For questions about content
or design, contact Jeff
Thompson, 202-633-3115
or thompsonj@si.edu
For booking questions,
contact Ed Liskey at
202-633-3142 or
liskeye@si.edu
SITES
PO Box 37012 MRC 941
Washington, DC 20013
202-633-3140
www.sites.si.edu
Smithsonian Institution
Find out more
African
American Art
Since 1950
Perspectives
from the David C.
Driskell Center
Vanessa L. German, Tar
Baby Jane & Doowop:
Everything Useful for Your
Household, 2010. Mixed
media. Acquisition from the
David C. Driskell Center’s
C. Sylvia and Eddie Brown
Arts Acquisition Fund.
©2011 Vanessa L. German
Design by Nancy Bratton Design
©2011 Smithsonian Institution
Exhibition Prospectus
Benny Andrews
Radcliffe Bailey
Romare Bearden
Chakaia Booker
Moe Brooker
Elizabeth Catlett
Nick Cave
Kevin Cole
David C. Driskell
Melvin Edwards
Sam Gilliam
Jacob Lawrence
Floyd Newsum
Martin Puryear
Faith Ringgold
Lorna Simpson
Alma Thomas
Kara Walker
Carrie Mae Weems
William T. Williams
and others…
Exhibition
at a Glance
59–65 original works of art, including
sculpture, paintings, prints, collage,
photography, mixed media, electronic
media
60 renowned modern and contemporary
artists featured
3,500 square feet, est.
$50,000 per 12-week booking period,
plus prorated shipping
High Security
Cover image: Elizabeth Catlett, The Black
Woman Speaks, 1970. Polychrome wood.
Permanent loan from David C. Driskell.
©2011 Elizabeth Catlett Foundation/
Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Opposite page: Nick Cave, Soundsuit
(NC10.023), 2010. Mixed media. On loan
from Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY.
©2011 Nick Cave
This page: Kara Walker, Freedom, a Fable:
A Curious Interpretation of the Wit of a
Negress in Troubled Times, 1997. Bound
volume of offset lithographs and five lasercut, pop-up silhouettes on wove paper.
Gift of Terry Gips. ©2011 Kara Walker
Tour begins September 2012
For more information, contact Ed Liskey,
202-633-3142, liskeye@si.edu
Remarkable New Exhibition Chronicles Major
African American Artists of the Past 60 Years
For decades, African American artists have increasingly emerged as a powerful creative
force—and major contributors to contemporary art. African American Art Since 1950:
Perspectives from the David C. Driskell Center, a broad yet highly illuminating survey, reveals
how this art has dramatically evolved, shifted, and grown. Featuring works in a variety of
media, the exhibition spotlights 60 of the most important modern and contemporary African
American artists. A collaboration of the Smithsonian and the David C. Driskell Center for the
Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the
University of Maryland, College Park, the exhibition is closely linked to the impact and legacy
of scholar, curator, and artist David C. Driskell.
Driskell’s 1976 landmark exhibition and catalog Two Centuries of Black American Art: 1750–
1950, organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, serves as the launching point
for this new exhibition. Renowned artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Faith
Ringgold, William T. Williams, Martin Puryear, and Sam Gilliam are coupled with exciting new
visionaries, including Kara Walker, Jefferson Pinder, and Chakaia Booker. Collectively, their work
reflects the growing prominence—and complexity—of African American expression. Nearly 35
years ago, Driskell introduced the tremendous depth and breadth of African American art and
creativity to an international audience. African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the
David C. Driskell Center honors that legacy, and brings the nation the next pivotal chapter.
“Only when we recognize the historical
patterns of isolation and accept the
responsibility of supporting those artists who
express themselves in a universal language of
form will black American artists be seen as
major contributors to the art of this country.”
-David C. Driskell, Two Centuries of Black American Art, 1976
The curatorial team for this exhibition includes the David C. Driskell Center’s Executive
Director, Dr. Robert E. Steele, and Deputy Director, Dorit Yaron, as well as independent
curator Dr. Adrienne L. Childs. Dr. Steele, one of the leading collectors of African American
art in the nation, has been directing the Center since 2004. During this time, the Center
has become a nationally-known institution in the field of African American Visual Arts.
