The Plastic Club
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The Plastic Club is the third oldest art club in the United States. Located in Center City, Philly. Members include well-known Philadelphia artists.
Since 1897, The Plastic Club has been devoted to the promotion and preservation of the visual (plastic) arts in Philadelphia. The busy gallery schedule offers regular salon exhibitions for members and non-members, as well as special solo and group exhibitions by invitation. The name "Plastic Club," suggested by Blanche Dillaye, referred to any work of art unfinished, or in a "plastic" state. The term also refers to the changing and tactile sense of painting and sculpture. Among the founding members of The Plastic Club were the "Red Rose Girls" -- Violet Oakley, Jessie Willcox Smith, and Elizabeth Shippen Green -- outstanding artists of their time. The name was given to this group of talented women by their teacher Howard Pyle. Although initially formed as a women's group, The Plastic Club has always hosted exhibitions and lectures by prominent men and women artists. Membership was expanded to include men in 1991. The Club's home is a historic double townhouse located on one of Philadelphia's "little streets" in the heart of the city. Built in 1824, it housed the club's spacious studio, gallery spaces, offices and dining facilities. The club purchased the property in 1909, and expanded it to include the house next door in 1910. In the past ten years the building has undergone many renovations so that it now functions like a 21st century building, but still retains its 19th century charm. We are happy to have the venerable Philadelphia Sketch Club as our neighbor to the north on Camac Street. At one time there were several other clubs here, including the Cushman Club, now in private hands, which earned the alley the nickname "Little Street of Clubs". On October 21 2001, the historical value of our tiny street was formally recognized by the City of Philadelphia with the designation "Avenue of the Artists".
09/14/2026
Special thanks to all who attended the Opening Reception for TRANSITIONS, the September 2026 show! prize juried by Kassem Amoudi.
The award winners:
* First Prize - "Sacred Spaces: What the Gold Holds" by Sonya Smith
* Second Prize - "Tweens Soon Teens" by Karen Benson
* Third Prize - "Self Portrait: Rock, Flesh, and AI" by Diana Riukas
Honorable Mentions:
* "Recline with Texture" by Fang Norwood
* "There is a Crack in Everything" by Caroll Drazen
* "The Rite of Tonsure" by Juliette Watts
See the online gallery: https://www.plasticclub.org/events/transitions
On view at the Club through Thursday, 9/24.
09/10/2026
We have 3 amazing shows coming your way! ✨
On Sunday, 9/13, all are invited from 2-5 PM to attend the Opening Reception for TRANSITIONS, the September 2026 show!
We're also pleased to host THE COMPREHENSIVIST, a solo exhibition by artist member Jeannie Moberly in the Bob Jackson Gallery!
And don't forget to see DARE TO BE DADA, a collage exhibition curated by Selene Nuñez-Cruz (Telenitart), in the vitrine!
All shows are on view in our galleries through September 24th.
Learn more and take a sneak peek of several works online: https://www.plasticclub.org/current-exhibitions
Event cover image: "Moonlit Oenothera", mixed media, by Valerie Pantalone
08/31/2026
Mark your calendar! 📆✏️
The Plastic Club annual WORKSHOP MARATHON is coming on Sunday, September 20th from 10 AM until 10 PM! ✨
Continuous workshops on all three floors:
*Life Models - Costumed Models - Portrait Models - Still Life - and more!
* Monoprinting with Gel Plates
* Collage
* Dance and Still Photography
* Some easels and drawing boards provided
* Admission: $20 General Public / $18 Members
* Pay at the door
* Come and go as you please, all day long!
See details and full schedule: https://www.plasticclub.org/events/drawing-marathon-2026
08/27/2026
🕰️ A REMINDER! 🕰️
Friday, 8/28 and Saturday, 8/29, from 10 AM to 3 PM are pick-up dates for those who entered the WORKSHOPS, MODELS, AND MONITORS show! If you can't make it to the Club to pick up work, please reach out to [email protected] to make alternate arrangements. 🎨✨
Drop-off will take place at the same time for the September show, TRANSITIONS. The opening reception will be held on Sunday, 9/13, from 2-5 PM (NOTE: this is the second Sunday in September!).
Details and pre-registration: https://www.plasticclub.org/events/transitions
Image: "Group Think", mixed media, by Nancy Gordon
08/13/2026
Join us for a night of innovative classics on SATURDAY, 8/15 at 7 PM, for Le Plastic Club Cinémathèque! FREE and open to the public! 📽🎞🍿
We'll be watching:
* The Draughtsman's Contract (UK 1982 In Color, 104 minutes)
* The Leopard Man (US 1943 Black and White, 66 minutes)
* Aug(de)mented Reality (US 2021, Color, 3 minutes)
To stay in the know, sign up for our monthly Movie Night newsletter: https://www.plasticclub.org/movie-night
08/03/2026
⭐ CALL FOR ART! ⭐
The open call for our September 2026 exhibit, TRANSITIONS, is live! 🎨✨
Artists are invited to consider submitting work about:
* Transitions from the personal to the cosmic: in the visual experience, the environment, the weather, politics, careers, society, or gender…
* Musical transitions in volume, tempo, rhythm…
* Human growth and development, animal migration, the life cycle of plants…
* Compositional transitions in color, perpective, patterns, materials…
This show invites artist to explore transition in its many forms!
Prize Juror: Kassem Amoudi
Important Dates:
* DELIVERY: 10 AM-3 PM on Friday, August 28 & Saturday, August 29
* PICK-UP: 10 AM-3 PM on Friday, September 25 & Saturday, September 26
* Opening Reception: Sunday, September 13, from 2 PM – 5 PM (NOTE: 2nd Sunday in September!)
Learn more and pre-register at:https://www.plasticclub.org/opportunities/transitions
Image: "October", oil, by Catherine Kuzma
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247 S Camac Street
Philadelphia, PA
19107
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