Celebrations organized by the Delaney Legacy Committee in Knoxville, TN took place at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) on October 19, 2023.
The Knoxville News Sentinel published an extensive article and a robust photo gallery of the events online:
Not just paintings on a wall: Knoxville honors Beauford Delaney’s family and art legacy
Beauford Delaney's work honored at Beck Cultural Center, World's Fair Park
In the section entitled "Preserving the Delaney Legacy in Knoxville," the Knoxville News Sentinel mentions that
- KMA has acquired new Beauford and Joseph Delaney pieces.
- A large gallery space will be devoted to the Delaney brothers within the museum's permanent Higher Ground exhibit beginning Nov. 3, 2023.
- Delaney pieces have been loaned to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Grey Art Gallery at New York University.
KMA Executive Director David Butler granted Les Amis an exclusive interview that expands upon this information and provides clarification about the origins and activities of the Delaney Legacy Committee.
Les Amis: You said you anticipated about 250 people would come. How many people actually attended?
DB: We had just over 250. It was packed.
Les Amis: Is the gallery space devoted to Higher Ground the same space where Through the Unusual Door was hung?
DB: Actually, it’s the same space, reconfigured and renovated. The room in Through the Unusual Door so memorably hung with Clamart abstracts was a direct inspiration for the expansion of Higher Ground. I have sent some pictures of the installation in process just today!
Photos courtesy of KMA
Les Amis: Thanks to recent acquisitions, KMA now holds the largest public collection of Beauford’s work in the world. Is the museum actively planning to acquire additional works – specifically oils – or will you “rest on your laurels” for the time being?
DB: We very much hope to continue to add to our Beauford Delaney holdings as resources allow.
Les Amis: Please share information about loans requests for recent and upcoming national and international shows that KMA has fielded in the past 12-24 months, including those for the Art Institute of Chicago and the Grey Art Gallery at NYU.
DB: The KMA board has just approved the loan of Beauford’s Self-Portrait in a Paris Bath House, 1971 (oil on canvas, 21 5/8 x 18 1/8 inches, 2018 Beauford Delaney Acquisition), to the Art Institute of Chicago for the exhibition Project a Black Planet, which opens in Chicago in late 2024 and will then travel to the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona and KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels.
The board has also approved the loan of Beauford’s Blue-Light Abstraction, circa 1962 (oil on canvas, 25 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches, 2018 Beauford Delaney Acquisition) to the Grey Art Gallery, New York University for the exhibition Americans in Paris, which opens in New York in early 2024 and will then travel to NYU Abu Dabhi.
Les Amis: Are any Delaney descendants on KMA’s board or acquisition committees?
DB: Derek Spratley, court-appointed attorney for the Beauford Delaney Estate, serves on the KMA board.
Les Amis: The Knoxville News Sentinel describes the Delaney Legacy Committee as being composed of KMA, UT Libraries, Beck, and the Delaney estate. Please talk about the connection between the Delaney Legacy Committee and The Delaney Project: Gathering Light (if any).
DB: The Delaney Legacy Committee grew directly out of the “Gathering Light” initiative that was spearheaded by Sylvia Peters. We actually got a lot done and had some great momentum going when COVID shut everything down. The Delaney Legacy Committee is the successor to that effort, involves many of the same people, and has more administrative support through the UT Libraries.
Les Amis: Is there any active collaboration specifically between UT Libraries and KMA at present?
DB: The KMA worked closely with the UT Libraries and helped with fundraising for the purchase of the Beauford Delaney papers. It was important that that precious resource stay in Knoxville; UT Libraries has the staff and resources to facilitate public and scholarly access to the papers. Steve Smith, UT Libraries dean, serves on the KMA board, as do Renee Kesler (Beck) and Derek Spratley (Beauford Delaney Estate). Having these key people in leadership positions at the KMA has been tremendously helpful.
Les Amis: Doesn’t the committee also include the UT School of Art Galleries and the UT Humanities Center?
DB: Yes. The School of Art Galleries has significant holdings of works by Joseph Delaney (he was a visiting instructor at UT in his last years); the UT Humanities Center organized an international symposium on Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin during Through the Unusual Door in 2020. I believe the proceedings will be published next summer, I am told. (I should note that the Joseph Delaney Estate is also represented on the Delaney Legacy Committee.)
Les Amis: Is the East Tennessee Historical Society no longer part of the Delaney project?
DB: The East Tennessee Historical Society was instrumental in getting the State of Tennessee to install a historical marker at the site of Beauford and Joseph’s childhood home in downtown Knoxville. All the constituent organizations of the Delaney Legacy Committee have significant holdings of works by or offer programming specifically about Beauford and Joseph, so ETHS isn’t formally a member but is certainly a valued resource and strong ally.
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