Ode to (Danny) Joy

Mary Proctor, “Your Grandmoma Danny Joy”, 1995. Mixed media on hollow core door. Morris Museum of Art, Augusta Georgia. Courtesy of the artist.

Your Grandmoma Danny Joy by Mary Proctor was commissioned in 1995 by Anne Claussen, sister of former Morris Museum of Art director Keith Claussen, of their grandmother Louise R. “Danny” Bryans. Proctor created this piece on a hollow core door and incorporated items like buttons, lace, jewelry, a scrap of fringe, and among other items that had belonged to Mrs. Bryans.

According to Anne Claussen: “I believe I met Mary Proctor in early 1995. I was living in Tallahassee at that time and I had frequently driven by her ‘flea market,’ an old building in the same chain link fenced area as her house. One day I saw that painted doors had appeared lined up against the chain link fence. I was drawn in and Mary showed me around. She told me her story about receiving a calling to paint after her grandmother, who had raised her, died in a fire. I didn’t know much about folk art, but I called my sister Keith and she was intrigued. Keith sent some folks down to interview Mary and I introduced them to her. I think they may have purchased a couple of her doors for the Morris at that time.

I got to be friendly with Mary and stopped by to chat with her many times over the next few months. I bought a few pieces of her work—a trunk, a rocking chair (which I donated to the Morris), and some small wall plaques. I took some of my friends to meet her and they purchased some of her doors.

Later in 1995, I commissioned Mary to create a door. A lot of Mary’s art made use of found objects like buttons, pins, plastic dolls, scraps of fabric, coins, etc. I had a box of similar items from my grandmother, Louise R. Bryans (Mrs. Charles Iverson Bryans, Sr.), who had passed away in 1984. Our nickname for our grandmother was Danny, Keith’s attempt as a toddler to say ‘Granny.’ I gave Mary a picture of Danny and the box of odds and ends. The box included some fringe from an old chair that my grandmother had saved for some reason.

When I arrived to pick up the door, she told me that Danny had come to her in spirit. I was surprised that the face was more realistic than her other figures, but I guess she was trying to incorporate the photo I gave her for inspiration. She certainly used the cat my grandmother was holding.  The cat did not actually belong to her. Danny was visiting my mother’s house when that photo was taken.

The wording on the door is interesting. Sophia was Mary’s young daughter.  She was six or so at the time, I think, and she was indeed a doll. Not sure who Mary Ann is, unless she means me. I am indeed a bit of a mess at times. H

Around this tim, a Tallahassee collector named Tricia Collins discovered Mary and purchased some of her art for her gallery in New York. Her paintings took off at that point. She had a show in New York in 1996, I believe.”