Launching The Beauford Delaney Project and Its First Creative Initiative
© Carl van Vechten 1953
Public domain
Today, Les Amis is pleased to report an important milestone in our efforts to honor, explore, and share the legacy of Beauford Delaney.
We are delighted to announce the launch of The Beauford Delaney Project, a new digital humanities initiative led by the Wells International Foundation (WIF), as well as the launch of the project's first official undertaking—a creative and scholarly soundscape project led by WIF's Summer 2026 intern, George Henry.
For many years, Les Amis has served as a space for sharing research, stories, discoveries, and conversations about Beauford as one of the 20th century's most remarkable artists.
The Beauford Delaney Project represents the next stage of that work—it is creating new opportunities for scholarship, education, artistic engagement, and public access centered on Beauford's life and legacy.
Rather than treating his story as something confined to museums or academic publications, the project seeks to bring Beauford's life into conversation with contemporary audiences—especially students, emerging scholars, artists, and community members. Through research, creative practice, educational programming, and international engagement, WIF is fostering new ways of understanding both his artistic achievements and the broader cultural worlds he inhabited.
The launch of the platform is only the beginning.
The First Project: Listening to Beauford's New York
We are especially pleased to introduce the first project developed under this new initiative.
This summer, George Henry, a recent Amherst College graduate whose work bridges Black Studies, technology, archival practice, and sound, will undertake an innovative exploration of Beauford's New York through audio.
Image courtesy of George Henry
Drawing upon archival research and field recordings collected at locations associated with Beauford's life—including Harlem, Greenwich Village, and other neighborhoods where he lived and worked—Henry will create a series of immersive soundscapes designed to evoke the environments that surrounded Beauford during pivotal periods of his career.
The project asks a compelling question: What might we learn about Beauford's world by listening as closely as we look?
By combining scholarship, artistic interpretation, and contemporary audio practice, these soundscapes will offer audiences a new way to engage with Beauford's story—one that complements traditional historical research while inviting deeper sensory and emotional connection.
In many ways, the project reflects the broader vision of overall project: bringing together disciplines, perspectives, and communities to create new pathways into Beauford's life and work.
Looking Ahead
As The Beauford Delaney Project grows, we look forward to sharing new research, creative projects, educational opportunities, and collaborations inspired by Beauford's far-reaching influence.
We are grateful to everyone who has supported Les Amis over the years and invite you to explore the new platform, follow the progress of George Henry's work this summer, and join us as we continue building a space where scholarship, creativity, and community come together.
Find The Beauford Delaney Project HERE.
IMPORTANT NOTE: While the Les Amis de Beauford Delaney site will remain live for the foreseeable future, this is the last blog post we will publish here. All past posts are accessible at The Beauford Delaney Project digital hub, and all future posts will be uploaded there.
