Howard University Gallery of Art Lends Elizabeth Catlett Works to Major Exhibition on Black Women’s Historical Memory
By Chad Eric Smith, Director of Marketing and Communications, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts
The Howard University Gallery of Art is lending three works by legendary artist and Howard alumna Elizabeth Catlett to She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory, a major exhibition opening February 7, 2026, at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum in Annapolis, Maryland.
The exhibition brings together contemporary and internationally recognized Black women artists whose work engages history, memory, resistance, and futurity through a Black feminist lens. Spanning more than two centuries of American history, She Speaks positions art not only as aesthetic expression, but as a powerful vehicle for historical reckoning and cultural continuity.
The loan includes three works by Catlett: My Right is a Future of Equality with Other Americans, My Role Has Been Important in the Struggle to Organize the Unorganized, and In Sojourner Truth I Fight For the Rights of Other Women (featured in header above, left to right). Catlett, who graduated cum laude from Howard University in 1935, developed her artistic voice on the University’s campus before becoming one of the most influential Black artists of the 20th century. Her work remains synonymous with social responsibility, political clarity, and an unwavering commitment to Black life and labor.
Catlett’s presence in She Speaks underscores Howard University’s long-standing role as a cultivator and steward of Black artistic excellence. As the University’s primary visual arts exhibition space and permanent collection steward, the Howard University Gallery of Art plays a central role in preserving, interpreting, and sharing works by artists whose practices align with Howard’s academic mission and cultural legacy. This loan reflects that responsibility in action, extending Howard’s reach through public scholarship and cross-institutional collaboration.
The exhibition opens to the public on February 7, 2026, with an opening reception from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend an afternoon of art, dialogue, and community gathering at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum. Registration details are available here.
Beyond the gallery walls, the collaboration reflects a shared investment in education and professional development. In partnership with the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, the loan agreement includes opportunities for Howard University students to engage directly with museum professionals through curated programming, academic discussions, and potential experiential learning opportunities connected to museum studies and curatorial practice. These engagements reinforce the educational mission at the heart of both institutions and ensure that students are not only studying history, but actively participating in its interpretation.
“Elizabeth Catlett’s work embodies the intersection of art, history, and social responsibility that Howard University has long championed,” said Kathryn Coney-Ali, Co-Executive Director of the Howard University Gallery of Art. “This collaboration allows our students and the broader public to encounter her work in a context that honors both her artistic vision and her legacy as an artist and educator.”
She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory will remain on view through January 16, 2027, with interpretive programming offered throughout the year.
For those interested in learning more about Elizabeth Catlett’s life, work, and enduring connection to Howard University, check out this article in The Dig.