2008 Woodie Awards
David D. Driskell art gallery to move to Cole Field House
Kaitlyn Seith
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: News
The Board of Regents approved a $1.6 million renovation project aimed at transforming the old Cole Field House swimming pool into a public gallery featuring the works of black artists.
The move sets in motion the rearranging of several offices and facilities in the Tawes Fine Arts building, which is slated to be renovated over the next few years. But moving the gallery - known as the David D. Driskell Center - will also bring the center a higher profile with a more central location, said its director, Jim McClelland.
Slated for completion by Aug. 15, McClelland hopes the center's new location will draw in more visitors to its unique concentration on art from black culture and from the African Diaspora. Robert Steele, executive director of the Driskell Center, said he hopes the move from Tawes to Cole will expose more students and faculty to the visual arts, specifically black art.
"Like they say in real estate: location, location, location," Steele said. "It is important to have the Driskell Center at the heart of campus so all students, staff and faculty - not just for art and art history students and art professionals - can be exposed to the visual arts."
Because the Driskell Center is joining two other galleries near the center of the campus - the Union Gallery at Stamp Student Union and the gallery at the Nyumburu Cultural Center - the move "will enhance the centrality of the visual arts on campus," Steele said.
The Driskell Center will be built next to the main lobby on the first level of Cole, McClelland said. By the end of the month, construction officials expect to complete the first phase of the project - covering the pool with flooring - for about $575,000, he said.
The second and final phase, construction of the center, is slated to start March 5. Construction will cost about $1 million, McClelland said. The whole center will be 12,000 square feet with a 4,500-square-foot exhibition space, he said. The center will also include a vault for permanent collections, an archive room, study rooms and offices, Steele said.
This project is one of many designed to bring people to Cole and to "capture old space to make it useful," McClelland said.
Between 300 and 400 people usually attend exhibition openings, Steele said, and he hopes more will come after the gallery moves to Cole. He expects the move to increase "outreach to the campus and increase foot traffic" in the Driskell Center.
Driskell Center officials have planned the first exhibition at the new location, called "Evolution: Five Decades of Printmaking by David C. Driskell," for fall 2007. The gallery will be open during normal business hours and will have special events on the weekends, Steele said.
Contact reporter Kaitlyn Seith at seithdbk@gmail.com.
The move sets in motion the rearranging of several offices and facilities in the Tawes Fine Arts building, which is slated to be renovated over the next few years. But moving the gallery - known as the David D. Driskell Center - will also bring the center a higher profile with a more central location, said its director, Jim McClelland.
Slated for completion by Aug. 15, McClelland hopes the center's new location will draw in more visitors to its unique concentration on art from black culture and from the African Diaspora. Robert Steele, executive director of the Driskell Center, said he hopes the move from Tawes to Cole will expose more students and faculty to the visual arts, specifically black art.
"Like they say in real estate: location, location, location," Steele said. "It is important to have the Driskell Center at the heart of campus so all students, staff and faculty - not just for art and art history students and art professionals - can be exposed to the visual arts."
Because the Driskell Center is joining two other galleries near the center of the campus - the Union Gallery at Stamp Student Union and the gallery at the Nyumburu Cultural Center - the move "will enhance the centrality of the visual arts on campus," Steele said.
The Driskell Center will be built next to the main lobby on the first level of Cole, McClelland said. By the end of the month, construction officials expect to complete the first phase of the project - covering the pool with flooring - for about $575,000, he said.
The second and final phase, construction of the center, is slated to start March 5. Construction will cost about $1 million, McClelland said. The whole center will be 12,000 square feet with a 4,500-square-foot exhibition space, he said. The center will also include a vault for permanent collections, an archive room, study rooms and offices, Steele said.
This project is one of many designed to bring people to Cole and to "capture old space to make it useful," McClelland said.
Between 300 and 400 people usually attend exhibition openings, Steele said, and he hopes more will come after the gallery moves to Cole. He expects the move to increase "outreach to the campus and increase foot traffic" in the Driskell Center.
Driskell Center officials have planned the first exhibition at the new location, called "Evolution: Five Decades of Printmaking by David C. Driskell," for fall 2007. The gallery will be open during normal business hours and will have special events on the weekends, Steele said.
Contact reporter Kaitlyn Seith at seithdbk@gmail.com.
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