Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) was a deft sculptor, printmaker, and lifelong activist who used her art to amplify the experiences of Black women. Her legacy endures not only in her soaring artworks, but also in the lives and practices of those who follow in her path.
This conversation brings together printmaker and painter, LaToya Hobbs, whose work draws inspiration from Catlett’s artistic vision, and fashion model, writer, director, and Catlett’s granddaughter, Naima Mora, who is currently producing a film about Catlett’s life.
Their conversation reflects on the personal, creative, and spiritual resonances of Catlett’s legacy—and on why Elizabeth Catlett is, as Hobbs and Mora say, “Everybody’s grandmother.”
This conversation is proudly presented as a New Paradigms program by the Leadership Advisory Committee, which supports the museum’s engagement with African American audiences. New Paradigms programs celebrate early-to-mid-career Black artists and thinkers who are impacting the field.
Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) was a deft sculptor, printmaker, and lifelong activist who used her art to amplify the experiences of Black women. Her legacy endures not only in her soaring artworks, but also in the lives and practices of those who follow in her path.
This conversation brings together printmaker and painter, LaToya Hobbs, whose work draws inspiration from Catlett’s artistic vision, and fashion model, writer, director, and Catlett’s granddaughter, Naima Mora, who is currently producing a film about Catlett’s life.
Their conversation reflects on the personal, creative, and spiritual resonances of Catlett’s legacy—and on why Elizabeth Catlett is, as Hobbs and Mora say, “Everybody’s grandmother.”
This conversation is proudly presented as a New Paradigms program by the Leadership Advisory Committee, which supports the museum’s engagement with African American audiences. New Paradigms programs celebrate early-to-mid-career Black artists and thinkers who are impacting the field.
