Survivor

Painter, printmaker, and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett grew up in Washington, DC. There, she began a long and illustrious career that led her to teach and study in such places as Chicago, New York, Iowa, North Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia, and Mexico under such artists as James Herring, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Grant Wood.

Catlett was a lifelong breaker of glass ceilings and a political activist on top of that. In fact, the US State Department labelled her as an “undesirable alien” in 1962, which prompted her to trade her United States citizenship for Mexican citizenship. Through Catlett’s mentors and travel, she learned the media and styles that suited her, and she grew to favor portrayals of the dignity and courage of motherhood, poverty, and the working class. Because of her work as an artist and a social advocate, Catlett has now become a celebrated artist of international acclaim.