The Driskell Center Receives $280,000 Grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art
May 29, 2024
Three-year grant will fund two major initiatives in The Driskell Center Archives
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Mr. David Conway
Title: Senior Archivist
Phone: 301-405-2984, Email: dconway@umd.edu
THE DRISKELL CENTER RECEIVES $280,000 GRANT FROM THE
TERRA FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, is proud to announce that the Center has received a $280,000 grant in support of Writing the Future: Connecting and Supporting Black Archival Collections.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The three-year grant will fund two major initiatives in The Driskell Center Archives: to (1) inventory and make accessible an incoming gift of papers from the collection of Terrie S. Rouse-Rosario and (2) establish an institutional archive that documents the first 25 years of The Driskell Center’s institutional history.
Terrie S. Rouse-Rosario is an accomplished arts administrator and executive with a career spanning more than four decades. She graduated Trinity College with a B.A. in Intercultural Studies in 1974 as a member of the second class of women admitted to study at the college. Between her first appointment at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1979 and her retirement from her position as Mayoral Cabinet member and Executive Director of the Commission on Arts and Humanities in Washington, D.C. in 2018, Rouse-Rosario held a variety of positions in government, museums, and other nonprofit organizations and founded her own art consultancy firm: Rouse Consulting. She served during the start-up phase as the Chief Operating Officer for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, which opened in June 2014. From 2007-2011 she was the founding CEO for the Capitol Visitor Center at the U.S. Capitol Building. Ms. Rouse-Rosario previously served as Executive Vice President/Director of Museums for Kansas City’s 900,000-square-foot Union Station. Before her position in Kansas City, Ms. Rouse-Rosario served as Executive Director of the Atlanta Ballet; President and CEO of the African American Museum in Philadelphia; Director of the New York Transit Museum; and Executive Director at the Children’s Museum of Maine.
Since its establishment in 2001, The Driskell Center has been a leading institution for the study and presentation of the important legacy of African American arts. This has included: establishing a first-rate collection of art objects and archives by prominent African American artists and scholars; advancing the scholarly investigation of works by African American artists and African diasporic artists by organizing critically important exhibitions, symposiums, and conferences; providing residencies for emerging and established artists and scholars; and publishing high-quality research publications. Preserving the rich institutional history of The Driskell Center, a unique institution dedicated exclusively to the study of Black art, is paramount to fostering a comprehensive understanding of the evolution, impact, and contributions of Black artists within the landscape of American art. Establishing a formal institutional archive will not only safeguard the Center's legacy but also serve as an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and the wider community, ensuring that the narrative of Black art is documented and celebrated for generations to come.
ABOUT THE DRISKELL CENTER
The Driskell Center is a creative incubator dedicated to a world where Black artists exist at its center. We invite inquiry, experimentation, and dialogue to reexamine histories and shape shared futures. All programs at The Driskell Center are free and open to the public. For further information regarding exhibitions and activities at The Driskell Center, please visit driskellcenter.umd.edu or call 301-314-2615.
ABOUT THE TERRA FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART
The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives.