Avery Clayton

Avery Clayton (March 17, 1947–November 26, 2009) was an artist, educator, entrepreneur, and historian. He is known for having established a library and museum to house African American artifacts collected by his mother, the late Mayme Agnew Clayton.

Biography Clayton was born in Los Angeles, the eldest of three sons born to Andrew Clayton, a barbershop owner and Mayme Agnew, a librarian, who over forty years would assemble an impressive collection of African-American artifacts.

After serving in the Army during the Vietnam War, Clayton studied at Los Angeles City College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in art from UCLA. He was known locally for his lithographs of African-American figures, and owned two art galleries.

In 2006, just days before his mother's death at age 83, Clayton signed a $1-a-year lease on a former courthouse in Culver City, California to house his mother's extensive collection.

Cynthia Hudley, a UC Santa Barbara professor and vice president of the facility's board of directors, was named interim director in the wake of Clayton's death.