The David C. Driskell Center

The Driskell Center is delighted to receive a $225,000 grant from Getty through its Black Visual Art Archives initiative for our project Radical Legacies, Digital Futures: Preserving Black Art for Global Access. The 18-month grant will support archival processing and digitization across five recently acquired collections in The Driskell Center Archives (collections pictured) and an improved web interface designed to expand access to all 17 collections we hold, providing open access to digitized materials, finding aids, and interpretive content. The grant period will culminate in pop-up exhibition programming that brings these five collections into dialogue with contemporary audiences. #BlackArt #BlackArtHistory #Archives #DriskellCenter #gettyfoundation Image Credits: -Dindga McCannon (seated), Linda Hiwot (l.), and Miriam Francis (r.), Where We At Black Women Artists, circa 1975. The Where We At Black Women Artists Archives. -Dewey Crumpler with one of his paintings, circa 1969. The Crumpler Collection. -From left to right, Robert L. Hall, David C. Driskell, Winston Branch, Rutherford Adkins, Earl Hooks, and Aaron Douglas at the opening event for the Winston Branch exhibition at Fisk University, 1973. David C. Driskell Papers, MS01.11.01.P0249. -Lewis Tanner Moore, 2020. The Lewis Tanner Moore Collection. -“Where We At” Black Women Artists exhibition flyer with artwork by Dindga McCannon, 1975. The Where We At Black Women Artists Archives. -Dindga McCannon, circa 1980s. The Dindga McCannon Archives. All courtesy of The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. @gettymuseum

FREE CATALOGS - Last week of “America Will Be!” 💫 As we wrap up the exhibition, we’re happy to share that we still have a limited number of catalogs available for pickup. Stop by and grab one while they last! At The Driskell Center, we are committed to accessible content and scholarship—making this publication freely available is part of fulfilling that mission. Come by, spend some time with the work, and take a catalog home with you before the exhibition closes on Friday. Catalog contributions by Dr. Nicole Archer, Dr. Jordana M. Saggese @jmsaggese , Dr. Antoine Banks @antoinebanksumd @umdgvpt . #blackart #artshow #driskellcenter Image: “America Will Be!” catalogs. Artwork by June Edmonds, “Four Years in the White House Flag,” 2019–2021. Acrylic on linen, 90 x 60 in. Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art. ©️June Edmonds, image courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles. Photo repost by Lex Marie @thelexmarie

Last chance to experience "America Will Be!" ✨ 📍 The Driskell Center 🗓 On view through May 8 As we enter the final week of the exhibition at The Driskell Center, we invite you to visit before "America Will Be!" closes on Friday. Don't miss the opportunity to engage with artworks that reimagine what the symbol of the American flag has been—and what it might become. @juneeecee @darthgibson Lead support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art @terraamericanart , with additional support from the Maryland State Arts Council @mdartscouncil , Arts For All @umdartsforall , and The Driskell Center's generous patrons. Artist/Lender Credits: © Nari Ward Studio, Courtesy of Vilcek Foundation © June Edmonds, Images courtesy of Luis De Jesus Los Angeles. © Sanford Biggers, Nesbitt-Blanchard Collection © 2025 David Hammons / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Glenstone Museum © Mark Thomas Gibson Studio Photo Credits: 1) Pete Duvall -- Anything Photographic @peted301 2) Kevin Cartwright @dogoodatumd 3–5) Taneen Momeni @umd_arhu #driskellcenter #Blackart #contemporaryart

🌟 SUMMER INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY 🌟 The Driskell Center is now accepting applications for its Summer 2026 Internship Program! We are currently seeking a Digital Collections Intern 📁✨ This opportunity is open to all undergraduate students or early-career graduate students interested in collections, archives, and digital accessibility. The selected intern will work on enhancing access to The Driskell Center’s Permanent Art Collection using TMS Collections & eMuseum. 🎓 Preference will be given to applicants from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). 📣 Don’t miss the chance to gain hands-on experience working with an important art collection and contributing to accessibility in the arts. 🔗 Apply now: https://go.umd.edu/drskinternapp #InternshipOpportunity #MuseumInternship #DriskellCenter #ArtCareers #DigitalCollections HBCU ArtHistory

The Crumpler Collection is now open for research! The Driskell Center Archives is excited to announce that researchers can now schedule visits to consult materials in the Crumpler Collection. You may recognize the subject, Dewey Crumpler, from our Fall 2024 exhibition, Dewey Crumpler: Life Studies. The Crumpler Collection documents Dewey Crumpler’s career as an artist and arts educator. Collection materials highlight Crumpler’s decades-long artistic series on tulips and international trade, as well as his hoodie works and slave collar series. It also includes materials from his teaching career with the San Francisco Art Institute. Material formats include sketchbooks, exhibition catalogs, lesson plans, and audiovisual items. You can read more about Dewey Crumpler and consult the Crumpler Collection Finding Aid at the link in our bio. #BlackArtHistory #BlackArtists #Archives #DriskellCenter #DeweyCrumpler #ArtHistory Image credit: The Crumpler Collection, MS10, Box 1, Folder 4. The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. Gift of Dewey Crumpler.