Dorit Yaron, an art history researcher specializing in 20th century African American art, was
formerly the Assistant Director of The Art Gallery at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Art historian and curator Dr. Adrienne L. Childs, previously curator-in-residence at the Center,
is a widely published expert in the field of race and representation in European fine and
decorative arts of the 18th and 19th centuries, and 20th century African American Art.
Opposite page: William T. Williams, Deacon’s
Day, 1999. Acrylic on canvas. Gift of Nila
Wiliams. ©2011 William T. Williams
Out of Modernism: The Driskell Circle
The contemporaries, collaborators, and students of Professor David C. Driskell (b.1931)
represent a generation of artists who opened up the possibilities for African American art,
from pursuing pure abstraction to providing a forum for art as political activism. Artistic
luminaries such as Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Alma Thomas,
William T. Williams, Benny Andrews, Melvin Edwards, and others came into the public eye in
an era when African American art was starting to gain momentum.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, these artists stepped out of the modern era and into the
era of the black arts movement, witnessing and directly experiencing the impact of the art of
the African Diaspora on African American artists. They also shared an interest in modernist
formalism and cutting-edge abstraction. Throughout this period, David Driskell played a
leading, critical role as a curator, art historian, and teacher. His influence was instrumental
in the early careers of many artists who were his contemporaries—together, they went on to
define the very landscape of African American art.
Opposite page: David C. Driskell,
Jazz Singer, Lady of Leisure,Fox,
1974. Oil and collage on canvas.
Permanent loan from David C.
Driskell. ©2011 David C. Driskell
Romare Bearden, Morning, 1975.
Collage on paper. Gift of David C.
Driskell. ©2011 Romare Bearden
Foundation/Licensed by VAGA,
New York, NY
Floyd Newsum, When We Reflect, 2007.
Oil, acrylic, mixed media. Gift of Mrs.
Janice M. Newsum. ©2011 Floyd Newsum
Furthering Abstraction:
The Personal and the Political
Through the decades, African American artists have
gained visibility and become more recognized by
mainstream institutions. Increasingly, they are seen as
an important part of the cutting edge of American art.
The work of this next generation of African American
artists, visionaries like Lorna Simpson, Moe Brooker,
Floyd Newsum, Barkley Hendricks, Camille Billops, Carrie
Mae Weems, and others, is often defined by postmodern
identity politics.
African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the
David C. Driskell Center showcases numerous artists
from this era, who embrace this theme in a multitude
of creative ways. One characteristic of the art of this
period is the use of the body as a site and a medium
for expression. Another hallmark is expressing a deep
engagement with powerful ideas—on race, memory,
gender, and history.
Above: Lorna Simpson, III, 1994.
Wood, ceramic, and felt. Gift of
Terry Gips. Permanent loan from
the collection of The Art Gallery at
the University of Maryland, College
Park. ©2011 Lorna Simpson
Right: Sam Gilliam, Scarcely Blue,
1995. Acrylic on wood. Gift of the
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Darrell
Walker. ©2011 Sam Gilliam
The Global Stage: New Voices
The contemporary African American artists featured in African American Art Since 1950 are
some of the nation’s newest, most creative artists working today. The works of Willie Cole,
Jefferson Pinder, Sanford Biggers, Vanessa German, and others represent increasingly global
citizens who possess an intriguing, hybrid approach to cultural and social identity.
They are painters, sculptors, printmakers, collage, and electronic media artists, using a wide
array of media to operate in a forum where national and racial boundaries are increasingly
less important. Many artists now working in the United States originally come from other
countries, and bring fresh perspectives to their expressions of cultural and social identity.
These visionaries continue the journey of the African American artists that came before them,
gaining momentum in an increasingly global art world.
Above: Willie Cole, Men of Iron, 2004.
