Welcome to ACCESS GRANTED

In this latest episode of Access Granted, Renato Paiva, the CEO of Access Youth Academy interviews Hugh Davies who shared his journey from South Africa to the U.S., highlighting his family's move due from apartheid and his education at Princeton and Groton. He discussed his career in art, including his dissertation on Francis Bacon and his 33-year tenure at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. Davies emphasized the importance of perseverance and family, recounting how he balanced work with personal life. He also discussed his involvement with Access Youth Academy, where he supports young people through education and sports. Davies' story underscores the power of sports and education in fostering resilience and community impact.

Achievements

• Hugh Davies worked as the director of the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art (now Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego) for 33 years.
• Davies has been involved with Access Youth Academy for about 10 years.
• Renato Paiva has been working with Access Youth Academy for 19 years.

Introduction to the Access Granted Podcast

• Renato introduces the Access Granted podcast, emphasizing its focus on stories of hope, perseverance, inspiration, and impact.
• The podcast aims to explore the lives of guests, their pivotal moments, and how they became difference makers in their communities.
• Renato highlights Mandela's words on the power of sports as a catalyst for social change and a universal language.
• The podcast promises to feature guests from various walks of life, sharing their unique stories of opportunity, resilience, and impact.

Hugh Davies' Early Life and Family Background

• Renato welcomes Hugh Davies to the podcast and asks him to share his life story, starting from his childhood.
• Hugh Davies was born in South Africa in a town named Grant's Town, which later changed its name to Maconda.
• His father, a British soldier, moved to Rhodes University to start a department of divinity and theology, but had to leave due to the introduction of apartheid in South Africa.
• The family moved to Oxford, England, where Hugh's father taught at Mansfield College, and later to Princeton, New Jersey, where Hugh attended school and experienced a significant cultural shift.

Hugh's Education and Early Sports Involvement

• Hugh attended Groton Prep School in New England on a scholarship, where he played various sports like cricket, rugby, and field hockey.
• He later moved to Princeton University, where he played squash and was part of the undefeated freshman squash team.
• Hugh's father had a sabbatical in Cambridge, England, where Hugh attended an English school and enjoyed playing sports, which he couldn't do in the fully integrated school in the US.
• Hugh's experience at Groton and Princeton shaped his love for sports and his academic journey.

Hugh's Academic and Professional Journey

• Hugh graduated from Princeton in 1970 and decided to pursue graduate studies to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War.
• He spent a year in London researching British painter Francis Bacon, securing first-person interviews with the artist.
• Hugh returned to the US, completed his dissertation, and started working at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst as the founding director of the University Museum of Contemporary Art.
• He later taught modern and contemporary art at Amherst College and co-taught a course with his first wife.

Transition to California and Career at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art

• Hugh took a sabbatical and traveled to Rwanda and Israel before receiving a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to study museums and galleries in Southern California.
• He...