📣 May Day at the Driskell Center! Beyond the Stars & Stripes Join us May 1, 5–7 p.m. for a special panel conversation with artists June Edmonds, Mark Thomas Gibson, and Sheldon Scott, moderated by co-curator Dr. Nicole Archer. Don’t miss this powerful discussion bringing art and ideas into conversation. “America Will Be!” and its programming are made possible through the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art. @terraamericanart @darthgibson @sheldonascott @juneeecee Register via Eventbrite. Link in bio. Image Credit: June Edmonds, Four Years in the White House Flag, 2019-2021. Courtesy of the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art. ©June Edmonds. Photo by @peted301 - Anything Photographic. #DriskellCenter #PanelDiscussion #ArtEvent #UMD #Blackart Image Credit: June Edmonds, "For Carney & The 54th (a Memorial), I, III, V, & IV" (2019), courtesy of The Rodney M. Miller Collection. Installation photography by Pete Duvall - Anything Photographic. @peted301 [Alt text: Installation view of four dark-toned, draped canvas paintings by June Edmonds displayed on a white gallery wall at the Driskell Gallery.]

The robin holder collection is now open for research! The Driskell Center Archives is thrilled to hold this unique collection documenting a groundbreaking Black woman artist. The robin holder collection documents robin holder’s career as an artist and educator and her contributions to Black art. The collection particularly highlights holder’s artistic work in series, her many public art commissions, and her time as Assistant Director of the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. It also includes materials from her decades-long career as an Artist Instructor, including with the nonprofit organization Studio in a School and residencies with Brooklyn Arts Council, the Children’s Museum of Brooklyn, and Art Horizons. Material formats include sketchbooks, exhibition catalogs, lesson plans, photographs, slides, and audiovisual items. You can read more about robin holder and peruse the robin holder collection Finding Aid at the link in our bio. #DriskellCenter #BlackArtHistory #Archives #BlackWomenArtists #ArtHistory #robinholder #printmaking #publicart Images credit: robin holder collection, MS09, Box 17, Folder 3. The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. Gift of the artist robin holder.

What does the Fourth of July mean now? Join us for the launch of The Douglass Dialogues, a new series bringing scholars and public intellectuals into conversation across difference. Grounded in the legacy of Frederick Douglass, this dialogue invites rigorous thinking, honest exchange and the possibility of disagreement as a form of learning. The first conversation, What to Us Now is the Fourth of July?, revisits Douglass’s 1852 speech and asks what it means to confront the “character and conduct of this nation” in 2026, as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary. Featuring: Christopher Bonner, associate professor of history, UMD Janelle Wong, professor of American studies and government and politics, UMD Larry Thompson, University of Georgia, former deputy attorney general of the United States Monday, April 20 1 to 2:30 p.m. David C. Driskell Center Be part of the conversation. Link in bio.

🎓Apply Now! Scholarship Opportunities>>> Awards are available for UMD students at undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Students, find us on Scholarship Universe to apply by April 17.📅 🔑Links to apply— •Robert E. Steele Curatorial Fellowship: go.umd.edu/steelefellow •Stephanie E. Pogue Memorial Award: go.umd.edu/pogueaward •C. Sylvia and Eddie Brown Driskell Center Scholars Advancement: go.umd.edu/brownscholars •David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora National Associates Fund: go.umd.edu/driskellfund Questions? Email us at [email protected] (Subject: Scholarship Universe Application) @umdartsforall @umdaha @terparthistory @umd_art @umdaaas

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Melvin (Mel) Edwards. To all of us at The Driskell Center, Edwards embodied a rare combination of monumentality and generosity of spirit. His contribution to our collection is profound, and his landmark sculpture, "David’s Dream," which stands in front of our Center, will forever bind his legacy to ours. Edwards’s work helped shape the course of Black art in America, and his intellectual contributions and visionary commitment to the field of African American art remain unparalleled. He was a deeply respected and beloved member of our community. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, loved ones, and all those touched by his life and work. #MelEdwards #MelvinEdwards 📷Mel Edwards at The Driskell Center in Spring 2024 for the dedication of “David’s Dream.” Photo by Dylan Singleton. 📷 From left to right: Director Jordana Saggese, Daviryne McNeill, Melvin Edwards, Daphne Coles, former Deputy Director Dorit Yaron, and former Director Curlee Holton. Photo by Dylan Singleton. 📷Mel Edwards signing his limited edition print, “Monumental,” in the studio. 🖼️Melvin Edwards, “Monumental,” 2023, serigraph. 🖼️Melvin Edwards, “David’s Dream,” 2023, stainless steel. Supported by the University of Maryland & the Mellon Foundation, outside of The Driskell Center, College Park, MD.

Join us today at the Driskell Center for an incredible lineup! Our Spring Program features: ✨ 4 PM — Lecture by artist Alison Saar ☕ 5 PM — Celebration tea 📚 5:30 PM — Porter / Driskell Book Award 🎤 Followed by the Annual Driskell Distinguished Lecture by Cherise Smith Come celebrate art, scholarship, and community with us. #DriskellCenter #UMDArts #DCArtScene #ArtLecture @highmuseumofart Image Credits: Alma Thomas, "Bl“e Abstraction," 1”59 (detail). Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 31 1/2 in. The Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park. Gift of David C. Driskell. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston If you can’t attend in person, connect to our live stream starting at 4PM (🔗in bio).