Celebrate the opening of Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies through close looking, conversation, and a tribute performance by Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. 

Begin with a behind-the-scenes tour of the exhibition led by curators Catherine Morris and Dalila Scruggs. Afterward, art historians, artists, and museum leaders discuss Catlett’s resounding legacy. These conversations explore participants’ personal memories of the artist, the championing of Catlett’s art by Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and her practice in the context of cultural movements for Black liberation. 

The evening culminates with a tribute performance by Catlett’s son, drummer and composer Francisco Mora Catlett, accompanied by the New York–based jazz ensemble AfroHORN and Oyu Oro. An Afro-Cuban dance company, Oyu Oro’s traditional repertoire pays homage to African lineages derived from the Yoruba, Congo, Carabali, Arara, and Dahomean cultures of West Africa and Haiti. 

Schedule

12–12:45 pm Curator-led tour
Center for Feminist Art and Schapiro Wing, 4th Floor
Get a first glimpse of Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies with curators Catherine Morris and Dalila Scruggs.

1 pm Welcome
Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Anne Pasternak, Brooklyn Museum

1:15–2:15 pm Integrity and Bravery: Remembering Elizabeth Catlett
Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Linda Goode Bryant, Lowery Stokes Sims, and Melanie Herzog

2:15–3:15 pm Legacies of Support: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Collecting Elizabeth Catlett
Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Danille Taylor, Vanessa Thaxton-Ward, and Catherine Morris

3:15–4:15 pm Elizabeth Catlett and the Black Radical Left
Auditorium, 3rd Floor
H. Zahra Caldwell, Stacy Morgan, and Dalila Scruggs

4:15–4:30 pm Closing remarks
Auditorium, 3rd Floor

4:30–6 pm Reception
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor

6:30–7:30 pm Performance: A Tribute to Elizabeth Catlett
Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN, with dance by Oyu Oro

Register in advance and pay what you can (suggested admission: $20). Admission to the tour is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Member tickets are free. Not a Member? Join today!

This program will include ASL interpretation for the tour and talks (12–4:30 pm). For access needs, email us at access@brooklynmuseum.org.

Generous support for this project provided by