At heart, Dr. David Driskell is an artist who has mastered his field of dreams.  As a scholar in African American art, his passion lies in his knowledge to pass the torch to the younger generation of the African American elite, and those with a genuine love for the art world.

His list of accomplishments and titles include painter, curator, collector, an honoree of the National Humanities Medal presented by President Bill Clinton, 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, in addition to numerous publications celebrating his contribution to the art community, including “The Other Side of Color: African American Art in the Collection of Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr.”
However, Dr. Driskell takes pleasure in sharing trade secrets on how to aspire to the coveted title of collector without breaking the bank.  Here’s the scoop future art connoisseurs!

If you’re new to the game read everything you can get your hands on.  Self educate. Read the “National Review of African American Art” as published by Hampton University.

Know your history of African American art and find out what’s really going on. Look for trends and artists working in new media, like video. Seek out artists inspired by hip-hop.

A good book to read is “Collecting African-American Art” by Halima Taha.

Get on the scene by visiting art galleries and museums. Go to openings.

Court young artists because they are more likely to part with their works at a more reasonable rate--start understanding what makes them tick.

Keep an eye on Jefferson Pinder, Ionia Brown, Sandford Biggers, Hank Thomas, Erika Reine, Tonya Ingersol, Ellington Robinson, Seviria Simmons. Most of them are in their 30s and have exhibited domestically and abroad. These artists have names but they’re not included in any major museum collections yet.

If you’re not a member of the 10% wealthiest tax structure save your money and buy what is affordable. Art is an investment if you want it to be a part of your life.

Be within your own mindset.

Buy what you like.

Collecting is personal.

Stay original and avoid buying reproductions. Sometimes people say they buy a repro because they can’t afford the original. Nine times out of ten they can if they select well.

“I’m a new collector.” Very often artists, (especially young and emerging artists) are happy to entertain the idea.
Follow in the footsteps of young collectors like Benny Johnson and Talisa Fleming. Both are in their thirties and have amassed collections that span two millennia including contemporary African-American art.

Watch out for shysters! 

When I was in Denmark some years ago, I came upon a sort of junk shop.  I saw a print that looked like a (Rembrandt) van Rijn. So I took a closer look and asked the shopkeeper, “Well is it a ?. “And he said no, that it was a facsimile.  Now in those days we used facsimile for a fine reproduction (not an original). But when I took it outside to look at it I could see the raised ink. So I wasn’t going to dispute him and tell him I knew (what it was.) So I asked, “How much is this?” He said, “Ten dollars.” So I said, “Ooh, ten dollars for a facsimile? Isn’t that a bit much?” He said, “Well it’s a good facsimile.” But I knew it was an etching. I knew it was an original (Rembrandt). So I gave him the ten dollars and sped out of there in a hurry. I went back to my hotel and called my friend who was a curator here and said, “I found my Rembrandt.” She refused to believe me so I brought it to her soon after. And when she saw it she said, “This is a better reproduction than the one we have here at the Museum.”

Conserve the legacy because art is a material thing that can be damaged.  You can’t return it. And whatever damage is done only lessens the value because it is no longer in it’s original state. Seek help in preserving your artworks.

My philosophy is there is no right time. You start now. There’ll never be that right time--must never wait for the right time. Create the right time for yourself.