Naomi Beckwith, the deputy director and chief curator of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, was honored with this year's Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History by the High Museum of Art. Beckwith, who holds the distinction of being the Guggenheim's inaugural Black chief curator, becomes the 19th recipient of the prestigious award, named in honor of the late artist and scholar David C. Driskell.
This accolade celebrates Beckwith's notable contributions to African American art and recognizes her as a distinguished professional in the field.
Established by the High Museum of Art in 2005, the David C. Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History recognizes field-defining contributions to African American art by some of the leading scholars and artists from around the country. Named in honor of the late artist and scholar David C. Driskell, this prize is the first in the country to recognize the importance of African American art. Acknowledging Driskell’s own extraordinary gifts as both a historian and an artist, the prize annually alternates between awarding a practicing US-based African American artist and an art historian whose artistic practice or scholarly work makes an original and important contribution to the visual arts and study of African American art. The recipient of the prize receives $50,000 in unrestricted funds to use toward the furthering of their research or artistic practice.