Georgia O'Keeffe became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1962.
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is an honorary organization for leading figures in American art, literature, and music. Election to the academy recognizes a sustained contribution rather than a single exhibition or award.
O'Keeffe joined during a period when her reputation was firmly established. By then, her career included influential abstract works, urban paintings, enlarged flowers, and New Mexico landscapes. Her election reflected her standing as one of the most important American artists of her generation.
This membership is sometimes confused with other honors she received later, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the National Medal of Arts in 1985. Those were government awards, whereas academy membership was an honor granted by an artistic institution.