--Phil Beck

It’s exciting when a new film about an artist comes out, but when that film is made by local filmmakers and the subject has close ties to local history, it’s even more of a special event. This is the case with Standing Strong: Elizabeth Catlett, an hour-long documentary about the pioneering artist Elizabeth Catlett which premiered last month at FilmScene in Iowa City and the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. Catlett, the first African-American woman to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Iowa, studied under Grant Wood from 1938-1940. The university’s newest residence hall, which opened in 2015, is named after her. The movie comes from the distinguished local filmmaking team of Kevin Kelley (director) and Marie Wilkes (producer). They’re responsible for two other art-themed documentaries with an Iowa connection, Mural (2015) about the landmark Jackson Pollock painting that’s been part of the UI’s art collection since 1951, and Stout Hearted (2020) concerning Monuments Man George Stout, who was born in Winterset, Iowa. Standing Strong continues in the tradition of those excellent films.

Catlett, a world-renowned sculptor and printmaker, was an influential figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, a crucial period when black artists, along with Civil Rights activists, challenged racism in American society by asserting the importance and beauty of black culture and identity. Catlett was both. An outspoken supporter of civil rights, she was harassed by the U.S. government along with so many others of the time. She moved to Mexico in 1946 and became a citizen in 1962 after the U.S. denied her reentry as an “undesirable alien.” Though her U.S. citizenship was restored in 2002, she lived the rest of her life in her adopted country, teaching sculpture and creating her profound works of art. She died in 2012 at 96.

Her time in Iowa was significant, and recognition of it has been growing over the past several years. In addition to naming the dorm after her—a fitting tribute since she was denied university housing on the segregated campus in the 1930s—the new Stanley Museum is home to a collection of her prints, including the iconic linoleum cut Sharecropper (1952 or 1957). The Stanley partnered with Wilkes and Kelley to arrange for the screenings at FilmScene. The pair also singled out the support of former UI administrators Jo and Phillip Jones, who have a long history championing recognition of Catlett’s presence here at Iowa.

Unfortunately, I was not able to see Standing Strong in April, but Kevin and Marie graciously allowed me to ask them a few questions about their experience making the film and Catlett’s importance as an artist. They agreed that Standing Strong challenged them in ways their previous films hadn’t. It took four years to complete, partly due to interruptions during the pandemic and partly to the complicated logistics of interviewing people all over the country. Some who knew Catlett are advanced in age, which presented additional complications.

There are also legal matters. They have permission from the Artists Rights Society (ARS) and Catlett’s estate to use the images of her work for only one year, which limits the time they can exhibit the film during its initial release. After that year, they must renegotiate for the rights to show Catlett’s work. They feel optimistic they’ll succeed based on the enthusiastic response the film has been receiving, but because nothing is certain, they’re working continuously to get it shown.

Beyond those issues, however, are more sensitive matters. Marie noted the caution they took in not imposing their perspective as white filmmakers on the experiences of a black artist or black history. “We wanted to honor the culture as well as the artist,” she said. Interviewees tell their own stories, share memories and insights, and the film’s shape follows them, not a prescribed narrative. Positive word of mouth from early interviewees resulted in more people being willing to talk to them, which was gratifying. The Catlett family has been very supportive as well, both during production and in response to the finished work.

When I asked them how best to describe Catlett’s significance as an artist, they stated unequivocally that it’s her dual role as artist-activist. She very deliberately created her artworks as expressions of the triumphant spirit and humanity of black people in this country. She used her art to proclaim to the world that black lives matter. Marie pointed to the monumental scale of her sculptures in cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.—such as Students Aspire (1977) on the campus of Howard University--which serve as testaments to African-Americans’ achievements and aspirations.

Her influence on other artists is immeasurable. Kevin put it this way: “She was the Black Arts movement before there was a Black Arts movement.” But it isn’t only artists she inspired. Her ability to infuse portraits of ordinary people with heroic dignity is one of the hallmarks of her work. She’s especially known for her depictions of strong, resilient women, unbowed by the hardships of their lives. Pride in her race and pride in her sex go hand in hand in her art. In sculptures like Mother and Child (1939) and Standing Strong (2008), and in portraits like Sharecropper and Head of a Woman (1967), she lends an almost mythic quality to the humanity of black women. It seems impossible that there are still those who would deny it. The good news is they can’t.