Sylvia Peters is a force of nature.
I first met her in 2016, when she and 10 other persons from Knoxville, Tennessee descended on Paris to attend the opening of Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color, the solo exhibition of 40+ paintings and works on paper from Beauford's Paris years that was mounted by the Wells International Foundation.
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
Since that time, she has gone on to launch Gathering Light: The Delaney Project in Knoxville. She describes the project as "a grassroots effort in Knoxville, TN that was started to bring Beauford's international endeavors and art back home to Knoxville, TN - his birthplace." Alongside an impressive list of local organizations, she is working tirelessly to preserve and promote Beauford's legacy in Knoxville.
Peters contributed a post entitled "A Toast to the Arts" to the Les Amis blog, which describes a partnership between The Knoxville (TN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) to celebrate the acquisition and unveiling of works by Beauford.
Image courtesy of Sylvia Peters
Les Amis has published additional articles about projects she has spearheaded in Knoxville, such as the "Bringing Beauford Delaney Home" project at West View Elementary School and the installation of an historical marker in honor of Beauford and his brother, Joseph. We published several posts in January and February 2020 to chronicle the line-up of events that celebrated Beauford during Black History Month. We support her ultimate goal to establish a Center of Excellence that honors Beauford in Knoxville and Paris.
Peter is quoted extensively in an article called "Oil on the Water: Light Reflections on Baldwin and Delaney," which was written by D. Amari Jackson and published on the Black Art in America Website.
About midway through Jackson's article, Peters is quoted as saying: “Beauford’s paintings look like they were made last week, not 60 and 70 years ago. They’re just brilliant, they’re that vibrant." When you stand in front of Beauford's work, you see exactly what she means.
(If you have the good fortune of being in Knoxville and if you haven't already seen Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin: Through the Unusual Door at the Knoxville Museum of Art, make haste! The show closes on October 25, 2020.)
© Les Amis de Beauford Delaney
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