SOLACE AND SISTERHOOD KICKS OFF THE FALL SEMESTER

Announcing our fall semester 2025 exhibition

Fall exhibition opening September 11, 2025 from 5 - 7 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

SOLACE AND SISTERHOOD KICKS OFF THE FALL SEMESTER

College Park, Md. — The Driskell Center is pleased to announce the exhibition Solace and Sisterhood, a group exhibition featuring the work of contemporary artists Lavett Ballard, Amber Robles-Gordon, and Evita Tezeno. The opening reception will be held September 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. and is part of the NextNOW Festival. The exhibition will be on view at The Driskell Center gallery from September 10 through December 10.

Solace and Sisterhood brings the powerful dynamic of sisterhood to the forefront by showcasing the work of three prominent Black female artists: Lavett Ballard, Amber Robles-Gordon, and Evita Tezeno. Curated by Dr. Lauren Davidson, this exhibit explores the depth of Black sisterhood, highlighting the strength, resilience, and bond that unites these women, both individually and as a collective.

Through their artwork, Ballard, Robles-Gordon, and Tezeno invite viewers into their personal and shared experiences, offering a window into the powerful friendships and sisterhood they have cultivated over the years. Drawing from their own histories and the broader African American and African diasporic narratives, the artists use a diverse range of media — including painting, collage, photography, and mixed media — to reflect on themes of self-identity, Black female beauty, spiritual awakening, and the impact of shared cultural traditions. Their work transcends simple categorizations, questioning conventional perceptions of Black womanhood and challenging stereotypes in both contemporary and historical contexts.

Each artist brings a unique perspective to the exhibit. Lavett Ballard's work explores themes of spiritual and cultural connection, using visual storytelling to reflect on the power of faith and the transformative nature of Black womanhood. Amber Robles-Gordon blends abstraction with personal symbolism, creating intricate and thought-provoking works that delve into the complexities of Black female identity and empowerment. Evita Tezeno's vibrant and layered collage works engage with the intersection of history, race, and Black joy, offering a reflective vision of Black womanhood that celebrates its quiet beauty and strength in the face of societal challenges.

Solace and Sisterhood has been guest curated by Dr. Lauren Davidson, an independent curator and scholar, who notes, “Sisterhood is more than a familial bond — it’s a vital, necessary force for survival and affirmation in the lives of Black women. The work of these three artists goes beyond mere friendship and becomes a manifestation of this sisterhood: a way to reframe narratives, challenge societal expectations, and assert our rightful place in the world.” Works in this exhibition have been generously loaned by the artists, private collectors, Luis De Jesus Los Angeles Gallery, and Morton Fine Art, L.L.C. The exhibition will be accompanied by a digital publication with essays by the curator and Dr. Jordana Saggese, as well as full-color images of the works, courtesy of the artists, Luis De Jesus Los Angeles Gallery, and Morton Fine Art, L.L.C in Washington D.C.. This exhibition was originally organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington, Va.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

LAVETT BALLARD

b. 1970, East Orange, NJ

Lives and works in Willingboro, NJ

Lavett Ballard’s work is in public and private collections, including the US Embassy in Kambala, Uganda, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Stockton University Art Collection and the collections of ABC Studios, CBS Studios, and NBC/Universal Studios. Ballard created two commissioned covers for TimeMagazine: one in March 2020 for the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage and a second in February 2023 to accompany Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s essay about her book CASTE: Origins of our Discontent.

Lavett Ballard holds a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Rutgers University and an MFA from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia and is an adjunct professor at Rowan College of South Jersey. Ballard is represented by Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore.

AMBER ROBLES-GORDON

b. 1977, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Lives and works in Washington, DC

Amber Robles-Gordon is an Afro-Latina interdisciplinary visual artist whose creations are visual representations of her hybridism: a fusion of her gender, ethnicity, cultural, and social experiences. Her assemblages, large sculptures, installations, and public artwork, emphasize the essentialness of spirituality and temporality within life.

Robles-Gordon’s work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the American University Museum (Washington, DC), Morton Fine Art (Washington, DC), Derek Eller Gallery (New York, NY), and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (Pittsburgh, PA), among other venues, and in group exhibitions across the United States and internationally. She was a resident at the American Academy in Rome in 2019 and a semi-finalist for the Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize in 2022. She holds an MFA from Howard University and a BS from Trinity College.

EVITA TEZENO

b. 1960, Port Arthur, TX

Lives and works in Dallas, TX

Evita Tezeno’s collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects. They depict a cast of characters in harmonious scenes inspired by her family and friends, childhood memories in South Texas, personal dreams, and moments from her adult life and influenced by the great 20th century modernists Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, and William H. Johnson.

Tezeno’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Pérez Art Museum (Miami, FL), the Dallas Museum of Art, African American Museum of Dallas, Figge Art Museum (Davenport, IA) Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar; and Pizzuti Collection (Columbus, OH) among many others. She is the recipient of a 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and, in 2012, the Elizabeth Catlett Award for the New Power Generation. She is represented by Luis de Jesus Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Dr. Lauren Davidson is an independent art curator and founder of Museum Nectar Art Consultancy, L.L.C. Her research interests include Black cultural aesthetic theory, visual culture, and the influence of place and geographical migration throughout the African Diaspora. Recent curatorial projects include Collecting Community:Millenium Arts Salon at 25 (co-curated with Jarvis Dubois), Chosen Family, The Ties That Bind and Zero Dollar Bill: The Prints of Imar Lyman (co-curated with Jarvis Dubois), and Bria Edwards: More Time in A Day.

SPONSORS

MSAC, Arts for All

ABOUT THE DRISKELL CENTER

The Driskell Center is a creative incubator at the University of Maryland dedicated to a world where Black artists exist at its center. We invite inquiry, experimentation, and dialogue to reexamine histories and shape shared futures.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Snyder at ssnyder3@umd.edu.

Image: Evita Tezeno, True Sistahs, 2024. Acrylic and mixed media collage on canvas, 48 × 48 in. Courtesy of Luis de Jesus Los Angeles and the artist.