Sharing the Spirit: Black Philanthropy & the Arts, a conversation with Kerry Davis and Dee Perry

This Fall, as part of the seenUNseen exhibition, the Artists Archives is pleased to host a series of programs which promote the visibility of regional artists of color. seenUNseen, held in partnership with The Sculpture Center and presented by the Cleveland Foundation, combines work from the Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art with a curated response of Northeast Ohio creators. The show, which opens September 20, features over 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles and mixed media pieces, and includes some of the nation’s most significant emerging and established African American artists.

Sharing the Spirit: Black Philanthropy & the Arts a conversation with Kerry Davis and Dee Perry, is held in partnership with The Soul of Philanthropy Cleveland and is presented by the Cleveland Foundation. The program will take place on Thursday, Oct 10th, 6-7:30pm, at the Idea Center’s Westfield Studio Theatre, 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103.

Beginning his career as a postman in Atlanta, Kerry Davis and his wife, C. Betty, amassed a world-class collection of African American art on a modest middle-class budget. Over 30 years, the Davis family not only financially supported artists through their patronage, but physically supported them through hands-on actives like stretching canvases, providing supplies, and even transporting works in their family car.

In this special presentation, Kerry will be interviewed by Dee Perry, best known for her 20 years hosting The Sound of Applause, an arts and culture review on WCPN public radio. Join Kerry and Dee as they discuss how supporting black artists benefits the community, non-traditional ways of giving, and how philanthropy changes the life of the giver, one act at a time.

Sharing the Spirit is FREE, however, please register to attend. Reserve your spot on Eventbrite by clicking HERE , via The Soul of Philanthropy Cleveland website, or by calling 216.721.9020. Click HERE to join the conversation on Facebook!

More about our speakers:

Kerry Davis: The story of the Davis Collection begins in Atlanta, where Kerry worked as a postman and his wife as a television producer. Over 30 years, on a modest budget, they amassed a collection of over 300 paintings, works on paper and sculpture which includes some of the nation’s most significant emerging and established African American artists.

This vibrant body of work now covers every inch of the Davis’ suburban residence, transforming the space into an “in home museum” that provides community access to the important, and often “unseen”, legacy of American artists of color. Their collection includes artists such as Charles White, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Richard Hunt, Romare Bearden, Sedrick Huckaby, Richard Mayhew, Sam Gilliam, and Mildred Thompson.

Dee Perry: Dee Perry began her broadcasting career in 1976, and worked for more than a dozen years hosting shows on commercial radio. In 1989 Dee took a job with 90.3 WCPN, Cleveland Public Radio, which became the multi-media content provider Ideastream in 2001, following a merger with WVIZ/PBS. Since then Dee has written, produced, and conducted thousands of interviews about arts and culture for radio, TV, and the web.

Although retired from full-time broadcasting Dee continues to serve as a freelance researcher, interviewer, and host for various community events and organizations.