Member's List

History

Charter

Meetings

Newsletter

Current Shows

A History of the Northside Art Association

In 1955 a small group of artists gathered monthly at the Pine Lawn library where they discussed each others paintings and lacking funds borrowed art films and projector to encourage attendance. Among them was Anna Mirabella who said that in the summer they would gather at member’s homes with meetings highlighted by painting demonstrations and pot-luck suppers. In about 1960 they had outgrown the library and began meeting in the Ferguson city hall. During this time, open air art shows at various shopping centers were popular. These shows were held during the summer months and lasted only one or two days on weekends. Some shows were organized by clubs such as NAA. Between 1959 and 1962 the club held an annual show at Northland Shopping Center.

One of the exciting features that the group began in the early 1960s was the summertime monthly outing in lieu of an inside meeting. There were a number of young families with children and it seemed like a good idea to get families involved with the artist. So on a Sunday we would choose some scenic or historical venue where the artists could paint while the children played, and the non-artist spouses could also relax and have fun. Over the years these outings succeeded in creating a close-knit group that would help Northside Art Association survive. People like Anna Mirabella, who was a vitally active member until her death in 1996 (age close to 100). Anna was always trying new things, was willing to share her knowledge with everyone, and was an inspiration to all.

The River Roads Shopping Center opened in 1963. It had a huge enclosed mall. Northside Art Association approached them to sponsor a show that year, and it was agreed upon. That show was like shows of the past, although it hung from Thursday through Saturday. It was a huge success for the shopping center, and they asked NAA to do it again the next year only bigger. The shopping Center built displays for artwork to hang, and provided extra guards around the clock, so the artwork could hang all week. The 1964 exhibit changed the way artists viewed shopping center shows.

It also caused a crisis within Northside Art Association. Some members thought it was too much work or that we were too big for our britches. That was when it was decided that we needed to become legal. A charter was submitted to Missouri and approved.

Also approved was our status as a non-profit organization by the IRS, and the use of the lower bulk mail/non-profit rate by the post office. This allowed Northside to mail a monthly newsletter to everyone who entered the show or expressed interest. The newsletter grew to several pages because it included notices of exhibits held by other organizations (another first), and other items of general interest. Thus the River Roads art exhibit proved to be a significant force in the growth of Northside Art Association. At one time it was the largest indoor juried art exhibit in the mid-west with over a thousand works of art displayed. Beginning in 1968 the shows hung for two weeks. Schools brought their classes to see it and NAA provided tour guides.

As a result of the 1964 exhibit, the membership had grown and we started meeting at the large auditorium at River Roads where we could have monthly demonstrations. In the River Roads years Northside Art Association was able to attract some of the best known artists in the St. Louis area for demonstrations. By 1970 the membership roll was over 100. By 1971, River Roads was so impressed with the results of the annual exhibit (customers in the stores) that they offered a small store that was not rented for members to display and sell their work year around.

Some time in the mid-1970s, this small gallery moved to a different shopping center and began operating like a business. This became a second crisis for Northside Art Association because it violated the IRS rules for a non-profit organization. Fortunately the issue was resolved with a hand-slap and promise to obey the rules, and by closing the gallery, but many friendships were severed. Although the club survived, it took several years to rebuild the membership. There was many a meeting where the high-light was the monthly competition which seems a mainstay of the organization. Members learn much from each other through discussing their work.

From the late 1970s into the mid 1980s the club met at, and held an annual exhibit at, the Florissant Library. When the library was renovated we moved to the Lewis and Clark library and then to our present location at the Prairie Commons library. Also from the mid-1980s we have had an annual exhibit hanging in the Florissant Civic Center, less the year it was closed for renovation. This exhibit hangs for a whole month. The walls are always quite full of excellent artwork. These shows have also been so impressive that the city has asked us to hang members work several times a year.

Since moving to the Prairie Commons library, NAA has been able to resume the monthly demonstrations, and thus again fulfilling the requirements of the charter. In the last decade, the club has added a monthly paint-together, a spring and fall workshop, and recently this web site.

Although not an official Northside Art Association function due to IRS restrictions, through the generous donation of space by the bank, and the selfless donation of time by NAA members, and especially the considerable effort by Joan Frericks,  our members are able to display their work in the gallery described elsewhere on this site.