Les Amis de Beauford Delaney: February 2016

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Round Table

On February 18th, the Wells International Foundation and Les Amis welcomed Nigel Freeman, Director of the African American Fine Art department at Swann Auction Galleries; André Delpuech, Chief Curator of the Americas collection at the Musée du quai Branly; and Laurence Choko, owner of Galerie Intemporel to a round table discussion entitled "Multiculturalism in Today's Art World" at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall. Freeman and Delpuech were panelists and Choko served as moderator.

The Panel
© Discover Paris!

Laurence Choko, Galerie Intemporel - moderator
© Discover Paris!

Nigel Freeman, Swann Auction Galleries - panelist
© Discover Paris!

André Delpuech, Musée du quai Branly - panelist
© Discover Paris!
I sat in for Dr. Catherine St. John, Doctor of Arts and expert on Beauford Delaney's oeuvre, who was unexpectedly unable to attend.

Monique Y. Wells, Wells International Foundation and
Les Amis de Beauford Delaneyfilling in for Dr. Catherine St. John
© Discover Paris!

Her travel had been funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Attendees listened attentively as Freeman and Delpuech presented their positions on "The Rise of the African-American Artist" and "'We' and 'The Others' in Art: Leaving Colonial Ideology Behind", respectively, and I read a statement by Dr. St. John on "The Importance of Context and Collective History."

The audience
© J Rêve International

Rapt attention
© J Rêve International
Panelists posed questions to each other

Nigel Freeman and André Delpuech discuss a point of interest
© Discover Paris!
and the audience was then encouraged to pose questions to the panelists.

Richard Allen asks a question
© J Rêve International

Cinnamon Nolley makes a comment
© J Rêve International
The conversation was lively, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous.

André Delpuech ponders a comment
© Discover Paris!

Nigel Freeman having a chuckle
© Discover Paris!
Several members of the audience had traveled from the U.S. to attend this and other events organized for the exhibition. They included Anne Denise Stills of Smashing Daily and Jim Levis of Levis Fine Art. Both businesses sponsored the exhibition, along with Swann Auction Galleries.

After the formal discussion was over, participants and panelists lingered and enjoyed conversation over wine, water, and nibbles.

From left to right: Margaret Sergent and Malikka Karteron of J Rêve International's
Global Educator Program; Jim Levis of Levis Fine Art
© J Rêve International

Attendees posing next to refreshment table
© J Rêve International
A good time was had by all!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Catalog

When I realized that Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color was going to be a reality, I recognized that it was essential to produce a catalog to document it. Without one, the exhibition would not be taken seriously by the professional art world.

Consequently, we set out to publish a work that is worthy of Beauford's artistic genius.

Catalog cover
The Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog is a 48-page, glossy color publication containing an introduction by curator Laurence Choko and four essays, in English and in French, that speak to various aspects of Beauford's life and oeuvre:

Beauford Delaney and Paris, Evolution of an Exhibition by Monique Y. Wells
Reading Beauford Delaney's Words and Letters : Three Thoughts by Levi Prombaum
Beauford Delaney: An American Artist in Paris by Catherine St. John
Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color by Yolanda Wood

The French version of the essays appears in the front of the catalog, followed by color images of all the works.

Catalog - page 12
The English version of the essays appears after the images. Beauford's biography, in French and English, is presented on the last two pages of the publication.

Included at the beginning of the catalog is a page that acknowledges the unique emphasis on education that the Wells International Foundation has built into the exhibition as a reflection of Beauford's passion for helping young people. Descriptions of the University of Arizona Augmented Reality study abroad project and the Global Educator Program for U. S. K-12 teachers are presented here.

Instructions on how to use the Blippar AR application created by the University of Arizona students are presented here, in French and in English. The Blippar logo:

appears beneath the images of the works that are scannable by the application.

The front and back covers of the catalog are also scannable.

Catalogs are available for purchase. For information on how to obtain one, write to .

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Vernissage (Opening Reception)

Many thanks to Sophia Pagan Photography for supporting the exhibition by providing the magnificent photos for this post!
Simply spectacular!

That sums up the vernissage (opening reception) for the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition that took place at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall on February 3, 2016.

