Royal Canadian Academy of Arts - Académie royale des arts du Canada

The Canadian Academy of Arts was founded in 1880 under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne. With the objective of advancing the growth and development of the visual arts in the fledgling nation, twenty-five of the country’s most accomplished painters, sculptors, and architects were selected as Charter Academicians and fifty Associates. With Lucius O’Brien as its first President, the Canadian Academy recognised the importance of encouraging the visual arts and setting aesthetic standards that would compare favourably to those of other civilized countries. Establishing a society of distinguished artists in this new country promised to ensure that Canada would fully embrace its vital, emerging visual culture and officially acknowledged the necessity to celebrate the authenticity of the Canadian experience.

On June 22, 1880, the Canadian Academy was given permission from the Queen to use the prefix ‘Royal’, and two years later on May 17, 1882 the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was officially incorporated by an act of Parliament. The painter William Revell RCA designed the Academy membership diploma, which was approved within the first year and available in 1883.

The founding members laid much of the institutional foundation for nurturing and preserving Canada’s visual arts heritage. Through their determination to foster the arts and their wish to ensure a unique visual and material culture, they were able to champion professional standards and influence a level of artistic production of which the country could be proud. These members hoped to encourage the visual arts in Canada by holding annual juried exhibitions, initiating the first life drawing classes, and by building a national art collection.

On March 6th, 1880, the Governor General, the Marquis of Lorne, inaugurated the first official exhibition of the RCA and launched the National Gallery of Canada at the Clarendon Hotel in Ottawa. Until 1976, every new member was required to deposit a Diploma Work, with the Canadian Government to form the nucleus of the national collection. These pieces were believed to be the best examples of the artist’s work because they were selected by the RCA jury as part of an artist’s election to membership. Sunrise on the Saguenay, by Lucius O’Brien, for example, was among the first works donated in 1880. The National Gallery’s Canadian collection is now made up of many of these diploma works, and owes its beginning to the foresight of the RCA’s founding members who recognised the importance of building a national gallery to showcase Canadian work for the public.

The RCA’s annual juried exhibitions continued for 91 years, and were held in a different city each year. These exhibitions served to educate the public on the quality and variety of Canadian art and also introduced newer artists to the community, as these juried shows were open to all and often served as the first public viewing of the works of younger artists. For these up-and-coming artists, being selected to participate in the juried show was an honour and a form of much needed recognition.

The RCA’s life drawing classes were also held in several cities across the country. After a start in Ottawa, classes were held in Montréal, Toronto, and later, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Halifax. These classes provided rare opportunities to draw from the nude model and were often taught by RCA members. Moreover, instruction incorporated technical drawing lessons with aesthetic dialogue. Drawing classes from the life model developed the student’s powers of observation, and encouraged a sense of discipline and structure that characterized serious artists’ practices in major centers, thereby setting professional standards. The RCA sponsored life classes were for many the only form of professional artistic education available.

With the emergence of professional art colleges, the Academy disbanded its life drawing classes. In addition, annual juried exhibitions were, eventually, discontinued because of the proliferation of commercial and public galleries which have expanded the venues available for the exhibition of work across the country.

Today the RCA continues in its mandate to celebrate, encourage, and facilitate the visual arts in Canada. The Academy encourages younger generations of artists through scholarships, and ensures the collection of works by living Canadian artists through purchase grants to regional public galleries.

As well as honouring artists with the RCA distinction, the RCA has continued the tradition of recognizing other contributors to Canadian visual culture with the ‘RCA Medal’. The medal was designed by sculptor Cleeve Horne RCA and designer Syd Watson RCA, and is given to those who have made invaluable contributions to the visual arts in Canada. Past recipients include curators, critics, philanthrophers, and educators.

As part of their public outreach programme to facilitate the exchange of ideas about visual culture for the benefit of all Canadians, the Royal Canadian Academy has reinstated the Friends of RCA programme which offers special events to members and entitles them to receive RCA mailings. Through these programmes the public has an opportunity to interact with the artistic community and RCA members while gaining further insight and knowledge about the visual arts in Canada. The programmes range over a wide array of topics and venues and include such events as guided tours of artists exhibitions, visits to artists studios, guided tours of private collections, and symposia.