Chapter Officer
Joy Thornton-Walter
820 Dodds Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
217-351-5197

Organizational Bio

Aims and Objectives of The National Society of Arts and Letters:

To encourage and assist young artists
To give scholarships and awards to non-members after a competition in any of the creative arts
To create opportunities for artistic endeavors and expression
To conduct or assist non-competitive exhibitions in art, dance, drama, literature, and music
To encourage higher standards of professional ethics in the arts
To promote a greater public interest in the creative arts

The Central Illinois Chapter:
The 113 members of the Central Illinois Chapter of NSAL live in or near Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, or Peoria. A major event of the chapter is a competition to select a contestant to represent the chapter in the national competition, which is held at the annual meeting of NSAL. All expenses are paid for the contestant, who can win up to $10,000. In addition, the chapter sponsors other awards to young persons in each of the three metropolitan areas that the chapter's membership encompasses.

There are three general membership meetings per year plus another meeting in each city for the purpose of introducing prospective members. These "Arts in the Afternoon" meetings often feature works or performances of young artists from the area.

Local Awards:
Each of the three cities within the chapter area has a committee that chooses projects for funding of young artists and writers. Several thousand dollars of support are distributed in this way. Typical projects are university scholarships for writers and actors, awards for winners of a university concerto performance competition, prizes for junior and senior high school painters and sculptors, and private museum-led art lesons for gifted children from an urban poverty center.

Contributions:
Currently the annual dues are $50 per person, of which $30 goes to the national organization. In addition, the chapter's members have voted unanimously to assess themselves an annual donation of $75 per person or $125 per couple, in lieu of working on fund-raising events. These contributions go entirely to help young artists and are not used to pay chapter expenses. There is an initiation fee of $35 per person. Additional cost-only charges are made to those who attend meetings at which meals or refreshments are served.

NSAL History:
A group of far-sighted women decided over sixty years ago to launch an organization to encourage young talent in the arts — The National Society of Arts and Letters. It was unique. It sponsored competitions and offered scholarships in the categories of art, music and literature. On October 21, 1944, they met at the home of the future first National President, Mollie Davis Nicholson, to found a group that specified it was non-partisan, non-political and non-profit-making. The Chevy Chase Chapter was organized that year. It became the Washington, D.C. Chapter on March 31, l945, with Dorothy Nicholson Bates Stabell as its first President and Founder. A second chapter, the Chicago Chapter, was started by Francesca Falk Miller Nielsen, also in October l944. In l945, both chapters awarded scholarships: one in piano, three in voice (Washington) and one in pipe organ (Chicago).

The 60th Anniversary:
The Central Illinois Chapter, host chapter for the convention and the 60th Anniversary celebration, gave the members delightful days and evenings of performances by former contestants. The 60th Anniversary celebration began with Ollie Watts Davis (Voice) and Casey Robards (Piano) performing at the President’s Reception at the home of the president of the University of Illinois.