The Women's Committee was formed April 12, 1950, at the request of Academy President John Frederick Lewis, Jr. and Director Joseph T. Fraser, Jr.
In its first decade, the activities of the Committee were primarily social, with the goal of improving student life and promoting the Academy. The members held dinner parties and served tea at exhibition openings. Small fundraisers raised money for educational trips and student luncheons. A Student Aid Fund was established in 1956.
In the 1960s the Committee began to focus primarily on fundraising. In 1962 the Committee hosted its first Annual Student Exhibition Preview Party, an event that is now in its fifth decade. The purpose of the party was twofold: to raise funds for the Academy and encourage the sale of student works.
During the past three decades, the Women's Committee has been instrumental in raising funds for a variety of needs. In the mid-70s, the women assisted the Academy in raising the money needed to restore the historic landmark building. In 1984, the Committee held an Auction and Gala to celebrate the opening of the Peale House on Chestnut Street.
In 1990 members of the Women's Committee sought a fundraising event that would introduce the Academy to a larger audience. The concept of an exposition and sale focusing exclusively on American art seemed a natural fit for an event to benefit the nation's first school and art museum. The inaugural USArtists was held in 1992, and is now in its 16th year. This event alone has raised nearly one million dollars for the Academy.
The Women's Committee, now called the Women's Board to reflect a renewed sense of professionalism and purpose, embarked on its largest project to date in 2001, with a pledge of $500,000 towards the Academy's Campus Capital Campaign. The Women's Board fulfilled that pledge in 2006.
