Pyramid Atlantic Presents A Collaboration of Creativity
A Collaboration of Creativity: Print Work of David C. DriskelL
Curated by Curlee Raven Holton, PhD.
David C. Driskell (1931-2020) was an artist, scholar, and historian who transformed the field of African American art through his own work, his advocacy, and his scholarship. As an artist, he is known mostly for modernist paintings, collages, and prints. In 2003, he began a lifelong collaboration with Master Printer Curlee R. Holton. Together they produced over 40 creative projects with two in progress at the time of Driskell’s passing.
Masks Series I, 2019, relief, 18 x 14 in by David C. Driskell
“Driskell was an internationally recognized and celebrated artist and scholar who had always been accessible to his friends and community,” says Holton “He was committed to maintaining an open heart and home without pretense or elitism in spite of his successes that brought him recognition by presidents and cultural leaders the world over. Bringing David’s work to the walls of Pyramid Atlantic is bringing his artistry and spirit of inclusion home.”
“Printmaking is at the core of Pyramid’s mission and to showcase this brilliant artist-printer collaboration is an honor,” says Kate Taylor Davis, Pyramid’s Executive Director. “It’s also a rare opportunity to see and collect work from a true artistic giant in an intimate, nonprofit gallery setting.” (Source article)
In A Collaboration of Creativity, Holton shares a curated grouping of approximately 30 prints he made with Driskell through the fine art publishing studio Raven Editions and The Driskell Center at University of Maryland. The exhibition showcases the artistic genius of Driskell, the printmaking mastery of Holton, and the power of collaboration.
On View
February 11–March 19, 2023; Free and open to the public. See online gallery & exhibition information here.
Founded in 1981, Pyramid Atlantic is a nonprofit contemporary art center fostering the creative disciplines of papermaking, printmaking, and book arts within a collaborative community. We equip, educate, and exhibit in our historic Hyattsville home. Our vision is to create an artistic hub in Hyattsville that inspires and enables local, national, and international artists to create and innovate in our core disciplines; elevates the local arts and small business scene; and enhances the quality of life for artists and neighbors. We value artistic excellence, infrastructure for artists, hands-on experiences, and collaboration.
The Driskell Center was established in 2001 in honor of David C. Driskell’s exceptional arts and curatorial legacy. The center’s mission personifies many of Driskell’s core principles and lifelong beliefs in the redemptive value of the creative process and the important role mentorship can play in an individual’s growth as well as our collective cultural sustainability. The center’s programs, archives, exhibitions and art collection is used as a tool to further advance these values and goals.
Exhibition Credits
This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Raven Fine Art Editions and The David C. Driskell Center.
General Information
Pyramid Atlantic is located at 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, Maryland. Showing Wednesday-Thursday, 10-8, Friday-Sunday, 10-6. Call 301.608.9101 or visit their website for more information.