Eleanor Layfield Davis facts for kids

Eleanor Layfield Davis (1911–1985) was an American painter. People also called her ELDA. She helped lead Meredith College as a trustee. Both Meredith College and Wake Forest University now offer art scholarships in her honor.

Life of Eleanor Layfield Davis

Eleanor Layfield was born in 1911. Her birthplace was Richmond, Virginia. She grew up near Raleigh, North Carolina. Eleanor went to Peace College and Sweet Briar College. She graduated from Meredith College in 1932.

Eleanor married Egbert Lawrence Davis Jr. They had four children together. She did not start painting until she was 47 years old. She often signed her artworks with "ELDA." This nickname came from her initials.

Besides painting, Eleanor also drew sketches and made sculptures. She worked hard to build up the arts community. This was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She studied art at the Arts and Crafts Association of Winston-Salem. She also took classes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Eleanor helped start the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem. She was also its first President. She also organized Art Gallery Originals. Eleanor Layfield Davis passed away in 1985.

Awards and Special Honors

Eleanor Layfield Davis received many awards for her art.

• She won three awards at the Cloroben Arts and Crafts Exhibitions. These shows were in Chicago and Miami.
• She won the Champion Paper Award in 1982. This was at the Henley Southeastern Spectrum.
• Meredith College gives the Eleanor Layfield Davis Scholarship. It is for students with artistic talent.
• Wake Forest University named its first art scholarship after her.
• The special staff used at Meredith College ceremonies is called a ceremonial mace. Eleanor's husband gave it to the college in her memory.
• The Eleanor and Egbert Davis Gallery is named after her and her husband. It hosts art shows at The Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts. This center is in Winston-Salem.

Art Exhibitions

During her life, Eleanor Layfield Davis created many artworks. She showed them in group shows. She also had 15 solo exhibitions. These shows took place across the Southeast.

After she passed away, her art was still shown.

• In 1986, a special show of her work was held. It was at Wake Forest University's Scales Fine Arts Center Gallery.
• In 2012, an exhibition called ELDA – Paintings by Eleanor Layfield Davis took place. It was at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts.
• In 2010, some of her art was part of a show. This show featured art by Meredith College graduates.

The North Carolina Art Society bought some of Davis's artwork. These pieces are now part of the loan collection. This collection belongs to the North Carolina Museum of Art.