Driskell Prize
Established by the High Museum of Art in 2005, the David C. Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History recognizes field-defining contributions to African American art by some of the leading scholars and artists from around the country. Named in honor of the late artist and scholar David C. Driskell, this prize is the first in the country to recognize the importance of African American art. Acknowledging Driskell’s own extraordinary gifts as both a historian and an artist, the prize annually alternates between awarding a practicing US-based African American artist and an art historian whose artistic practice or scholarly work makes an original and important contribution to the visual arts and study of African American art. The recipient of the prize receives $50,000 in unrestricted funds to use toward the furthering of their research or artistic practice.
The annual Driskell Gala honors the legacy of David Driskell and celebrates the prize winner who will be presented with their award. The arts event of the season, this gala brings together friends and patrons of the Museum from around the city and the country who support the High’s commitment to African American art and artists. Proceeds from this evening contribute to the David C. Driskell African American Art Acquisition Restricted and Endowment Funds, which are used to support the acquisition of African American art, as well as exhibitions and education programs presenting African American artwork. The Driskell Gala is a critical revenue resource for the continued engagement of initiatives around African American art at the High Museum of Art.
19th Annual David C. Driskell Prize Gala
Black Tie | Valet Parking on Peachtree Street
19th Annual David C. Driskell Prize Gala
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We proudly celebrate Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and Jennifer and David Stockman chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, as the 2024 recipient of the Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History. Join us for an evening of dinner, dancing, and celebration with presentations from our friends and an introduction of this year’s winner.
Chairs
Sunda and Scott Uzzell
Host Committee
Nikki and Paul Crump
Charlene Crusoe-Ingram and Earnest Ingram
Kent and Tamara Kelley
Kevin “Coach K” Lee
Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot
Brenda and Larry Thompson
Robyn and Zak Wallace
Mack Wilbourn
Platinum Corporate Sponsors
Gold Corporate Sponsors
Official Media Partners
2024 Driskell Prize Recipient
Naomi Beckwith
2023 Driskell Prize Recipient
Ebony G. Patterson
2022 Driskell Prize Recipient
Adrienne L. Childs
2020 Driskell Prize Recipient
Jamal D. Cyrus
2019 Driskell Prize Recipient
Dr. Huey Copeland
2018 Driskell Prize Recipient
Amy Sherald
2017 Driskell Prize Recipient
Naima J. Keith
2016 Driskell Prize Recipient
Mark Bradford
2015 Driskell Prize Recipient
Kirsten Pai Buick
2014 Driskell Prize Recipient
Lyle Ashton Harris
2013 Driskell Prize Recipient
Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, PhD
2012 Driskell Prize Recipient
Rashid Johnson
2011 Driskell Prize Recipient
Valerie Cassel Oliver
2010 Driskell Prize Recipient
Renee Stout
2009 Driskell Prize Recipient
Krista A. Thompson
2008 Driskell Prize Recipient
Xaviera Simmons
2007 Driskell Prize Recipient
Franklin Sirmans
2006 Driskell Prize Recipient
Willie Cole
2005 Driskell Prize Recipient
Dr. Kellie Jones
David C. Driskell
June 7, 1931–April 1, 2020
“David C. Driskell has meant so much to so many. He was an artist, scholar, mentor, devoted husband, a dear friend and life trustee of the High Museum of Art. For 16 years the David C. Driskell Prize has recognized artists and scholars who like him, have created a body of work that continues to define the field of African American art. He was a beacon for young artists, and he generously shared so much of himself with so many. His passing leaves a void in our community, but we will continue to honor his legacy through our own dedication to the art and scholarship he championed. We send our sincere condolences to his family and all the artists and students he touched during his lifetime.”
—Rand Suffolk, Director
David C. Driskell was an artist and scholar whose work on the African diaspora spanned nearly seven decades. He was born in 1931 in Eatonton, Georgia, and kept roots here in the South even though he was based in Maryland, where he taught African American art history at the University of Maryland, College Park. The High Museum of Art’s relationship with Driskell began in 1977 when the Museum presented Driskell’s landmark exhibition, Two Centuries of Black American Art, the first traveling museum exhibition dedicated to works made exclusively by African American artists in the United States between 1750 and 1950. In 2000, the High presented Driskell’s concurrent exhibitions To Conserve a Legacy: American Art from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Narratives of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection, both of which examined African American art within the broad historical context of modern and contemporary art in the United States.