April 15, 1915 – April 2, 2012
Elizabeth Catlett, renowned sculptor and artist, whose
depictions of social issues and the politics of gender, race and deprivation made
her one of the 20th century’s most
important artists, died on Monday at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She was 96-years old.
In 2001 I had the honor of meeting Ms. Elizabeth Catlett at
an art event here in North Carolina. With
a career that had spanned over five decades, she gave a lively presentation
sprinkled with anecdotes and memories of the events that had inspired her work
over the years, work that honored the strength and dignity of Black women.
In the fall of 1932, fresh out of high school, Elizabeth
Catlett showed up at the School of Fine and Applied Arts of the Carnegie
Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, having been awarded a prestigious full
scholarship there. But she was turned away when it was discovered that she was
“colored.” She returned to
her home in Washington to attend Howard University.
Seventy-six years later, that same institution that had
rejected her, now Carnegie Mellon University, awarded her an honorary doctorate
in recognition of a lifetime’s work as a sculptor and printmaker. By then, after decades of living and making
art in Mexico, she’d known a wealth of rejection. And she had known even more success.
During my encounter with Ms. Catlett I recall her saying
that “art made her happy” and had been a “significant part of fulfilling her
life”. For me, she epitomized how we can
triumph over adversity by staying true to who we are and what we love.
Ms. Catlett is
survived by her sons, film director Juan Mora Catlett, jazz drummer Francisco
Mora Catlett, and David Mora Catlett; 10 grandchildren, including granddaughter
Naima Mora of America’s Next Top Model fame; and six great-grandchildren. My condolences to her family and friends.
Comments