---
title: Center of the Circle
date: 2024-02-26T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/center-of-the-circle"
section: Articles
---
# Center of the Circle

*February 26, 2024* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/author/sala-levin-10)


> New Driskell Center Exhibit Showcases Pioneering Artist’s Personal Relationships With Peers

*JT 3391 1920x1080 — "Untitled" by Alma Thomas (upper artwork, white wall at left) and "Five Blue Notes" by David C. Driskell (lower artwork) are among the pieces in "David C. Driskell and Friends: Creativity, Collaboration and Friendship." The new exhibit at UMD highlights how Driskell's social relationships with other artists shaped their work, and includes archival documents like photos and correspondence between the artists (below).*

If a person is judged by the company they keep, the late David C. Driskell might be hard to top.

Visitors will get to know Driskell and his personal circle of world-class artists at a new exhibit, “[David C. Driskell and Friends: Creativity, Collaboration and Friendship](https://driskellcenter.umd.edu/news/driskell-friends-exhibition-celebrates-collaborative-spirit-visionary-artist-and-scholar-david),” opening Monday at the University of Maryland’s David C. Driskell Center. The show offers gallery-goers a glimpse at the personal relationships that Driskell cultivated with other artists, and the ways in which their works spoke to one another as a result.

“It foregrounds interpersonal connection as an animating force for (Driskell’s) artistic practice,” said Abby Eron, assistant director of exhibitions and programs at the Driskell Center.


*photos and archival materials*



**Sidebar note:**

“Driskell and Friends” is open at the David C. Driskell Center now through May 24. It is free to the public.

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This is one of a series of Maryland Today features during Black History Month celebrating Terp faculty, staff, students and alums.





**Topics:** [Arts & Culture](https://today.umd.edu/tags/arts-culture)


**Tags:** [Visual Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/visual-arts), [Black History Month](https://today.umd.edu/topic/black-history-month), [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)