On Point: The Anatomy of a Hit
Reimagine Elizabeth Catlett's "Target Practice" within the scope of some of the most existential threats to social justice of the modern era.
Elizabeth Catlett (1994) by Elizabeth Catlett and 1994Amistad Research Center
Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012)
A groundbreaking Black artist, Catlett's work centered on the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and power. Known for her feminism and activism, Catlett was also a powerful orator-- a voice for the disenfranchised and disaffected. She influenced generations.
Target Practice (1970) by Elizabeth CatlettAmistad Research Center
A self-proclaimed revolutionary artist leaves her mark
Target Practice is one of the most unique images in the Elizabeth Catlett's oeuvre, is one of only a few male sculptural images that the artist created, and is the one of “the 25 most influential works of American protest art since World War II", according to the New York Times.
An emblem of power vs. entrapment
The sculpture embodies the duality of power and entrapment, reflecting the tension between the assertion of Black cultural identity as a form of empowerment and the systemic constraints imposed by oppression, resonating deeply with the themes of the Black Arts Movement (BAM).
Target's crosshairs are intentionally detached
The application of the crosshairs creates a natural tension between two opposing elements. Viewers are forced to "get out in front of" the obstructive prism to engage with the fixated or trapped black man. The image is confrontational by design.
Showdown in the Desire Bookcover 2 (2009) by Orissa Arend and 2009Amistad Research Center
Neutralizing the revolution
Target Practice was inspired by the 1969 killing of Chicago Black Panther Party members. The incident, along with the 1970 killings of BPP members in New Orleans, as detailed in Orissa Arend's book, was part of a larger U.S. intelligence effort to "neutralize" the Panthers.
Malcolm X Speaks for Us (1969) by Elizabeth CatlettAmistad Research Center
Malcolm X Speaks for Us
Target Practice embodies Catlett's politicization of social justice and activist themes that were consistent with the revolutionary ideas of the Taller de Gráfica Popular and Catlett's broader body of images like this print that was created in Mexico during the 1960s and 1970s.
Protestors Call for the Release of Political Prisioners (1971) by Elizabeth CatlettAmistad Research Center
Catlett was in solidarity with other revolutionary activists
Former Black Panther Angela Davis fought for the release of George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo, and John Cutchette, from California's Soledad Prison. The men were accused of murdering a prison guard in 1970. Jackson was killed by a prison guard in 1971.
In 1970, Angela Davis was arrested for allegedly being involved in a courtroom shootout using firearms that she purchased. Though not at the scene, Davis was charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. Catlett’s Free Angela images helped rally global support for her release from prison.
Lending Support to the Cause (1971-05-05) by Elizabeth CatlettAmistad Research Center
Correspondence from a Davis supporter
As evidenced by this letter, the idea for Catlett’s 1970’s iconic “Free Angela” poster in multiple languages was perhaps, first introduced to Catlett by Angela Davis's childhood friend, Bettina Aptheker.
Featured in major exhibitions over the past decade, Target Practice resonates with contemporary issues; it addresses social disenfranchisement, racially biased force, and political angst in the Black community.
Un poeta suma su voz al llamado a la liberación
The Spanish title, translated as A Poet Adds His Voice to the Call for Liberation, highlights the transformative power of words in the fight for justice—a central theme in Miguel Flores Ramírez’s tribute to Angela Davis.
A Poem for Angela
Miguel Flores Ramírez was a prominent Mexican artist and printmaker associated with the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP) artist collective where Elizabeth Catlett worked. The artist, who also used his work to advance social justice, wrote this poem in tribute to Angela Davis.
Amiri Baraka Publication Request (1982-07-18) by Elizabeth CatlettAmistad Research Center
Note from a man who also saw "Art As a Weapon of Revolution"
Amiri Baraka, Catlett's literary counterpart, shared similar philosophical views and a mutual respect for her work. A Howard University alumnus, Baraka's most notable work includes Dutchman. Radicalized after Malcolm X's assassination, Baraka adopted Marxist views.
Target Practice (1970) by Elizabeth CatlettAmistad Research Center
Art as resistance and reflection
Elizabeth Catlett’s Target Practice is a pivotal work of American protest art, capturing the intersection of race, power, and oppression. Inspired by the 1969 killing of Black Panther members, it continues to provoke critical dialogue on systemic injustice.
To learn more about why the New York Times Style Magazine article chose Target Practice as one of the most influential American protest art since World War II, follow this link. To listen to Orissa Arend's interview about the 1970s raid that led to the killing of New Orleans’ Black Panther Party members, click this link.
The Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP), founded in 1937 in Mexico City, was a collective of artists using printmaking to promote social justice.
Elizabeth Catlett, a fearless artist-activist, was both erudite and incendiary. She embodied a lifelong spirit of resistance that was void of any forbearance for social injustice. Predestined to be a non-conformist, Catlett refused to be silent or intimidated, even under U.S. surveillance and being labeled an undesirable alien. Embracing the protest ethos of "show them with your feet," Catlett renounced her U.S. citizenship, adopting Mexico as her home. A "triple threat" as an orator, writer, and artist, she used her work as a platform to champion revolution, proving through her unyielding spirit that confronting injustice is always "on point."
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