The Ulster Society of Women Artists was founded in 1957 by Gladys Maccabe with the assistance of

Olive Henry Olive Henry ''HRUA'' (15 January 1902 -8 November 1989) was a Northern Irish artist known for her painting, photography and stained glass design. She was a founding member of the Ulster Society of Women Artists and is believed to have been the o ...

and others, as there were no arts societies in Northern Ireland that would accept female members. The society aims to

"promote and encourage a high standard of art in Northern Ireland, to maintain a high standard in exhibitions that reflects upon the membership, and to actively seek out and encourage new talent".

The patron of the Society was the Duchess of Abercorn. The first president of the Society was Gladys Maccabe, with

Deborah Brown Deborah Brown (27 September 1927 – 8 April 2023) was a Northern Irish sculptor. She is well known in Ireland for her pioneering exploration of the medium of fibre glass in the 1960s and established herself as one of the country's leading scu ...

and Alice Berger Hammersclag acting as joint honorary secretaries and Renée Bickerstaff as honorary treasurer. The first committee consisted of Kathleen Bell, Vera Mooney, Elsie Leonard, Elsie Ronaldson and Helen Ross. Honorary members included Mary O'Malley and

Dehra Parker The Rt Hon. Dame Dehra S. Parker, GBE, PC (NI) (13 August 1882 – 30 November 1963), was the longest serving female MP in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland. Family life Dehra Kerr-Fisher was born in a military hospital in Dehra Dun, ...

. In the early days of the organisation members met in each others houses before finding a home at the Cathedral Buildings on Donegall Street in December 1958. Their first exhibition included oils, watercolours, drawings and embroidery and was hosted at the Piccolo Gallery, Belfast in June 1958. USPWA held their First Annual exhibition at the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery in April 1959, where

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadi ...

and Norah McGuinness were amongst the invited artists. At the 1960 Annual General Meeting it was decided that Annual exhibitions be alternated between Belfast, and centres outside Ulster each year. It was further carried that an external juror be appointed each year to select works for inclusion in major exhibitions. Father Jack O'Hanlon selected paintings for the Society's first exhibition in Dublin, hosted by the Brown Thomas Theatre Gallery in 1960. Membership is by juried selection of submitted works. It takes four years to achieve full membership. The society has expanded membership from the original ten members to one hundred and twenty-five in 2017.

References

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External links

Ulster Society of Women Artists Official website
1957 establishments in the United Kingdom Arts organisations based in Northern Ireland Arts organizations established in 1957 Culture in Belfast Art in Northern Ireland