Future Histories:
New Acquisitions at The Driskell Center
University of Maryland, College Park
February 10 - May 9, 2025
Keeping Watch, 2019
Mixed media, 20.5 x 9.75 in.
The Driskell Center, University of Maryland.
Gift of Deborah Roberts/ Purchased with funds from
the C. Sylvia & Eddie Brown Arts Acquisition Fund
The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland presents “Future Histories: New Acquisitions at The Driskell Center,” an exhibition celebrating the dynamic growth and remarkable depth of the center’s art collections, archives and library.
Since its founding, The Driskell Center has expanded its holdings to become an invaluable resource for understanding African American and African diasporic art. Visitors can experience the diversity and breadth of Black art represented by The Driskell Center’s vast permanent collections and see artworks and other materials that might otherwise be in long-term storage. This exhibition highlights materials acquired between 2018 and the fall of 2024, including books, archival materials and nearly 45 artworks on display here for the first time. But the exhibition’s organizers, Assistant Director of Exhibitions & Programs Abby Eron and Director Jordana Moore Saggese, also say this exhibition is an opportunity to think about the role that collections of Black art, particularly in a public university, play in creating a cultural history that will be accessible to future generations. As described by Jordana Moore Saggese, “‘Future Histories’ is an exploration of the past, present and future of Black art.”
As part of “Future Histories,” The Driskell Center invites the community to shape its future collection through a unique engagement initiative. Thanks to a partnership with Galerie Myrtis (Baltimore, Md.), visitors will have the opportunity to vote on the next artwork to be acquired by The Driskell Center. This democratic approach reinforces the center’s commitment to community involvement and its mission of creating a history reflective of shared values and diverse voices.
The exhibition is curated by Abby Eron and Jordana Moore Saggese with design and installation by Korey Richardson and with curatorial assistance from Graduate Assistant JooHee Kim.
Featured Artists
Ernesto Benítez, Milton Bowens, Margaret Burroughs, Selma Burke, Charles Burwell, Elizabeth Catlett, Zoë Charlton, Sonya Clark, Floyd Coleman, Tim Davis, David C. Driskell, Herbert Gentry, Vanessa German, Jerrell Gibbs, Paul Goodnight, LaToya M. Hobbs, robin holder, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Hew Locke, Whitfield Lovell, Cássio Markowski, Delita Martin, E.J. Montgomery, Betty Murchison, Megan Lewis, Mary Lovelace O'Neal, Jefferson Pinder, Michael B. Platt, James Earl Reid, Korey Richardson, Deborah Roberts, Amber Robles-Gordon, Shinique Smith, Gilda Snowden, Hank Willis Thomas, Joyce Wellman, Deborah Willis
DRISKELL CENTER
The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora
University of Maryland - College of Arts & Humanities
1214 Cole Student Activities Building, College Park, MD 20742
