For our final feature for Black History month, we honor David Driskell (b. 1931), an internationally recognized scholar of African American art. He studied at Howard University in 1955 and received an M.F.A. from the Catholic University of America in 1962. He is also the recipient of nine Honorary Doctoral degrees and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Clinton in 2000. . . As an artist, Driskell works primarily in collage and mixed media, but he is also known for printmaking. Much of his work is stylized; he uses geometric forms and vibrant colors and patterns, often collapsing the space of the canvas into a flat plane. His mixed media works often combine paint and paper collage elements, however a few of his early works incorporate three dimensional found objects. . . Over the course of his career, Driskell has taught at several colleges and universities, including Howard University and Obafemi Awolowo University in lle-lfe, Nigeria. He served as the Chairperson of the Department of Art at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) for five years and earned the distinction of Distinguished University Professor of Art in 1995. In 2001, UMD founded the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora to honor his legacy as an artist, art historian, collector, curator, and philanthropist. . . David Driskell, "Growing Plant" n.d. Oil on canvas. Donated by Leonard Bocour to the SMCM Fine Art Collection. Currently hanging in the office of St. Mary's College of Maryland President Tuajuanda Jordan. . . #blackhistorymonth #daviddriskell #oiloncanvas #SMCMfineart #SMCM #collections #nationalhumanitiesmedal #driskellcenter (at St Marys College Of Maryland)
