This is only a brief history of an inspiring Black woman artist/activist who lived through countless

This is only a brief history of an inspiring Black woman artist/activist who lived through countless incidents of racial discrimination and created strong artworks depicting race, gender, and class issues. Elizabeth Catlett (April 15, 1915 – April 2, 2012) was an American and Mexican graphic artist and sculptor, best known for her work depicting the experiences of African-American people in the 20th century.After being admitted to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), Catlett was barred from enrolling because of her race. Instead, she attended college at Howard University, graduating with honors in 1937. In 1940, Catlett became one of the first three students, as well as the first Black woman, to earn a master’s degree in fine arts at the University of Iowa, though she was not permitted to stay in the dormitories during her studies.  Catlett was briefly married to Charles White, another prominent Black artist, but the couple divorced after they moved to Mexico on her travel grant. From 1946-1966, she worked with the Taller de Gráfica Popular, a famous workshop in Mexico City dedicated to graphic arts promoting social issues and education. In 1949, her activism work regarding a railroad strike in Mexico City resulted in her arrest, which led to  Catlett being put under surveillance by the U.S. Embassy. Eventually, she was barred from entering the United States and declared an “undesirable alien” due to her activism in Mexico. In 1962, Catlett became a Mexican citizen, only regaining her U.S. citizenship in 2002. A grandchild of formerly enslaved people, Catlett remembered her grandmother’s stories about the capture of her ancestors in Africa and their hard life on the plantation. She always emphasized the importance of social messages in her art, rather than pure aesthetics. (summarized from Wikipedia.)Elizabeth Catlett : in the image of the peopleMelanie Anne Herzog.1st ed.Chicago : Art Institute of Chicago ; New Haven : distributed by Yale University Press, c2005.36 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 22 x 24 cm.Reveals Catlett’s commitment to social and political issues. All of the fifteen linoleum prints are beautifully reproduced and address the harsh reality of Black women’s labor.EnglishPublished in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Art Institute of Chicago, Nov. 13, 2005-Feb. 5, 2006.Catlett, Elizabeth, 1915-2012Art Institute of ChicagoISBN : 0300116128c2005HOLLIS number: 990098617090203941 -- source link
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