TUSCUMBIA-Belle Mont Mansion will once again host its annual Art of the Dish antique china display during Tuscumbia’s Helen Keller Festival. This year’s Art of the Dish will feature hand-painted china, including pieces by local artists Delma Stanley and Marcia Gullett.
Hand-painted china will be on display throughout the mansion Wednesday, June 25, through Saturday, June 28, during regular museum hours. Regular admission rates apply.
On Saturday, June 28, Regina Wright, granddaughter of the late Delma Stanley, will share memories of her grandmother and her artistry. Ms. Wright will present at 11 am and 2 pm. Marcia Gullett will join Ms. Wright at 2 pm to discuss her own hand-painted china.
Tickets for the Saturday presentations are $15 and include light refreshments and a tour of the home. They can be purchased at Belle Mont Mansion or online through at Bellemontmansion.com.
Ms. Wright said her family is delighted about the opportunity to share their grandmother’s china.
“The family of Delma Stanley is very grateful to the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation and the Belle Mont Mansion staff for this opportunity to share the beauty of her artwork that has graced our lives for so many years,” she said. “Since her passing in 1997, this showing at the Art of the Dish is the first exhibit of her hand-painted china, and we believe that Grandmother Stanley’s artwork and life story will uplift and inspire those who attend.”
The display will include pieces from the personal collections of each of Mrs. Stanley’s granddaughters, including Ms. Wright, Dawn Quinn and the late Heather Quinn.
“We encourage the community to attend, enjoy the beauty of the various pieces of china and learn more about this very unique form of art,” Ms. Wright said. “Marcia Gullett, fellow painter and special friend of Grandmother Stanley, will also be displaying her artwork and speaking at the afternoon program.”
Delma Whitfield Stanley, born in 1916, was a member of the Greatest Generation. Born into humble means in Marion County, Alabama, her optimism and work ethic allowed her to see the world full of opportunities to be fulfilled and achieved. Her family says she was always optimistic and her artistic abilities allowed her to contribute beauty to her world through many different art mediums.
Due to a profound hearing loss as a young child, she did not receive many years of formal education in her family’s rural setting. Even with limited resources as a child, she recounted her pursuit of different means of artistic expression in those early years.
As a young, divorced mother of two, she moved to Sheffield during the war years to provide for her family. While working at Walgreens in Sheffield, Delma met and married Thearon Stanley of Spring Valley. A World War II veteran, he soon enrolled at Florence State Teachers College, where he received a degree and opened an accounting office in Tuscumbia. He became her ardent supporter of all artistic endeavors for the next thirty years.
Her life was a whirlwind of activity during those years in Spring Valley. She was proficient with a needle and decorated her home with beautiful needlework. During those years, she crafted many hooked rugs. She also sewed “for the public” and produced countless dresses for the women in the community. Regarding her work ethic, she picked cotton for several years in Spring Valley to purchase select pieces of furniture.
Delma began to take oil painting classes from Tuscumbia’s legendary Ethel Davis and painted many beautiful, treasured pieces. One of her paintings was a commission of the Colbert County Courthouse that is now on permanent display there. She also produced charcoal and pastel paintings. During the 1960s and 1970s, she was active in the founding of the Tennessee Valley Art Association and served as President of the Creative Art Club.
After moving to Tuscumbia in 1963, she began classes in china painting and painted her first plate in 1964. China painting
became her focus and, as she continued with seminar lessons, she began giving lessons three days a week in her home on Catalpa Street throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She was proficient and sold her china artwork throughout the area in art shows, which included the annual shows at Southgate Mall, and to patrons from her home. She won many awards for her artwork through the years. At her passing, one artist friend shared that Delma was recognized throughout the state for her talent in china painting (as the most talented in the state).
“It is an honor to share the beautiful artwork of Grandmother Stanley on display at the Belle Mont Mansion, as she lived in both Tuscumbia and Spring Valley,” said her granddaughter, Dawn Quinn. “A loving wife, mother and grandmother, Delma Stanley set a standard in her devotion and care for family. Her work ethic throughout her life set a standard for the 
accomplishment of many goals, with an example to be displayed in her hand painted china, which includes a great variety of dishes and accompanying pieces. In addition to my collection, pieces from the collections of my late sister, Heather Quinn, and cousin, Regina Wright, will be displayed. We thank the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation and the Belle Mont Mansion staff for recognizing both Delma Stanley and her dear friend, Marcia Gullett, at this time.”
Tickets are on sale now. Tickets will also be available at the door if seats remain. Purchasing in advance is strongly encouraged.
For more information about this event, please call Belle Mont Mansion at (256) 381-5052 or email bellemontmansion@gmail.com.
Belle Mont Mansion is owned by the state of Alabama and operated by Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. It is located at 1569 Cook Lane in Tuscumbia. Museum hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm.
Media Release/Lorie Johnson/Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation
