The North Carolina Central University Art Museum is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Elizabeth Catlett’s influential teaching career in Durham with a special exhibition dedicated to her legacy. The exhibit, running through March 16, 2025, is open to both the NCCU community and the public. It features some of Catlett’s rare paintings alongside a collection of her works that reflect her commitment to social justice, cultural pride, and women’s empowerment.
Catlett, who passed away in 2012, is renowned for her powerful portrayals of African American life, which have inspired many artists, particularly those in the Black Arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s. A trailblazer in both art and education, Catlett’s sculptures, prints, and paintings tell the stories of African American communities—their struggles, triumphs, and resilience.
Though she was accepted into what is now Carnegie Mellon University, Catlett was denied entry due to racial discrimination. She went on to earn 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 career in art and education took root in Durham, where she ran elementary art programs at Hillside High School. This experience shaped her teaching philosophy, which emphasized that “art should be used for the service of people, struggling people, to whom only realism is meaningful.”
The NCCU Art Museum has long supported Catlett’s work, and in 2008, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University, the same institution that had once denied her admission.
The museum, located at 580 East Lawson Street, is open from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sundays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. It’s wheelchair accessible, and admission is free for everyone.
