New print edition by Melvin Edwards to coincide with fabrication of monument
February 27, 2023
David C. Driskell Center is proud to announce pre-release of Monumental by Melvin Edwards.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Ms. Tamara Schlossenberg
Title: Collections Manager
Phone: 301-315-6835, Email: tschloss@umd.edu
NEW PRINT EDITION BY MELVIN EDWARDS TO COINCIDE WITH FABRICATION OF MONUMENT
COLLEGE PARK, MD. – The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, College Park, is proud to announce a new print by Melvin Edwards to commemorate and coincide with the fabrication of a monument he is creating to be installed in front of the David C. Driskell Center.
Pre-release Sale of Monumental by Melvin Edwards,
Right: Melvin Edwards, Monumental, 2023,Print. Left: Melvin Edwards creating the sculpture design.
Monumental by Melvin Edwards is a serigraph print on 30 x 22 inch Rives BKF paper, with metallic ink. It was printed at Ironlung Editions in Philadelphia, Pa., by master printer Jase Clark in January 2023. The print is an edition of 50 with each one hand numbered and signed by Melvin Edwards.
For a limited time, until March 31, 2023, the prints will be available from the Driskell Center for the special pre-sale price of $1,500 per print. Subsequent editions will be available for $3,500 per print. To purchase or for more information, email the Center at driskellcenter@umd.edu.
ABOUT THE SCULPTURE
The sculpture is being commissioned by the David C. Driskell Center as part of a multi-year Mellon foundation funded project, to be erected in front of the main entrance of the Driskell Center in a garden named after David C. Driskell, as a nod to his love of gardening. The sculpture is currently in the fabrication stage of development and will be installed when work on the Purple line concludes. The sculpture and garden will be some of the first things visitors to campus will see when coming off the purple line onto the University of Maryland, College Park campus.
BIOGRAPHY
Melvin Edwards (b. 1937) is one of America's foremost contemporary sculptors. Edwards has been honored with more than a dozen one-person show exhibits and has been featured in over four-dozen group shows. Several of his works are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His sculptures have been highlighted internationally in major exhibitions from Paris to Japan; additionally, he was featured in the 56th Venice Biennale, Italy, in 2015. In addition, the importance of his work has been recognized through a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ABOUT THE DAVID C. DRISKELL CENTER
The David C. Driskell Center honors the legacy of David C. Driskell—Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Art, Artist, Art Historian, Collector, Curator, and Philanthropist—by preserving the rich heritage of African American visual art and culture. The Driskell Center is committed to preserving, documenting, and presenting African American art, as well as replenishing and expanding the field of African American art. All programs at the David C. Driskell Center are free and open to the public. The facility is wheelchair accessible. For further information regarding exhibitions and activities at the Driskell Center, please call 301.314.2615 or visit www.driskellcenter.umd.edu. The Driskell Center’s programming is supported in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, a grant from the Elizabeth Carter Foundation, and private donors. The exhibition and its programing will be presented in person following regulations from the state, county, and University of Maryland, and may change at any time.
The David C. Driskell Center Gallery is open Mondays-Wednesdays, and selected Saturdays 11AM-4PM, and Thursdays 11AM-6PM.