Here is an interview with Dr. David C. Driskell after a February 21, 2012 appearance in Cleveland in which he spoke about the importance of African-American art.  

 

Practicing art since the 1950s, Driskell has exhibited his work worldwide. Driskell has written five exhibition books, co-authored four others and published more than 40 catalogs from exhibitions he has curated. He has lectured extensively in North America, Europe, Africa and South America, and has taught at numerous universities.  In 1977, he began to serve Camille and Bill Cosby as curator of the Cosby Collection of Fine Arts. Driskell placed works of African-American artists on the set of The Cosby Show.

 

In 1998, the University of Maryland established the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora (www.driskellcenter.umd.edu/), honoring Driskell's 44-year career as artist, educator, philanthropist, collector and art historian.  

 

In this interview, he talks about the importance of African-American art in understanding the American story.