Eleanor Milne did not become an Academician in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) until 1996, although she had been invited to join much earlier. The RCA is an honour and exhibiting society for Canadian artists first established in 1880 under the patronage of the then Governor General of Canada, the Marquis of Lorne, and his wife, Princess Louise (a daughter of Queen Victoria). Its mandate was and is to "cultivate and improve" the visual arts in Canada, including the arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, printmaking, film, book, clothing and industrial design. Academicians are elected on the basis of having produced a significant body of outstanding work over a period of time.

Diploma pieces of Academicians (which were mandatory until 1976) form the core of the National Gallery of Canada's permanent collection, and the National Gallery itself was part of the vision of supporters of the RCA. Only Academicians could sit on the governing counsel of the RCA or vote, but juried exhibitions, prizes and scholarships were open to all Canadian artists. The constitution was last revised in 1995.

Disciplines represented in the RCA:
• Architecture • Bookbinding • Calligraphy • Ceramics • Enamelling • Engineering • Film Making • Gold and Silversmithing • Graphic Design • Illustration • Industrial Design • Interior Design • Landscape Architecture • Painting • Photography • Printmaking • Sculpture • Set and Costume Design • Stained-Glass Design • Textile Design.

For an account of the first hundred years of the artists' association read Rebecca Sisler's Passionate Spirits: A History of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, 1880-1980, published by Clarke, Irwin and Company Ltd. in 1980.

EXTERNAL LINK:
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
401 Richmond St. West, Suite 375
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5V 3A8

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LB