GIFTED: 50 Seasons of Premiums from the Archive
In addition to “50 Seasons,” the vintage and collectible poster collection from the RALA50 archive, a selection of Roycroft Patron member Premiums, RALA’s annual “gift of art,” is also on display in the foyer display of the Aurora Town Public Library through August 31, 2026.
Each year since its founding, the Board of Directors has solicited bids and proposals from its Artisan Body who wish to be considered as the Premium Artisan for the membership year. Through this highly competitive process, an annual Patron’s Premium is selected as RALA’s Patron Premium, and the selected Artisan is contracted to provide a limited series of their Roycroft marked work for each Patron level member of the Roycrofters at Large Association as a token of gratitude for their support. Through this process, our Artisans’ work is permanently entered into our archive, they are adequately compensated for their work and RALA members received a highly collectible physical artifact in return for their annual support.
An assemblage of Roycroft Renaissance marked artifacts representing a curate selection of the past 50 years of was assembled and installed by Robb Mair, RALA Chair of Membership. Included in the exhibit is this year’s Patron Premium, a commemorative RALA50 print by Andre Chaves of Oregon, an atypical representation of a pearl of wisdom from Elbert Hubbard. The Premium is printed on special paper from Northern Italy. Most of the printing was done by letterpress with each color being printed separately by hand. Each premium is numbered and bears the RALA50 seal.
2026 RALA Patron Premium Gift, Andre Chaves of Clinker Press.
RALA50 is a year-long celebration of the founding of the Roycroft Renaissance in 1976 when a group of East Aurora residents with a common interest in the struggling Roycroft Campus set in motion a plan to preserve those ideals which had made the Campus a center of the Arts and Crafts Movement. After several meetings and energetic discussion the Roycrofters-at-Large Association (RALA), was formed. Through the efforts of Kitty Turgeon and the RALA organization the Campus became a National Historic Landmark.The founding of Roycrofters at Large began the conservation and landmark designation work that was responsible for the restoring and eventual reopening of Historic Roycroft Campus and The Roycroft Inn. Today, this movement has grown to nearly 100 modern Roycroft Artisans Masters working across the nation in the United States and Canada, and the work by founders of RALA continues to draw thousands of visitors annually to the Roycroft Campus and Museums.
Robb Mair of the Aurora Historical Society, and RALA Membership Chair. Photo by Tami Fuller.
RALA invites East Aurora residents and WNY Roycroft enthusiasts to share in this time capsule of our shared history and reflect on the last half century of growth and re-establishment of the Roycroft Legacy. The public is invited to stop in and view this capsule of modern East Aurora Roycroft legacy and contemplate RALA’s enduring gift to East Aurora arts and community on the occasion of its Golden Anniversary through August 31, 2026 during library hours.
More information on becoming Patron members of the Roycroft Renaissance or gifting the gift of Patronage and this year’s Patron Premium can be found on our Membership Page.