“Awakened in You”: The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton

Exhibition Info
–
Historic Landmark Building
Curated by
Dr. David Brigham

Brooke Davis Anderson, Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum

Sarah Spencer, Assistant to the Museum Director
A gift of more than seventy artworks by African American artists from the collection of American educator and arts advocate, Constance E. Clayton.

In March 2019, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) received a gift of more than seventy artworks by African American artists from the collection of American educator and arts advocate Constance E. Clayton.

Throughout her career, Dr. Constance E. Clayton implemented her platform not only to further educational opportunities for students but also to highlight African American artists and their contributions to the wider scope of American Art history. As an educator, Dr. Clayton saw the importance of arts and culture in the lives of children. Her passion for the arts turned towards advocacy, through which Dr. Clayton committed herself to further the presence of artists and scholars of color within art institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), and now, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Much like Dr. Clayton, the artists in this collection have created legacies of their own, a series of visual remnants that document the multifaceted African American experience and contributions to the canon of art history.

The collection consists primarily of paintings and works on paper dating from the late nineteenth to twentieth centuries. There are also sculptures by Richmond Barthé, Augusta Savage, and one attributed to May Howard Jackson. The gift also includes several works by PAFA alumni such as Barkley L. Hendricks, Henry O. Tanner, Laura Wheeler Waring and many more.  

In keeping with PAFA's history and ongoing commitment to collecting and exhibiting African American art, the exhibition will allow museum audiences to experience the entire arc of African American art history in the galleries at PAFA. This exhibition is in honor of Dr. Clayton’s mother, Williabell Clayton. (1910–2004).

Exhibition Support

Bank of America Logo

“Awakened in You:” The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton is made possible by Bank of America. Additional support is provided by the Exhibition Host Committee:

Co-Chairs: Dr. Aliya F. Browne and Mr. Reginald M. Browne, Emily and Mike Cavanagh, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Johnson, and Winston and Carolyn Lowe, and Sabrina and Robert Clark Williams, Jr.

Members: Mr. Robert W. Bogle, Dolan/Maxwell, Inc., Dr. Deidre R. Farmbry, Dr. Darryl J. Ford and Dr. Gail Sullivan Ford, Joan and William Goldstein, Beverly H. Lomax in honor of Walter P. Lomax, Jr.,  James and Jennifer Nixon, Peg Alston Fine Arts, and the Penn Towne Chapter of The Links, Inc.

Special Exhibitions are generously supported by Emily and Mike Cavanagh, Jonathan L. Cohen, Ro and Martin King, Robert E. Kohler and Frances Coulborn Kohler, John and Leigh Middleton, Maggie and Brien Murphy, and Dorothy and Ken Woodcock. Additional support is provided by the Armand G. Erpf Fund and the PAFA Annual Exhibition Fund.

Contemporary Exhibitions are generously supported by Laura and Richard Vague. Additional support is provided by Ralph Citino and Lawrence Taylor, Jules and Connie Kay, Howard Sacks and Vesna Todorović Sacks, and an anonymous donor.

News and Press

Visit Philly | Celebrate Black History Month

Visit Philly's 2021 guide to celebrating Black History Month includes a wide array of ways to engage and connect, and highlights PAFA's current exhibition, "'Awakened in You': The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton".

Art Critical | A Central Place in the Academy

Art Critical takes a closer look at our exhibition, "'Awakened In You': The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton," which features works representing over one hundred years of accomplishment by African American artists.

Artsy | The Mother-Daughter Duo Who Amassed an Incredible Trove of African American Art

Karen Chernick takes a closer look at the mother-daughter duo of Dr. Constance E. and Williabell Clayton, whose personal collection of art is on view in our exhibition, "Awakened in You".

Philadelphia Inquirer | Shows at PAFA Spotlight Two Generations of Black Artists

Reporter Thomas Hine looks at two current PAFA exhibitions, "Awakened in You" and  Making Community, for the Philadelphia Inquirer, calling the shows "intimate" and "communal".

Fox 29 News | Dr. Constance Clayton Gifts Art Collection to PAFA

FOX 29's Alex Holley explains the significance of Dr. Clayton's amazing collection, now on view.

Philadelphia Inquirer | Constance Clayton’s Gift to PAFA Is Now on Display

Take a look behind the scenes of the exhibition, "Awakened in You" with reporter Stephan Salisbury. The exhibition features works from the gift of Dr. Constance E. Clayton and "has the aura of a family meal around the dinner table," Salisbury writes.

WHYY | PAFA Displays Black Art Collection of Constance Clayton, Former Philadelphia School Superintendent

WHYY's Peter Crimmins takes a look at PAFA's upcoming exhibition, "Awakened In You": The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton.

Philadelphia Inquirer | Spring 2020 Art Museums Preview

The Philadelphia Inquirer highlights PAFA's spring exhibitions, Making Community, At One Stroke, "Awakened in You", and Invisible City—for its roundup of Spring 2020 programming.

Philadelphia Magazine | Celebrate Black History Month

February is Black History Month and Philadelphia Magazine's Pat Rapa named our forthcoming exhibition, "Awakened In You": The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, as one of its top picks for the month.

Sam Gilliam, Barkley L. Hendricks, and Charles White Included in Gift of 78 Works to PAFA From Dr. Constance E. Clayton

PAFA is proud to announce the acquisition of nearly 80 artworks from the collection of the prominent American educator, civic leader, and arts advocate, Dr. Constance E. Clayton. The collection, which spans the late 19th to the late 20th centuries, contains works primarily by African American artists, many with ties to PAFA, including notable alumni Henry O. Tanner, Barkley L. Hendricks, and Laura Wheeler Waring.
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"Awakened In You": The Collection Of Dr. Constance E. Clayton

Over a period of fifty years, Dr. Constance Elaine Clayton— preeminent educator, philanthropist, and art advocate—amassed an art collection reflecting of her commitment to art and Black creativity. Her remarkable work in building a collection that tells this story led to a major gift to PAFA in 2018 and is currently being celebrated in two exhibitions, one at PAFA and the other at the New York Public Library. Take inspiration from Dr. Clayton’s mission to celebrate African American art-making and her strategic choice to gift it to America’s oldest art museum as the story of this remarkable mission is told by Brooke Davis Anderson, Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum at PAFA, and Tammi Lawson, Curator at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.