The North Carolina Central University Art Museum is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Elizabeth Catlett’s impactful teaching career in Durham with an exhibition dedicated to her legacy. The exhibit runs through March 16, 2025, and is open to the NCCU community and the public. It includes one of Catlett’s rare paintings and a collection of her works demonstrating her commitment to social justice, cultural pride, and women’s empowerment.
Elizabeth Catlett, who passed away in 2012, is known for her powerful depictions of African American life. These have had a lasting impact on other artists, especially those involved in the Black Arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Catlett was a pioneering force in art and education. Her sculptures, prints, and paintings illustrate African American communities’ stories, struggles, and successes.
An HBCU Educated Artist
She was accepted into what is now Carnegie Mellon University but ultimately denied entry due to racial discrimination. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Art from Howard University and became the first African American woman to earn a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa.
Her art and education careers started in Durham, where she oversaw elementary art programs at Hillside High School. This early experience greatly influenced her teaching career and her conviction that “art should be used for the service of people, struggling people, to whom only realism is meaningful.”
The NCCU Art Museum has steadfastly championed Catlett’s work, honoring her legacy as a beacon of creativity and inspiration. In 2008, she received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University, which had previously denied her admission.
The NCCU Art Museum is located at 580 East Lawson Street and is open from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sundays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. It is wheelchair accessible, and admission is free to all visitors.
This article sources information from North Carolina Central University.