The Art of Elizabeth Catlett from the Collection of Samella Lewis
September 7 December 15, 2021
The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the 海角社区 will present an exhibition of artwork by the acclaimed African American artist Elizabeth Catlett during the fall semester. The Art of Elizabeth Catlett from the Collection of Samella Lewis will be on view from Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Dec. 15, 2021.
An accompanying lecture by Rebecca Van Diver, professor of art history at Vanderbilt University, will take place during opening events on Sept. 9 at 4:30 p.m. in 海角社区' Rehm Library. A reception will follow in the gallery.
Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012), a pioneering sculptor and printmaker, is widely considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Exploring themes around injustice, motherhood and the Black-American experience, Catlett鈥檚 work utilized a sleek, modern aesthetic to promote social equity and confront injustice, especially to African Americans. In her words: 鈥淚 always wanted my art to service my people鈥攖o reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential. We have to create an art for liberation and for life.鈥 The exhibition includes the politically-charged works that Catlett created in 1960s and 70s鈥攆or which she was best known鈥攁s well as later prints and sculpture.
Catlett was born in Washington, D.C. the granddaughter of enslaved workers and child of educators. She earned her undergraduate degree from Howard University where she studied design, printmaking and drawing. She went on to study at the University of Iowa under the tutelage of Grant Wood, and became the first woman to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from that institution. At the age of 93, Carnegie Mellon University awarded Elizabeth Catlett an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, having previously denied her undergraduate application to study at the then Carnegie Tech.
In 1946, Catlett received a fellowship that allowed her to travel to Mexico City where she studied painting, sculpture and lithography. There, she worked with the Taller de Gr谩fica Popular (People's Graphic Arts Workshop), a group of printmakers dedicated to using their art to promote social change. After settling in Mexico and later becoming a Mexican citizen, she taught sculpture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City until retiring in 1975.
In 1962, the U.S. State Department banned her from returning to the United States for nearly a decade because of her political affiliations.
The 38 works in this exhibition come from the personal collection of artist, educator and author Samella Lewis, Ph.D. of Los Angeles, California. Lewis was a student of Catlett鈥檚 in the 1940s and Catlett became her mentor. The two became lifelong friends. In tribute to the lifework of Elizabeth Catlett, this exhibition鈥攐rganized by the August Wilson Center for African American Culture and Landau Traveling Exhibitions鈥攚as made possible through Lewis鈥 generosity in sharing Catlett鈥檚 work, as well as her own and that of Catlett鈥檚 husband, Mexican artist Francisco 鈥淧ancho鈥 Mora (1922-2002).
This exhibition explores the nature of Elizabeth Catlett鈥檚 art and its ability to affect both individual lives and political movements. Her legacy as an artist, teacher, mentor, activist, wife, mother, grandmother and friend are apparent through these works.
鈥淲e are pleased to be able to present the work of Elizabeth Catlett at Cantor,鈥 said Meredith Fluke, director of the Cantor Art Gallery. 鈥淐atlett鈥檚 work serves as a stunning reminder of the ability of art to function as an instrument of both protest and aesthetic pleasure and calls attention to some of the most important injustices of our time. I鈥檓 anticipating that the exhibition will forge deep connections across disciplines鈥攕tudents with varying academic and personal interests will connect with these seminal works.鈥
Please note that the Cantor Art Gallery will be closed to the campus community, as well as the general public, on the following dates: Oct. 11, Nov. 11 and Nov. 25 鈥 28.
- Please visit the Visitors On Campus-Policy page for 海角社区鈥 current COVID-19 precautions and protocols if you are planning to attend any of the following events.
OPENING CELEBRATION
Thursday, September 9 | 4.30 pm via Zoom
Lecture by Dr. Rebecca VanDiver, Professor of Art History, Vanderbilt University
鈥淢y Art Speaks for Both My People鈥: An Introduction to Elizabeth Catlett鈥檚 Artistic Activism
Zoom registration:
Opportunity to view the exhibition at the Cantor Art Gallery: 5.30 - 7 p.m.
NOONTIME LECTURE SERIES
All Lectures meet at the Cantor Art Gallery at 12.15 pm
Tuesday, September 28
Nadine M. Knight, Associate Professor, English Department and Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies
Visions of Black Motherhood in the Black Arts Movement
Wednesday, October 6
Susan Schmidt and Michael Beatty, Professors, Visual Arts Department
Elizabeth Catlett: A Conversation on her Sculptures and Prints
Tuesday, October 26
Ana Ugarte, Assistant Professor, Spanish Department
Health Humanities and Art: Catlett, ADAL, and the Other(ed) Body
Wednesday, December 1
Meredith Fluke, Director, Cantor Art Gallery
The Art of Elizabeth Catlett: A Curator鈥檚 Perspective
CANTOR GALLERY CONCERT
Friday, October 1
Music for Cello by Tania Le贸n and Jos茅 Elizondo
Cellos: Joseph Cracolici 鈥23, Brooks Scholar and Jan M眉ller-Szeraws, Artist-in-Residence
Cantor Art Gallery | 12.15 pm