History

The Artists Society of Canberra (ASOC) dates back to the earliest incarnation of Canberra as the National Capital. The inaugural general meeting of the Society took place in the Civic Centre on Tuesday 28 June, 1927. This was the year of the opening of Federal Parliament in Canberra, and a month after the Canberra Times published its first daily edition.

The foundation President elected at that meeting was John Horgan, with David Limburg as Secretary. The objective of the Society was the advancement of Fine and Applied Arts, by means of exhibitions, lectures, etc.

 The first exhibition was held in the Civic Centre in late November 1927, and was opened by the Governor-General, His Excellency, Lord Stonehaven.  The Canberra Times (29 November, 1927, p 4) reported "Fine Arts - Canberra's First Exhibit" and that about 140 exhibits covered the walls, cards and tables.

 ASOC’s first premises was a room attached to the Canberra Times. The space was made available to members by Mr A.T. Shakespeare, founder of the newspaper, for use as a studio. Rent was £1.10.0 per week, which was later reduced to 10/- per week as a result of the Depression years.  The Depression eventually forced the Society into recess in July, 1934 until after the Second World War.

In August 1945 a meeting was arranged to consider a revival of the Society. The ninth Annual General Meeting was held at the Top Hat  Café in Manuka, and a full committee, with Arthur Percival as President, was elected. The first post-war exhibition was held in the Masonic Hall, Barton. Subsequent exhibitions were staged in the Canberra University College Hall.

 Despite its long history, ASOC has only intermittently enjoyed its own premises in Canberra. Its first long-term home was provided in 1952 when the Society obtained its own gallery and studio in one of the buildings of the former Riverside Hostel in Barton. This hostel became The Centre for various cultural activities in Canberra for many years. It was eventually closed and despite a commitment from the government of the day to provide alternative accommodation, ASOC continued to wander in the wilderness for many years.

In 1990 ASOC in the industrial area of Fyshwick leased a block of land on which it was given permission to erect a garage for the purpose of storing equipment. Groups of members met there to paint in far from ideal conditions: no running water, no heating or cooling and a primitive outdoor toilet.  Eventually the government moved ASOC on stating that they required the land, but promised to assist us in obtaining other premises.

In January 2001 the inaugural Summer Art Experience (SAE) was held at Orana School. Based on the Bathurst Summer and Winter art schools, seven 5-day intensive workshops were conducted by high-profile artists, both local and inter-state, with extensive experience in tutoring. Some 91 artists took part in the SAE and it was, by all accounts, a great success. David Hatton, then president of ASOC, was the initiator of the SAE and was ably assisted in its running by Jenni Warren for some years.

The SAE continues in vibrant form to this day, and in 2010 celebrated its 10th anniversary with a combined tutor and student exhibition, opened by David Hatton.  Over the the years the SAE has been held  in Lake Ginninderra College and the CIT, Bruce, but in 2011 returns to Orana.  It has become, along with the Spring Exhibition, a signature event for  the Society attracting new members and supporting members to develop their artistic practice through an intensive period of tuition.

In 2003 ASOC signed a 3-year lease for space in Canberra Technology Park in Watson. But due to difficulties with the location and rapidly increasing rental fees, we had to move out of there after less than two years of tenancy.  While this was a very difficult and unsettling time for the Society, it did give us a clear idea of what we needed in order to pursue the practice of the many media and art forms of our members.   The experience also sensitised us to what we should avoid in the future in terms of leasing premises.

In August 2010 ASOC signed a lease for a workspace in the new arts precinct in Blaxland Crescent, Griffith: M16Artspace. The new centre was opened by the Chief Minister and Minister for the Arts, Jon Stanhope on 13 August, 2010.  For the first time in ASOC’s history we are now surrounded by a group of established and emerging artists in their studios and by other visual arts organisations with the potential to build broad links in the arts community.  There has already been rapid development in the use of our studio with eight workgroups (untutored)  established in the first few months of operation.

The current membership is over 250, comprising a diverse mix of cultural backgrounds, ages, artistic abilities and experiences, interests, and stages of artistic development.  With a most conducive home base for a range of activities, a strong future for ASOC once again looks assured.