Delta Phi Delta

Delta Phi Delta National Art Honor Society () was an American collegiate art honorary society. Delta Phi Delta was a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The national society is defunct, with one former chapter operating as a local organization.

History

The society was originally organized as the Palette Club on January 10, 1909, in Old Snow Hall at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. p. 570. Its founders included fourteen girls and one male student who were students in the fine arts department. It began publishing its magazine, ''Palette'', in 1911. By March 1912, the Palette Club had initiated twenty members and two faculty members.

On March 19, 1912, members of the Palette Club discussed becoming a national Greek letter society. This plan received support from the university's chancellor and regents. two colleges had also expressed an interest in joining such a group. The Palette Club was renamed Delta Phi Delta at a Des Moines, Iowa conference on May 28, 1912.

Its charter members were:

Neva Foster Gribble was the sorority's first national chair and wrote its ceremonies, constitution, and bylaws. Delta Phi Delta was the first honorary art society.

The purpose of Delta Phi Delta was to encourage scholarship, promote art in the United States, and recognize accomplishment in the arts. Chapters were located at four-year colleges that granted degrees in the arts. The ''Beta chapter'' was established at the University of Montana in 1918, followed by ''Gamma'' at the University of Minnesota in 1919, and ''Delta'' at Bethany College in 1920.

The sorority held its first national convention at the University of Kansas from June 3 to 5, 1920. The cost of the convention was supplemented by a member's art sale in December 1919. Mrs. W. H. Humble, president of the ''Alpha'' chapter alumnae association, was elected the sorority's first grand president. At its second national convention, the sorority agreed to admit men and women. The following year, around one-third of its members were males. Later, it was called the Delta Phi Delta National Art Honor Society.

Delta Phi Delta joined the American Federation of Arts and the Association of College Honor Societies.Shepard, Francis W., ed. (1927)
''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (11th ed.
. Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company. p. 370 – via Google Books. It had 41 chapters in attendance at its June 1956 convention. By 1964, it had initiated 13,450 members.

Delta Phi Delta went dormant in the late 20th century, with the chapters at Texas Women's University and Purdue University continuing to operate as local fraternities. In 2024, Texas Women's College disbanded what was still called Delta Phi Delta, forming the local group SpaceCraft. The only surviving chapter of Delta Phi Delta is at Purdue and calls itself the Delta Phi Delta Fine Arts Club.

Symbols

The Delta Phi Delta badge was a gold artist's pallet with three paint brushes crossed to the rear with raised Greek letters across the front, encircled by crown-set pearls. It originated as the pin of the Palette Club. The society's key was similar to its badge. There was a different key for laureate members.

Delta Phi Delta's coat of arms included a shield of argent with a sable border. Above the shield is a crest consisting of an artist's palette with three brushes on top of a radiant star. Below the shield is a scroll with the motto ' in Greek.

Delta Phi Delta's colors were originally red and bright blue; in 1936 they were listed as gold and old rose. Its flower was the sweet pea. Its jewel was the pearl. Its publication was ''Palette'', continuing the name from the Palette Club. "The Delta Phi Delta Song" was written by Frances Jones.

Activities

Delta Phi Delta offered scholarships for its members. One of its awards was the Ruth Raymond Scholarship to the Little Artists Colony in Stillwater, Minnesota. In the 1920s, the it developed an annual National Traveling Exhibit of Delta Psi Delta. The first traveling exhibit was developed in the fall of 1920 and featured work from members of all five chapters. The society also held a juried art show for its student members at its national convention.

The chapters sponsored demonstrations and talks about architecture, arts, and related subjects. Chapters also provided space for art students to be creative outside of the classroom and encourage experimentation with new mediums or methods. In addition, chapters hosted annual art exhibits featuring the work of members. Another chapter activity was an annual costume ball, themed to eras in art history.

Chapters also sponsored fairs, auctions, and sales where their current members and alumni sold their art. A 1973 ad for the annual art sale at the Texas Women's University listed a wide range of art forms for sale, including drawings, macramé, paintings, photographs, pottery, prints, sculpture, silk screens, water colors, and weavings. In some cases, the art sales were open to any student, with a small commission fee raising funds that allowed the chapter to sponsor guest speakers and other programs.

Membership

Delta Phi Delta's members were selected by faculty based on overall grade point average and artistic ability. Members were juniors and seniors studying fine arts, who placed in the upper 35 percent of their class. In addition, members were required to have a B average or 3.0 GPA. Initially, membership was open only to female students. However, it opened for male members after the 1922 national convention.

Governance

Delta Phi Delta was overseen by a grand council elected at its annual national convention. Its officers included a grand president, grand secretary, grand treasurer, and grand corresponding secretary.

Chapters

Following is a list of known Delta Phi Delta chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in ''italics''.

Notable members

* Anna P. Baker (''Zeta''), visual artist
* Olga Ross Hannon (''Beta''), artist, head of applied art at Montana State College, and president of Delta Phi Delta
* Clyde Kenneth Harris (''Omega''), interior decorator who served as a "Monuments Men" during World War II
* Rosekrans Hoffman (''Psi''), children's book illustrator and painter
* Harold G. Nelson (''Beta,'' 1969), architect
* Doris Baldwin Mohs (''Eta''), architect and chapter founder
* Rodney Thoburn Robinson (''Upsilon''), architect
* Roland Gommel Roessner (''Alpha Zeta''), architect and chairman of the department of design at the University of Texas at Austin
* Coreen Mary Spellman (''Alpha Epsilon'') printmaker, painter, and teacher
* Rene Stuedemann (''Omicron''), Miss Iowa and National Baton Twirling Association junior and senior national twirling champion
* Charles Turzak (''Zeta''), artist, known primarily for his modernist woodblock prints
* Muriel Sibell Wolle (''Alpha Epsilon''), artist

Laureate members

Delta Phi Delta honored the following well-known artists with laureate memberships.
* Wayman Adams
*Buckminster Fuller
*Bruce Goff
* William Alexander Griffith
* Ernest Bruce Haswell
* Oscar B. Jacobson
* Raymond Johnson
* Jon Mangus Jonson
* Dwight Kirsch
* Abraham Rattner
* Ruth Raymond
* Boardman Robinson
* John Rood
* Birger Sandzen (''Delta'')
* Eugene Francis Savage
*Lorado Taft
* Levon West
* Francis Whittemore
* Muriel Sibell Wolle
*Grant Wood

See also

* Honor society
* Honor cords

References

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Honor societies
Student organizations established in 1912
Former members of Association of College Honor Societies
1912 establishments in Kansas
Defunct fraternities and sororities
Arts organizations