David Driskell

An accomplished artist and highly influential scholar and curator of African American art, David C. Driskell studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, Howard University and Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and The Netherlands Institute for the History of Art in The Hague. As an artist, he worked mainly in collage, mixed media and printmaking. He exhibited internationally, and his works are included in major collections throughout the world. As a scholar, he taught at several universities in the United States and Nigeria, culminating in a lengthy career at the University of Maryland, from 1977 to 1998. He wrote seven books on African American art, co-authored four, and published over forty exhibition catalogues. He was also an avid art collector and an arts administrator. In 2001, the University of Maryland established the David C. Driskell Center in his honor, with the goal of preserving the rich heritage of African American visual art and culture. Driskell received ten honorary doctoral degrees and numerous awards and prizes, including the National Humanities Medal from President Clinton in 2000 and the Lifetime Legacy Award from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2016. He was elected to the National Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

For further information, see: http://www.driskellcenter.umd.edu/about