STMA is hosting an interactive virtual panel discussion in connection with the current special exhibition “Celebrating Creative Genius: The Art, Life, and Legacy of Eatonton, GA Native David Driskell,” currently on view in the Museum’s West Gallery.

A scholar, artist, and curator, Driskell is revered for his role in developing African-American Art as a distinct field of study. Our panelists will engage in rich conversation about their personal and professional relationship to David Driskell’s art, and his legacy of uplifting artists who have historically been subject to both active and passive discrimination in the fine art world. We will also be sharing stories from students who participated in the Museum’s student art project for this exhibition.

Sign up to watch the panel by clicking “Watch the Panel” or by following this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g6vvI1UwSZK4d0mwiyk2Pg

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Meet the panelists:

Curlee Holton | Printmaker, Scholar, Director of the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park

[Bio originally published in Raven Fine Art Editions] Holton earned his MFA from Kent State University with a concentration in printmaking and his BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Fine Arts in drawing and painting. He served as the David M. and Linda Roth Professor of Art at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. where he taught printmaking and African American art history. Holton founded the Experimental Printmaking Institute with a vision to provide artists with the time, space, materials, and professional support to create new work. This vision was realized with more than 200 works produced. In 2014 he was appointed executive director of the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at University of Maryland, College Park.

September Gray | Owner of September Gray Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta, GA

September Gray Fine Art Gallery (SGAG) is the nation’s premier gallery specializing in contemporary works by established, mid-career and emerging African American and African diasporic artists. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, SGAG presents historically and culturally significant works as a means for championing the preservation of the African diasporic cultural legacy and narrative.

September Gray’s life’s work is a reflection of her enduring passion for the arts. Following a noteworthy career in the performing arts, Gray launched a successful fine art consultancy practice wherein she was celebrated for her ability to assist corporate and private collectors with articulating and executing single acquisition and long–term collecting strategies.

Gray holds a B.A. in Art History from DePaul University. A committed art education advocate, Gray serves on a number of non-profit boards and is co-founder of The Gray Foundation, an organization committed to building a world of enriched life options for youth through the promotion of art and education. Gray shares art news and collection strategies in her electronic quarterly journal, The Gray Book.

Don Roman | Board President and Moderator for the Virtual Panel

Don M. Roman, Sr is the Board President of the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art. He comes to the art world after forty years as a lawyer and financial adviser where he specialized in estate planning for business owners and visual artists. Among his other community engagements, he is Chairman of the Board of Students Without Mothers, Inc., a college scholarship program for high students who have lost their mother. Don is a graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Law School.

Nancy Mitchell Mason |Art Educator, Putnam County High School

Mason is an art educator at Putnam County High School and one of the supervisors of the student project for this special exhibition. Her high school students created original works of art based on David Driskell’s art and legacy.

Jeffrey Waller | Intarsia Artist

Jeffrey Waller is an artist born in Eatonton, GA, just like David Driskell. Waller discovered an affinity for wood furniture making after working with both wood and glass in various jobs after high school. His creative nature led him to cover his wood furniture in glass. By 1989, Jeffrey decided to pursue his passion. Having no formal training, he sharpened his drawing skills by working with advanced artists. He utilizes a highly unique style of woodworking known as intarsia. His use of vibrant acrylic colors, high and low relief, and incorporation of movement in each piece makes his intarsia different from the others.

The Exhibition also includes a special component for local students of all grade levels. Students nominated by area art teachers will create original mixed media artwork inspired by Driskell’s artistic style and legacy.

Cash prizes will be awarded at the elementary, middle school and high school levels in three categories – Best Overall Artwork, Best Written Artist Statement, and Best Use of Line and Color in an Artwork – to encourage development in creative skills, writing and arts interpretation. Selected works by the students (seen below) are on display in the West Gallery of the Museum along with works by David Driskell and Steffen Thomas.

Congratulations to the category winners, and thank you to all of the students who created and submitted artwork!

Judge: September Gray, owner and Director of the September Gray Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta.

Judge: Dr. Leara Rhodes, Associate Professor Emeritus, UGA Grady School of Journalism

The artist statements for the middle school category were so well written that our judge actually selected two winners.

Judges: STMA staff (Lisa Conner, Pam Tomany, Catherine Allen, Lilly McEachern)

Thank you to all of the teachers and students from Putnam County Elementary School, Morgan County Middle School, Indian Creek Middle School, Putnam County High School, and Morgan County High School who participated in this exhibition.

About David Driskell

David Driskell in Studio, 1966. Image courtesy of David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park

David C. Driskell (1931-2020) was a prolific artist, scholar, curator and Putnam County native. In addition to his own impressive career as a multimedia artist and printmaker, Driskell is revered for his role in uplifting artists of color and developing African-American Art as a distinct field of study. He curated countless exhibitions, authored seven books, and served as a professor of art at multiple colleges and universities until his retirement in 2019.

Such was his impact on American Art that he was honored in 2001 with the creation of 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 High Museum of Art created the Driskell Prize in 2005 honoring significant contributions to the field of African American Art.