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Driskell's 2019 Oral History Oral History Center University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California David C. Driskell David C. Driskell: Life Among The Pines Getty Trust Oral History Project Interviews conducted by Bridget Cooks and Amanda Tewes in 2019 Interviews sponsored by the J. Paul Getty Trust Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Getty Trust Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley ii Since 1954 the Oral History Center of The Bancroft Library, formerly the Regional Oral History Office, has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral History is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is bound with photographs and illustrative materials and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ********************************* Copyright in the manuscript and recording is owned by the J. Paul Getty Trust, which has made the materials available under Creative Commons licenses as follows: Manuscript is licensed under CC-BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and recording is licensed under CC-BY-NC (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Rights to reproduce images must be secured from the original rights- holders: DC Moore Gallery and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: David C. Driskell, "David C. Driskell: Life Among the Pines" conducted by Bridget Cooks and Amanda Tewes in 2019, Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, under the auspices of the J. Paul Getty Trust, 2020. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley iii David C. Driskell, 2011 Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley iv Abstract David Driskell is an artist and professor of art. He was born in Georgia in 1931, but mainly grew up in North Carolina. Driskell graduated from Howard University with a degree in painting and art history in 1955, attended Art Program at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1953, and earned an MFA from Catholic University in 1962, as well as a study certificate in art history from Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie in 1964. Beginning in 1955, he taught at several colleges, including Talladega College; Howard University; Fisk University; and the University of Maryland, College Park. His influential artwork includes Young Pines Growing, Behold Thy Son, Of Thee I Weep, and Ghetto Wall #2. Driskell has curated important shows highlighting African American art history, including Two Centuries of Black American Art and Hidden Heritage: Afro-American Art, 1800-1950. He also helped establish The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2001. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley v Table of Contents Foreword by Bridget Cooks viii Interview 1: April 13, 2019 Hour 1 1 Birth in Eatonton, Georgia, in 1931 — Story of being named — Memories of Eatonton — Mother's job as a domestic worker during the Depression — Ghosts in Eatonton cemeteries — Family lineage — Father's work as a minister at several churches — Move to North Carolina in 1936 — Cherokee lineage — Sharecropping and farming in North Carolina — Attending segregated schools — Values acquired from family — Herbal remedies learned from mother — Tradition of hiding Cherokee lineage — Exposure to the arts at home and school — Childhood foods — Practicing craftsmanship at home — Field trips and curriculum — Teachers at segregated schools — Learning to fish — Family support for art and education — Reputation for drawing ability — Attending school with a Cherokee boy passing for Black — Early exposure to art — Decision to attend Howard University Hour 2 21 Earning money for tuition and living expenses — Trying to enroll at Howard — Coursework at Howard — Mentorship from Howard professors, including James Herring, James Lesene Wells, and James Porter — Decision to become an art major — Tensions among Howard faculty — Pressure for Black students to be the best — Jobs at Arts and Crafts Supply Company and as taxi driver in Washington, DC — Mentorship from Lois Maliou Jones — Researching at the library — Work at Arts and Crafts Supply Company — First seeing artist Martin Puryear in a children's art school Interview 2: April 13, 2019 Hour 1 35 Meeting wife, Thelma Driskell — Thelma's education — Gospel music — Connection to Nina Simone through church gospel choir — Uncle's passing as white — Marrying Thelma in 1952 — Driving a taxi — Working at the Howard University Gallery of Art and at the Barnett-Aden Gallery — Reflections on Alonzo Arden and James Herring — Morris Louis and his connection to Barnett Aden Gallery — Fellowship at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine in 1953 — Relationship with Leonard Bocour — Artwork while at Skowhegan — Inspiration for Behold Thy Son Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley vi Hour 2 57 Transition from social realism to painting trees — Description of Behold Thy Son — Leaving works behind in Talladega — Teaching at Talladega College while earning an MFA at Catholic University — Studying French for MFA degree — Purchasing a home in Maine — Aunt Millie's upbringing — Work as an assistant professor at Talladega College — Associate of the Danforth Foundation — Early exhibitions and awards — Becoming department chair at Howard University — Position at Fisk University in Nashville — Raising the arts profile at Fisk as a curator — Studying Rembrandt in the Netherlands — Students at Howard University, including Stokely Carmichael, Ed Brown, and Jessye Norman — Working with Aaron Douglas — Meeting artists in New York, such as Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence — Decision to teach at the University of Ife in Nigeria in 1969 Hour 3 79 Difficulty in traveling to Nigeria during the Biafran War — Visiting different places while abroad and observing African art — Keeping sketchbooks from travels — Impact of African art on own work, including Ghetto Wall #2 — Curating Amistad II exhibition in 1975 and connection to United Church of Christ — Curating Two Centuries of Black American Art starting in 1974 — Curating Hidden Heritage exhibition — Creating a film program at Fisk — Two Centuries catalog — Decision to leave Fisk and start at the University of Maryland College Park in 1977 — Establishing African American art history classes at University of Maryland — Consulting for the Cosby Collection Interview 3: April 14, 2019 Hour 1 105 Mentoring art students — Upcoming retrospective exhibition — Writing art history — Doing printmaking — Two Centuries of Black American Art catalog — Themes in own artwork since the 1950s — Romare Bearden's mentorship and friendship — Collectors of his artwork — Becoming a collector himself — Teaching methodology — Impact of place on artwork — Using natural materials to make paint — Artwork after retirement — Creating sketchbooks and journals while traveling — David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at University of Maryland College Park Hour 2 121 Recognition as an artist and scholar — Interest in music — Artist Terry Adkins — National Humanities Medal awarded by President Bill Clinton in 2000 — Other recipients of the National Humanities Medal — Lifetime Legacy Award from Skowhegan in 2016 — Membership in the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley vii 2018 — Professorship at Bowdoin College — Establishing the James A. Porter and David C. Driskell Book Award in African American Art History — The Driskell Prize at the High Museum of Art — Former student Ed Brown and the creation of the Driskell Prize — Prize recipients — Search for new forms of expression — Achievements despite childhood adversities — Health challenges — Connection between gardening and art — Marriage and family Appendix: Images 147 Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley viii Foreword First published by Bridget Cooks as "Passages: David Driskell (1931-2020)" on Artforum.com, April 10, 2020. We are often advised against meeting our heroes, lest admiration becomes disappointment. But sometimes, on pure adrenaline, we take the risk to introduce ourselves. When I met David C. Driskell, his status changed from hero to superhero. He also became a mentor and friend, as he had for so many others. He was elegant, measured, and funny. He was generous with his time and knowledge, and he supported younger artists
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