David C. Driskell Center

This place is totally hidden from the masses. I got a bit frustrated as I was asking students on campus where The Driskell Center was and no one seemed to know, even though we were standing steps away from it. David C. Driskell Center is located in the center of University of Maryland’s campus within/​beside Coalfield House Athletic Center and has been quietly breathing since 2011. The Driskell Center is a museum and a historical archival center that strives to obtain and preserve collections from and about African American art and artists. Dr. David C. Driskell is a world renowned artist, educator, and philanthropist who has taken it upon himself to create a repository for African American culture and art, donating his own collection of work to the center in 2011.
What brought me here was the Kara Walker exhibit: Tales of Slavery and Power and if you’re not familiar with Kara Walker, let’s just say her work is not for the faint at heart!
I went to view Tales of Slavery and Power and it was amazingly truthful, haunting, and powerful, the Driskell Center did a great job of editing down her work for its audience; lots of notable pieces that really gives a person a «good feel» for her broader body of work.
My favorite was the Emancipation Approximation set, where Walker borrows from the Asian influence of silk screens to play out psychologically deep and intimate experiences of African American women within Civil War time. If you’re interested, Tales of Slavery and Power is on display at the Driskell Center until May 29, 2015. Like most galleries you can take pictures, so long as you remove the flash from your camera.
The Driskell Center is an ocean of knowledge and information for researchers and art history buffs, Dr. Driskell’s communications with art greats such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Romare Bearden, and Elizabeth Catlett are available to the public. Note the archival program is by appointment only Tuesday thru Friday.
Lots of open space for people like me who love to pace, circle exhibits, and walk up from different angles. I so enjoyed being in this large space with less than 5 people. So many interesting and stimulating things going on here like «Black Lives/​White Light» an exhibition featuring 8 White artists responding to the Black Lives Matter Movement. The all-​media show surveys how White artists have reacted to the fight to preserve and protect Black Lives. «Black Lives/​White Light» will be on display from April 3 – 30, 2015
The Gallery Hours for «Black Lives/​White Light» are: Thurs/​Fri 4−8pm + Sat/​Sun 12−5pm.
For those who like to attend lectures and hear about the inspiration behind the art. Check out the current 2015 roster:
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Sunday ⁴⁄₁₂ 4pm-​Artist Talk
Wednesday ⁴⁄₁₅ Teaching the Movement Now; Black Lives Matter In the Classroom-​Teaching for Change
Tuesday ⁴⁄₂₁ White Voices on Black Movement: From Abolition to Now
Tuesday ⁴⁄₂₈ Black Artist response to BLWL/​Closing Reception
Artist Deborah Willis, Ph.D. will have a reception at the Driskell Center Thursday, April 26 @ 5pm, she is a Professor of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Her Series «Critical Narratives in Visualizing the Black Body in Art and Popular Culture».
The great thing is that the Driskell Center has incorporated various influences into the African American experience, offering various responses and interpretations of the work rendered, so your not just getting one polarized version of the art and its history.
I am falling in love with this place already – exclusive rare pockets of knowledge, cool, interesting, interactive information for EVERYONE!