Art Break: Elizabeth Catlett’s Art Legacy

"The granddaughter of former slaves, Catlett was raised in Washington, D.C. Her father died before she was born and her mother held several jobs to raise three children. Refused admission to Carnegie Institute of Technology because of her race, Catlett enrolled at Howard University, where her teachers included artist Loïs Mailou Jones and philosopher Alain Locke. She …

Art Break: Remembering Charles Dawson’s Graphic Artwork

"One of Chicago's leading black artists and designers in the 1920s and '30s, Charles Clarence Dawson is best known for his illustrated advertisements for beauty schools and products, such as Annie Malone's Poro College and Valmor Products, which were targeted to the city's burgeoning black population. Enterprising, self-assured and a tireless “Race Man,” Dawson made …