High Museum of Art Celebrates 20 Years of the David C. Driskell Prize with Landmark Gala in Atlanta
ATLANTA, Sept. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --
WHAT: Dubbed the "Met Gala of the South," the David C. Driskell Prize Gala is an annual event that celebrates the recipient of the Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History, the first national prize to recognize the importance of contributions to African American art by Black artists and scholars. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the prize, which has honored a generation of influential voices in art and art history.
The 2025 Driskell Prize was awarded to acclaimed sculptor and mixed-media artist Alison Saar, whose work explores identity, history and the African diaspora. The milestone year brought together over 350 guests, including artists, cultural leaders, celebrities, and civic leaders for a red carpet reception, seated dinner, and remarks by the High Museum of Art's Director Rand Suffolk, who announced that the museum will present Amy Sherald: American Sublime—a major retrospective of the Georgia native and 2018 Driskell Prize winner—in Spring 2026. The evening also featured a special live performance by EGOT-winning musician John Legend, culminating in the second annual Driskell After Party featuring DJ D-Nice. The 2025 award was designed by David Yurman, founder of the iconic American jewelry house.
WHERE: High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309
WHEN: Saturday, September 20, 2026 at 6:00 p.m; After Party from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
HOST COMMITTEE: Lauren Amos; Taroue W. Brooks; Nikki and Paul Crump; Brooke and Rod Edmond; Lillian and Greg Giornelli; Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter; Kent Kelley; Dr. Kevin "Coach K" Lee; Cheryl Berry Neal; Natalye and Marc Paquin; Wade Rakes; Sylvia Russell; Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot; Hassan K. Smith; Brenda and Larry Thompson; Sunda and G. Scott Uzzell; Zak and Robyn Wallace; Dawanna Williams Wedderburn
CHAIR: Charlene Crusoe-Ingram
VIP GUESTS: Liz Andrews (curator); Storm Ascher (artist); Charles Blow (journalist); Adrienne L. Childs (2022 Driskell winner); Karen Comer Lowe (curator); Patrick Eugene (artist); Genevieve Gaignard (artist); Robin Givhan (writer); Chase Hall (artist); Derrick Jones (DJ D-Nice); John Legend (musician); Dr. Kevin "Coach K" Lee; Martin Luther King III; Melissa Messina (curator); Alison Saar (Honoree); Tariku Shiferaw (artist); Dr. Joy Simmons (collector); Zak Wallace (Producer); David & Sybil Yurman.
About the David C. Driskell Prize
Established by the High in 2005, the David C. Driskell Prize is the first national award to honor and celebrate contributions to the field of African American art and art history. Past recipients include Naomi Beckwith (2024), Ebony G. Patterson (2023), Adrienne L. Childs (2022), Jamal D. Cyrus (2020), Huey Copeland (2019), Amy Sherald (2018), Naima J. Keith (2017), Mark Bradford (2016), Kirsten Pai Buick (2015), Lyle Ashton Harris (2014), Andrea Barnwell Brownlee (2013), Rashid Johnson (2012), Valerie Cassel Oliver (2011), Renee Stout (2010), Krista A. Thompson (2009), Xaviera Simmons (2008), Franklin Sirmans (2007), Willie Cole (2006) and Kellie Jones (2005). A cash award of $50,000 accompanies the prize. Proceeds from the High's annual Driskell Prize Dinner support the David C. Driskell African American Art Acquisition Restricted and Endowment funds and other ongoing African American initiatives and expenses associated with the David C. Driskell Dinner. The current balance of the David C. Driskell African American Art Acquisition Endowment Fund is $1.8 million. Through the David C. Driskell African American Art Acquisition Restricted Fund, the High has acquired works by artists including Radcliffe Bailey, Romare Bearden, Mark Bradford, Nick Cave, Willie Cole, William Downs, Rashid Johnson, Kerry James Marshall, John T. Scott and Renee Stout.
About David Driskell
David Driskell (American, 1931-2020) was an artist and scholar whose work on the African diaspora spanned more than four decades. The High's relationship with Driskell began in 2000 when the museum presented the concurrent exhibitions "To Conserve a Legacy: American Art from Historically Black Colleges and Universities" and "Narratives of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection," which examined African American art in the broad historical context of modern and contemporary art. In 2021, the High organized the survey exhibition "David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History," which traveled to the Portland Museum of Art and The Phillips Collection after its presentation at the High. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, Driskell was a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University in 1955 and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Catholic University of America in 1962. He also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine in 1953 and studied art history at the Netherlands Institute for Art History in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1964. More information about Driskell is available at www.driskellcenter.umd.edu.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 20,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit www.high.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Carolina Adams
Sutton Communications
[email protected] | 706-491-8359
SOURCE High Museum of Art
Share this article