STORIES FROM PAFA

PAFA joins the city of Philadelphia in mourning the passing of Dr Constance Clayton

It is with great sadness that PAFA joins in mourning the death of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, Philadelphia’s first Black and female schools’ superintendent and longtime collector of African American art.  

In 2019, Dr. Clayton gifted to PAFA a collection of 78 paintings, works on paper and sculptures by African American artists in loving memory of her mother Mrs. Williabell Clayton. Dr. Clayton was an advocate for increased prominence of African American art in museums, exhibitions and curatorial staff. She stated that when museums incorporate artists of color, “They say to African American children: ‘Somebody who looks like me did this, and I can do this too.’”  

In 2020, PAFA celebrated this gift through an exhibition of the works, Awakened in You: The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton. The collection includes the artists Henry Ossawa Tanner, Edward Bannister, Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Augusta Savage, Dox Thrash, Laura Wheeler Waring and Charles White among others. Dr. Clayton said at the time, that she thought it was important to share the collection so that the larger community would be able to see it, enjoy it and realize that African Americans has something special to contribute to culture.

As a memorial to Dr. Clayton’s life’s work, PAFA will be exhibiting two sculptures from the Clayton collection: Gamin by Augusta Savage, and Slave Boy by May Howard Jackson. The works will be on view in the Henry Luce Sculpture Study Center on the 2nd floor of PAFA’s Hamilton Building through November 26, 2023. 

Multiple people pose together for a picture
Dr. Clayton with PAFA staff from the Making American Artists Exhibition Celebration, 2022. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
People pose for a picture
Dr. Clayton with PAFA President Eric Pryor from the Making American Artists Exhibition Celebration, 2022. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
A person poses for a picture with a sculpture
Dr. Clayton posing with "Slave Boy" sculpture from the Making American Artists Exhibition Celebration, 2022. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
Photos of Dr. Clayton are from the Making American Artists Exhibition Celebration, 2022. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.

About PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the United States’ first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and educational opportunities in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell America's diverse story through art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while classes educate artists and appreciators with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.