The first annual Adelaide Austell Craver Memorial Lecture will be presented at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum during the summer of 2022 . The program will feature Rand Suffolk, Director of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
The lecture will be followed by a reception.
About the Lecture
In 2015, the Museum faced a difficult truth: an exceptional collection and world-class architecture could not exclusively make us essential within the diverse and growing city that we call home. That realization forced us to change. Since then, the High has focused on re-defining what a great American art museum can be. To that end, I’ll share a bit about our progress to date, as well as highlight several transformational, collection-building acquisitions.
- Rand Suffolk
About the Speaker
Randall Suffolk is the Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., Director of the High Museum of Art. Since his arrival in 2015, he has championed a renewed commitment to community engagement, placing emphasis on collaboration, inclusivity and access. To support these objectives, the Museum has reduced admission fees, greatly diversified its exhibition schedule, added more than 1,500 objects to the collection, worked collaboratively with nearly 30 community partners annually, and developed a variety of new programming to serve its increasingly diverse, multi- generational audience.
Prior to joining the High, Suffolk served as director of Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Okla. and as director of The Hyde Collection in Glen Falls, N.Y. Suffolk has curated more than 25 exhibitions and has participated as a juror, panel member or guest lecturer for a variety of art- related organizations and programs. He holds a Master’s degree in art history from Bryn Mawr College, a Master’s degree in higher education administration from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Connecticut College.
Adelaide Craver
Adelaide Austell Craver, a 76 years old native and resident of Shelby, North Carolina, died in January of 2019. In 1948 when she was six years old, her parents, the Austells of Shelby, converted the former "Gun Club" of the Mayview Manor Hotel into their summer residence.
Beginning then and continuing for the next 70 years until her death, Adelaide was an active summer resident of Blowing Rock. As an adult she was a constant volunteer and assumed leadership positions of many local charitable causes in the Blowing Rock community.
In recent correspondence with the museum, Adelaide's husband Dick has said:
“Throughout her life, Adelaide loved most everything about Blowing Rock, but especially her lifelong friendship with many of the year-round and seasonal residents there who she treasured. In addition, she always had a great sense of pride in the place and in her later years the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum was ranked "top priority" on her "Must See" list when showing our visiting house guests around the village.
Both my daughter Adelaide and son Newton join me in expressing our pleasure and gratitude to have the opportunity which the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum has provided for us to sponsor this year's and hopefully, many more annual ‘Adelaide Austell Craver Memorial Lectures’."
Please note: This lecture is a membership benefit, registration is required, see below.