The David C. Driskell Center

What The David C. Driskell Center does

The David C. Driskell Center is a non-profit academic center within the University of Maryland's College of Arts and Humanities, founded in 2001 and named in honor of artist and scholar David C. Driskell (1931-2020). It operates as the only public university institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to the study, preservation, and exhibition of Black visual art and the visual culture of African Americans and the African diaspora. The center maintains a permanent collection of approximately 2,000 artworks, 17 archival collections totaling more than 50,000 objects, and a research library of over 5,000 volumes, and it serves scholars, researchers, graduate students, Black artists, partner museums, and the general public.

The center's core offerings include rotating on-site exhibitions, a research archive and library, the Mellon-funded Archives Research Fellowship Program, the David C. and Thelma G. Driskell Award for Creative Excellence, an Annual Distinguished Lecture series, and the James A. Porter & David C. Driskell Book Award. All exhibitions and programs are free and open to the public. The technical infrastructure is conventional for a museum/archive of this size — standard digitization systems, web-based collection management tools, and an online store for publications and merchandise — with no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML components.

The center's business model is that of a grant- and donor-funded non-profit embedded in a public university. Revenue derives from foundation grants (Getty Foundation, Terra Foundation, Mellon Foundation), government arts agency support (Maryland State Arts Council), donations routed through the University of Maryland advancement office, and ancillary publication and merchandise sales. It is led by Director Jordana Moore Saggese, who was appointed in April 2024, and is staffed by approximately 20 employees. The center is preparing to mark its 25th anniversary in 2026.

Name

The David C. Driskell Center

Legal name

The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora

Website

https://driskellcenter.umd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The David C. Driskell Center is a non-profit academic center at the University of Maryland dedicated to preserving and exhibiting African American and African diasporic visual art. It serves scholars, artists, students, and the public through exhibitions, archives, a research library, fellowships, and free programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Grants and Foundation Funding: The Driskell Center operates as a non-profit academic unit of the University of Maryland, funded primarily through grants from foundations and government arts agencies. Major grants include Getty Foundation ($225,000), Terra Foundation ($100,000 and $280,000), Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Maryland State Arts Council, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. All programs are free and open to the public.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The center accepts donations and charitable contributions, including planned giving through the University of Maryland advancement office. A dedicated giving page exists for the David C. Driskell Center Operating Fund.
3. Publication and Merchandise Sales: The center operates a shop (https://driskellcenter-umd.nbsstore.net/) selling books, publications, and merchandise. Publications include exhibition catalogs and scholarly works.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The David C. Driskell Center collects, preserves, exhibits, and provides scholarly access to African American and African diasporic visual art through its permanent collection of approximately 2,000 artworks, 17 archival collections with 50,000+ objects, a research library of 5,000+ volumes, rotating and traveling exhibitions, fellowship and award programs, annual lectures and symposia, and a digital video archive. All exhibitions, events, library access, and public programming are provided free of charge.

