Elizabeth Catlett didn’t just create art—she sculpted symbols of Black strength, dignity, and resistance. A master of both printmaking and sculpture, she dedicated her career to uplifting Black and Indigenous communities, fighting for justice, and redefining how Black women were represented in art.

With a career spanning over seven decades, Catlett’s work remains as powerful today as when she first carved, molded, and etched her figures into history.

Elizabeth Catlett, Students Aspire, 1977, Bronze relief

The Making of an Artist-Activist

Born in 1915 in Washington, D.C., Elizabeth Catlett came of age in a world where Black artists were often overlooked. Despite facing racial and gender barriers, she pursued art with determination, earning her MFA from the University of Iowa in 1940. Under the mentorship of painter Grant Wood (famous for American Gothic), she learned the importance of depicting everyday people with strength and dignity.

But Catlett’s art was never just about aesthetics—it was about activism. Her work centered Black life, Black struggle, and Black joy at a time when few artists dared to.

In the 1940s, she moved to Mexico and joined Taller de Gráfica Popular, a radical printmaking collective that used art to fight oppression. It was there that she honed her printmaking skills and found her political voice, creating images of workers, mothers, and revolutionaries that spoke to the struggles of both Black Americans and Indigenous Mexicans.

Art as a Weapon for Justice

Catlett’s most famous works embody the spirit of activism. Her 1947 print series The Negro Woman told the story of Black women’s resilience through bold, striking images accompanied by statements like I Have Given the World My Songs and My Role Has Been Important in the Struggle to Organize the Unorganized.

Her sculptures, often carved from wood or cast in bronze, celebrated the strength and beauty of Black women. Works like Mother and Child and Homage to My Young Black Sisters honored Black motherhood, community, and revolutionaries.

Elizabeth Catlett, Mother and Child, 1956, Terra cotta. Photo: Sajith T, CC BY-SA 2.0

At a time when the Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum, Catlett’s art became a visual rallying cry. The U.S. government even labeled her work as “subversive,” leading to her being banned from entering the U.S. for years. Still, she never stopped creating.

A Lasting Legacy

Elizabeth Catlett’s work continues to inspire artists, activists, and scholars. Her impact can be seen in contemporary artists who fuse social justice with visual storytelling, such as Kara Walker and Simone Leigh.

Before her passing in 2012, Catlett received numerous honors, with her work displayed in institutions like the Smithsonian and the Museum of Modern Art. But more importantly, her legacy lives in the hearts of those she empowered through her art—Black women, workers, and revolutionaries who see themselves reflected in her sculptures and prints.

Her message remains clear: art is not just about beauty—it’s about power, resistance, and the fight for a better world.