Artist of the Day, September 15, 2022: Elizabeth Catlett, an American sculptor, graphic artist and activist (#1648)

 Elizabeth Catlett, born as Alice Elizabeth Catlett, (1915 – 2012) was an African American sculptor and graphic artist best known for her depictions of the Black-American experience in the 20th century, which often focused on the female experience.

She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., to parents working in education, and was the grandchild of formerly enslaved people. It was difficult for a black woman at this time to pursue a career as a working artist. Catlett devoted much of her career to teaching. However, a fellowship awarded to her in 1946 allowed her to travel to Mexico City, where she worked with the Taller de Gráfica Popular for twenty years and became head of the sculpture department for the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas. In the 1950s, her main means of artistic expression shifted from print to sculpture, though she never gave up the former.

Her work is a mixture of abstract and figurative in the Modernist tradition, with influence from African and Mexican art traditions. Catlett's work can be described as social realism, because of her dedication to the issues and experiences of African Americans. According to the artist, the main purpose of her work is to convey social messages rather than pure aesthetics. Her work is heavily studied by art students looking to depict race, gender and class issues. During her lifetime, Catlett received many awards and recognitions, including membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana, the Art Institute of Chicago Legends and Legacy Award, honorary doctorates from Pace University and Carnegie Mellon, and the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award in contemporary sculpture.

In 1940 Catlett became the first student to earn a master of fine arts degree in sculpture at the University of Iowa. The Regionalist painter Grant Wood, a professor at the university at the time, encouraged her to present images drawn from Black culture and experience and influenced her decision to concentrate on sculpture.

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 Ms. Elizabeth Catlett

African American, 2009

Keisha M., 2008

Mimi, 2007

Crusaders For Justice, 2001

 Dancing, 1990

Two Generations, 1987

Latin America Says No, 1986

Survivor, 1983

Madonna, 1982

Roots, 1981

There Is A Woman In Every Color, 1975

Harriet, 1975

Niña, 1957

Pan, 1952

La Presa, 1952

Sharecropper, 1952

I Have Studied in Ever Increasing Numbers, 1947

I Have Given the World My Songs, 1947
from the series The Black Woman

Special House, 1946

1946 In the Fields…, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

In Other Folks’ Homes…, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

There are Bars Between Me and the Rest of the Land, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

My Role Has Been Important in the Struggle to Organize the Unorganized, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

In Sojourner Truth I Fought for the Rights of Women as well as Blacks, 1947
from the series The Black Woman

In Phillis Wheatley I Proved Intellectual Equality in the Midst of Slavery, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

I Have Special Reservations, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

  I Have Always Worked Hard in America, 1946
from the series The Black Woman

I Am The Black Woman, 1947 
From the series The Black Woman

Sharecropper, 1945

Mother and Child, 1945

Friends, 1944

War Worker, 1943