David's Dream

David's Dream
David's Dream in 2024
ArtistMelvin Edwards
Year2023
MediumStainless steel
LocationDavid C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park

David's Dream is a stainless-steel abstract sculpture by Melvin Edwards created in 2023 and permanently installed on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Artwork

David's Dream comprises several large stainless-steel disks and geometric shapes, along with an enlarged stainless-steel chain running from the top to the bottom of one side of the sculpture. The various pieces are stacked and leaned onto one another and welded together.[1][2]

Background

The sculpture's namesake, art historian and artist David Driskell, was widely cited during his life as one of the most influential scholars of African-American art history and was often credited with the establishment of the discipline as a distinct area of academic study. Driskell was a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, for more than two decades and the university's David C. Driskell Center was named in his honor.[3][4]

In 2021, the Driskell Center announced a new commission of a work of public art by artist Melvin Edwards.[5] The sculpture was unveiled and installed in April 2024.[1] The work was funded in part by the Mellon Foundation's Monuments Project.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Siler, Brenda C. (April 10, 2024). "Sculpture Unveiled in Appreciation for Artist and Educator David C. Driskell". The Washington Informer. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. ^ Durst, Drew (April 23, 2024). "UMD Driskell Center holds symposium to preserve Black art". The Diamondback. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  3. ^ Gentzlinger, Neil (April 7, 2020). "David Driskell, 88, Pivotal Champion of African-American Art, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "David C. Driskell (1931-2020)". Artforum. April 2, 2020. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Weiss, Jessica (July 12, 2021). "$790K Mellon Grant to Fund Sculpture Commemorating Late Professor and Artist David Driskell, Expand Center's Archive". Maryland Today. University of Maryland, College Park. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Haslam, Maggie (April 5, 2024). "Sculpture Celebrating David Driskell Unveiled". Maryland Today. University of Maryland, College Park. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024.