The American Art Museum mourns the loss of one of our country's most important artists, Elizabeth Catlett. Ms. Catlett, whose career spanned more than seventy years, connected her work to progressive causes, especially those she thought were important to African American women.
I have always wanted my art to service my people—to reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential…. Learning how to do this and passing that learning on to other people have been my goals.
Elizabeth Catlett. Source: Samella S. Lewis, African American Art and Artists (University of California Press, 2003), 134.
Elizabeth Catlett's work is featured in a new educational website Oh Freedom!. Developed by American Art in conjunction with the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Oh Freedom! is an in-depth resource for middle and high school social studies teachers who want to use American art to help teach African American civil rights.
