martha’s Vineyard), Italy and Amsterdam. The paintings are hung in what Redgate says crates a Zen like flow. “I understand that Donna Karan likes this type of Zen art and I think she would just love this collection,” Redgate said.

To find out more about upcoming events and exhibits log onto www.copleysociety.org