The Right to Feed Oneself Derecho a Alimentarese

Date

1954

Creator

Of the women artists associated with the TGP [Taller de Gráfica Popular] perhaps the best known to American audiences is Elizabeth Catlett, born ca. 1919. Catlett married TGP artist Francisco Mora (1922-2002) in 1947, after which she often referred to herself as Betsy Mora. They both worked with the TGP until 1966. An accomplished African American printmaker and sculptor, Catlett identified early on in her career with the struggles of minority peoples and the victims of social and political oppression. In 1970 she was quoted in Ebony Magazine, "My work speaks for both my peoples," commenting on her concern for the injustices toward both her African American and her adopted Mexican sisters. Images of strong women form the central theme of her work, and though she was deeply committed to the artistic ideals of the TGP and to her adopted country of Mexico--where she lived for 30 years--she never lost her connection to her black identity, continuing to create works that celebrated Black Women throughout her career. [...] Derecho a alimentarese [The Right to Feed Oneself] depicts a young peasant girl eating a wheat cake. The message is clear: The image conveys the strength and dignity of this young girl, set against the wheat fields in which she must toil in order to feed herself. from Costa, Women of the Taller de Gráfica Popular: Selections from the Charles S. Hayes Collection of 20th Century Mexican Graphics (Notre Dame, 2010)