Product overview

The David C. Driskell Center is a cultural institution at the University of Maryland dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting African American and African diasporic visual art. Its programs include rotating exhibitions drawn from its permanent collection of approximately 2,000 artworks and external loans, seventeen archival collections with over 50,000 objects, a research library of over 5,000 volumes, fellowship programs for scholars and artists, annual lecture series, and book awards. All programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions Rotating and traveling exhibitions showcasing African American and African diasporic visual art, including historical and contemporary works from the permanent collection and external collections. Free admission at the Cole Student Activities Building gallery.
• Driskell Center Archives Seventeen archival collections documenting African American and African diasporic visual art history, including artist papers, photographs, correspondence, and institutional records from artists, scholars, foundations, and arts collectives. Accessible by appointment Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Research Library Research library containing over 5,000 books, exhibition catalogs, and journals on Black visual art and culture topics, available to students, faculty, and visiting scholars by appointment.
• Art Collection Permanent collection of approximately 2,000 artworks across drawings, paintings, prints, photography, mixed media, and sculpture, featuring artists such as Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, David C. Driskell, Jacob Lawrence, and Faith Ringgold. Available for outgoing loans to other institutions.
• Archives Research Fellowship Program Fellowship funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation providing scholars, artists, curators, and cultural workers access to the Driskell Center's archival holdings with stipends, travel, and lodging support. Four fellowships are awarded annually.
• David C. and Thelma G. Driskell Award for Creative Excellence Award providing emerging scholars and artists access to the center's collections for creating new artistic or scholarly work, with a $5,000 stipend and lodging support. Created in partnership with University of Maryland Arts for All.
• Annual Distinguished Lecture in the Visual Arts in Honor of David C. Driskell Annual lecture series featuring prominent artists and scholars discussing important issues pertaining to African American art and artists, the center's most prestigious lecture presentation and the capstone of Day 1 of the James A. Porter Colloquium.
• James A. Porter & David C. Driskell Book Award in African American Art History Annual book award honoring original research and scholarly writing on historical subjects pertaining to African American visual culture.
• Video Archive Recorded programs including artist talks, lectures, and other events from 2018 to 2025, accessible via YouTube, reaching global audiences beyond the physical gallery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 artworks in the permanent collection, up from approximately 100 works in 2007
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Galerie Myrtis (Baltimore, MD)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Galerie Myrtis partnered with the Driskell Center for the 'Future Histories: New Acquisitions' exhibition (Spring 2025), providing exhibition support and enabling a community engagement initiative where visitors voted on the next artwork to be acquired by the center.
• University of Maryland Arts for All InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arts for All initiative at the University of Maryland is a key institutional partner, co-sponsoring exhibitions and programs including the Driskell Award for Creative Excellence (created in partnership with Arts for All), 'America Will Be!,' 'Solace & Sisterhood,' and other programs. Arts for All supports campus-wide arts engagement.
• Howard University — Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Driskell Center partners with Howard University's Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts to co-present the Annual James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Arts and Art of the African Diaspora (now in its 35th edition). The Driskell Distinguished Lecture is the capstone of Day 1 of the colloquium.
• Smithsonian American Art MuseumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Annual James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Arts and Art of the African Diaspora, along with the Association for Critical Race Art History and Howard University Gallery of Art.
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, VAsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe 'Solace & Sisterhood' exhibition was originally organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, VA and was remounted at the Driskell Center in Fall 2025, expanding the reach of the original exhibition.
• Andrew Kreps GallerysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAndrew Kreps Gallery generously loaned many works for the 'Dewey Crumpler: Life Studies' exhibition (Fall 2024) at the Driskell Center.
• Louis De Jesus Los Angeles GallerysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLouis De Jesus Los Angeles Gallery loaned works for 'Solace & Sisterhood' (Evita Tezeno's works are courtesy of the gallery) and is represented by the gallery.
• Morton Fine Art (Washington, DC)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMorton Fine Art loaned works for 'Solace & Sisterhood' exhibition (Amber Robles-Gordon's works are courtesy of the gallery).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hampton University Museum: One of the oldest African American museums in the US, located at Hampton University. Comparable as an HBCU-affiliated museum holding significant collections of African American art, Native American art, and African art with free public access.
• DuSable Museum of African American History: Chicago's first and oldest independent African American museum. Comparable as a non-profit cultural institution focused on Black art, history, and culture with collections, exhibitions, and educational programming.
• Spelman College Museum of Fine Art: HBCU-affiliated museum focused on art by women of the African diaspora. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and academic-affiliation model to the Driskell Center, including exhibitions, collections, and free public access.
• Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture: Charlotte, NC cultural institution celebrating Black art, culture, and history. Comparable as a community-centered non-profit with rotating exhibitions, a permanent collection, and free public programming focused on African American artists.
• Studio Museum in Harlem: A leading museum dedicated to artists of African descent, located in Harlem, NYC. Directly comparable as a non-profit cultural institution focused exclusively on Black visual art with a fellowship/residency program (Artist-in-Residence) and exhibition-driven mission.
• Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD): San Francisco-based museum focused on the African diaspora's art and culture. Directly comparable in mission (Black art curation and exhibition), non-profit status, and reliance on grants/donations, though with broader diasporic scope.
• Howard University Gallery of Art: HBCU gallery at Howard University, a co-presenting partner of the James A. Porter Colloquium. Directly comparable as a university-affiliated Black art gallery with exhibitions, collections, and scholarly programming.

Broad incumbents

• High Museum of Art: Atlanta-based general art museum that established the David C. Driskell Prize in 2005. A broader incumbent operating in general fine arts, but directly tied to the Driskell Center's namesake prestige and field recognition for African American art.
• National Museum of African American History and Culture (Smithsonian): Smithsonian museum dedicated to African American life, history, and culture. While broader in scope and vastly larger in scale, it is a partner organization of the Driskell Center and operates in overlapping subject territory with substantially greater resources.

Regional players

• California African American Museum: Los Angeles-based state-funded museum focused on African American art, history, and culture. Comparable in mission and exhibition-driven model, but operates on the West Coast and serves a different geographic audience than the Maryland-based Driskell Center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DriskellCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheDCDC
• Instagraminstagram.com/driskellcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-driskell-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The David C. Driskell Center