Adèle Clark, Artist and Activist

“I’ve always tried to combine my interest in art with my interest in government. I think we ought to have more of the creative and imaginative in politics.” - Adèle Clark, 1956.

Adèle Clark (1882-1983), artist and art educator, championed the rights of women and promoted the arts in Virginia. Clark was a founding member of the Virginia women's suffrage movement and longtime president of the Virginia League of Women Voters. She was a progressive reformer, lobbyist and lifelong advocate for racial cooperation. 

She called politics and art her "creative spirits." Her life exemplified the influential role civically active women played in the major social reform movements of the twentieth century. 

This exhibit explores Clark's work as an artist and political activist. It uses images of materials primarily found in the Adèle Goodman Clark Papers housed in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, VCU Libraries.

If you are interested in accessing the Clark collection or have any questions or comments, please email us.