Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art

Comprising 67 spectacular works of art, Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art is the culmination of a 35-year journey into a realm that few have explore with such passion and dedication—the world of art and art collecting.

Memories & Inspiration draws generously from the Davis Collection, a treasury of artworks located in a private home in Atlanta, Georgia, primarily by African American artists but also featuring some works from other parts of the African diaspora. This landmark collection was assembled by Kerry and Betty Davis, an ordinary working class couple who happily sacrificed material goods and comforts in order to surround themselves with the drawings, paintings, prints, and sculptures they loved. Guided by a passion for collecting and by their extensive knowledge of art—as well as a desire to preserve cultural memories and inspire their community—the Davises have built one of the richest private collections of African American art in the world.

The Memories & Inspiration traveling exhibition is their way of sharing some of its highlights with art lovers nationwide. Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art was organized and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. International Arts & Artists is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. For more information visit ArtsandArtists.org

Photo: William J. Anderson, Joanne by the Window, 1986, silver gelatin photograph. Photograph by Reis Birdwhistell.