Over 300 people came out for the event over the course of the evening. Art aficionados enjoyed refreshments in the Salle de Conferences, where many works are displayed. They flowed back and forth between this room and the Grande Salle, where more paintings and works on paper punctuate the rich wood paneling found there.

Salle de Conferences

Viewing works and enjoying refreshments

Café Scene in the Grande Salle
(1966) Oil on canvas
Private collection
Among the notables in attendance were sculptor, poet, and novelist Barbara Chase-Riboud, photographer Florence Gruère, documentary filmmaker Louis Messiah, and author Jake Lamar.

Brune Biebuyck, administrative director of Reid Hall, opened the evening by welcoming attendees to the exhibition and introducing me. She spoke warmly about the collaboration between Columbia Global Center Paris, the Wells International Foundation, and Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, and expressed her pleasure at being able to host the exhibition in the magical place that is Reid Hall.

Monique Y. Wells and Brune Biebuyck
For my part, I told the story behind Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and shared how the idea for the exhibition was born. I welcomed a contingent of eleven (11) persons from Knoxville, TN — Beauford's hometown — who were among the crowd to honor Knoxville's native son. Several of them were from the Knoxville Museum of Art.

Then the Wells International Foundation's two strategic partners for education / study abroad came to the podium to explain the projects that they had conceived in conjunction with the exhibition.

Jacqueline Cofield, founder of J Rêve International, spoke passionately about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and the Global Educator Program that she has organized for February 15-20. Eight teachers will explore ways to incorporate the arts into their teaching practices for their respective disciplines with a focus on Beauford's life and art.

Jacqueline Cofield shows flier for STEAM and Multiple Intelligences panel discussion
Professor Bryan Carter and six students from the University of Arizona introduced themselves and their Augmented Reality project. One of the students, Tripp Twyman, demonstrated the process of downloading the Blippar application from the App store onto smart devices and then scanning paintings to activate the app so that attendees could view the video augments and access Web links associated with roughly half of the paintings in the exhibition.

Monique Y. Wells (left), Professor Bryan Carter (center), and University of Arizona students

Explaining the download process

Smartphones at the ready

U of A's Tripp Twyman scans The Eye with the Blippar app
Watch the video of the presentation here.

Once the demonstration was over, attendees went around the exhibition rooms to test the app for themselves.

"Blipping" a painting

Scanning Portrait of Robert Tricoire

Getting familiar with the app

Sylvia Peters, Trustee of the Knoxville Museum of Art, "Blipps" a painting
The atmosphere was exceptionally convivial and attendees were present until closing time.

Left to right: Stephen Wicks, curator for the Knoxville Museum of Art; Wokie Wicks, Monique Y. Wells

Having a laugh
The Blippar app also works for images in the exhibition catalog, which sold "like hotcakes" in the vestibule outside the Grande Salle. Come back next week to learn why this publication is the first of its kind!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: Before the Opening

The February 3rd opening of the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition was a huge success! Photos and a full report on the evening's happenings will come next week.

To whet your appetite for them, I'm sharing behind-the-scenes images of the preparation of the show.

It took three days to hang the exhibition.

Monique showing the donor list
© Discover Paris!
Professor Bryan Carter and students from the University of Arizona spent the morning of February 1 video-ing spoken word artist Mike Ladd and me to create Blippar video augments for 20 of the 40+ paintings that are being displayed at the exhibition.

Talking with Professor Carter in the Salle de Conferences
© Discover Paris!
In the meantime, J Rêve International founder, Jacqueline Cofield, was checking out the hotel where the teachers participating in her Global Educator Program will stay during the week of February 15.

Hôtel Le M is one of the two sites in Montparnasse that bears a Beauford Delaney commemorative plaque on the façade.

Hôtel Le M - Beauford Delaney commemorative plaque

J Rêve International is bringing eight U.S. teachers to Paris for a workshop on incorporating the arts into teaching practices for multiple disciplines. Beauford's life and art are the focal point for the workshop.

Among the activities planned are an educator meet-and-greet that will permit teachers in the French and U.S. systems to exchange information and ideas:

and a panel discussion on STEAM and Multiple Intelligences that is open to the public:

Next week - the opening!

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