Inkjet print 3/30. Acquisition from the
David C. Driskell Center’s C. Sylvia
and Eddie Brown Arts Acquisition
Fund. ©2011 Willie Cole
Opposite page: Radcliffe Bailey,
Untitled, 2007. A/P 4,Digital and
serigraph. Gift from the Jean and
Robert E. Steele Collection.
©2011 Radcliffe Bailey
Registrarial
Requirements
African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the
David C. Driskell Center has been designated High Security
and will be offered only to those institutions able to meet
the Smithsonian’s requirements. Key requirements are
listed below. For a complete list of requirements and
additional information, please contact Ed Liskey, at
202.633.3142, or liskeye@si.edu.
A Complete
Package
Comprehensive curatorial and registration information
Complete shipping, handling, and installation instructions
Wall-to-wall fine-arts insurance coverage under the
Smithsonian’s policy
Space: Exhibitors must have a limited access gallery with a
minimum area of approximately 3,500 square feet.
Public relations support, including sample press release,
images, logos; digital graphic templates of promotional
materials; and advice on promoting the exhibition and
hosting special events
Environment: Exhibition space, staging, and storage areas
must be maintained between 68º–72º Fahrenheit. Relative
humidity must be 45–55%. Empty crates and packing
materials must be stored in a secure, pest-, humidity-, and
temperature-controlled dry area.
Companion catalog, written by curatorial team and published
by Pomegranate Books
Light: Light must be limited to five foot-candles. No direct
sunlight may reach the objects.
Staffing: The exhibition must be checked twice daily by
trained professional staff. Special notice must be given to
those objects not glazed.
Security: Professional guards must be present throughout
the exhibition time, including unpacking, installation, deinstallation, and packing. During public hours, a guard must
be present and maintain oversight of the exhibition. Alarm
and/or guard presence during closing hours is required.
The exhibition itself is only a portion of what SITES delivers. As
a host of African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the
David C. Driskell Center you will also receive:
Educational and programming resources, educator resources,
speakers list, bibliography
Robert Blackburn, Modern
Times, n.d. Woodcut.
Permanent loan from the
Jean and Robert Steele
Collection. ©2011 The
Estate of Robert Blackburn,
used with permission.
Delivery: Facility must have a loading dock accessible to
53-foot trailer rigs. Forklifts and pallet jacks are required to
move the crates.
Installation: SITES will provide one registrar to supervise
installation. No object crates are to be opened until the
arrival of SITES registrar. Exhibitor provides one collection
manager or registrar, and a team of at least two skilled
preparators for handling the exhibition crates, installation,
and takedown of objects.
Jacob Lawrence,
Carpenters, 1977.
Silkscreen. Permanent
loan from David C.
Driskell. ©2011 The
Jacob and Gwendolyn
Lawrence Foundation,
Seattle/Artists Rights
Society (ARS), New York
Exhibition website and ability to link to and from the
SITES website and social media outlets
Project Partners
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with
millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for nearly 60 years. SITES connects Americans
to their cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and
history, which are shown wherever people live, work, and play. www.sites.si.edu
The David C. Driskell Center
The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African
Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, College Park, celebrates
the legacy of David C. Driskell—Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Art, Artist, Art
Historian, Collector, and Curator—by preserving the rich heritage of African American visual
art and culture. Established in 2001, the Center provides an intellectual home for artists,
museum professionals, art administrators, and scholars who are interested in broadening
the field of African Diasporic studies. The Driskell Center is committed to collecting,
documenting, and presenting African American art as well as replenishing and expanding
the field. www.driskellcenter.umd.edu
Curatorial
Team
The curatorial team for African American
Art Since 1950: Perspectives from The
David C. Driskell Center includes:
Dr. Robert E. Steele, Executive Director,
The David C. Driskell Center
Dorit Yaron, Deputy Director, The David C.
Driskell Center
Dr. Adrienne L. Childs, Independent
Curator
Alma Thomas, Falling Leaves,
Loves Wind Orchestra, n.d.
Acrylic on canvas. Permanent
loan from David C. Driskell.
©2011 Alma Thomas