Delita Martin facts for kids

Delita Martin, born in 1972, is an American artist who creates amazing art using many different methods. She lives and works in Huffman, Texas. Her art often tells stories and celebrates Black women.

Early Life and Art Education

Delita Martin was born in 1972 in Conroe, Texas. She loved art from a very young age. She has said that she knew she wanted to be an artist when she was just five years old! Her father was a carpenter and painter, which helped her discover her love for art.

She went to Texas Southern University in Houston. There, she earned a special degree in drawing in 2002. Later, she continued her studies at Purdue University. In 2009, she earned another advanced degree, this time in printmaking. Printmaking is a way of making art by transferring an image from one surface to another, often using a printing press.

Delita Martin's Art and Career

Delita Martin is a very creative artist who uses many different techniques. She combines printmaking, painting, and even stitching in her artworks. She mixes old and new art styles.

Her art often tells important stories. She wants to give a voice to Black women, who have not always been seen or heard enough. Delita uses special symbols in her art. For example, moons often represent women. Birds can stand for the human spirit. Many of her pieces also feature West African masks. These masks show the connection between the living world and the spirit world.

Delita Martin gets ideas from other artists, like Elizabeth Catlett. She also finds inspiration in the beauty and history of African culture.

Delita Martin had her first art show at the Community Artists' Collective. She also helped teach art there. In 2008, she started her own art studio called Black Box Press. From 2008 to 2012, she taught art at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Her art has been shown in big international art events. These include the Havana Biennial and Art Basel Miami. Delita is also a founder of Black Women of Print. This is a group started in 2018 for Black women who make prints. She is also part of the ROUX artist collective with other artists like Ann Johnson and Rabéa Ballin.

Where You Can See Her Art

Many museums and collections own Delita Martin's artworks. This means people can see her art in many places around the world. Some of these places include:

• National Museum of Women in the Arts
• Minneapolis Institute of Art
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
• Studio Museum in Harlem
• Muscarelle Museum of Art
• William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum

Awards and Recognitions

Delita Martin has received several awards for her amazing art:

• Bruce J. and Sharon Goodman Merit Award (2006)
• Telly Award (2010)
• Barbara Deming Emerging Voices Award (2011)

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Delita Martin's art has been featured in many shows. Here are some of them:

• 2017 They Cried I Am, Gallery 221, Tampa, FL
• 2017 Two Skins, Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
• 2017 Black Birds in the Night Sky, Gallery 221, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
• 2017 Constellations, Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, LA
• 2017 I Come from Women Who Could Fly, Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art, Biloxi, MS
• 2017 Night Women, Annesdale Park Gallery, Memphis, TN
• 2017 Night Women, Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
• 2018 The Dinner Table, Art Gallery, Houston TX
• 2018 Between Sisters and Spirits, Nicole Longnecker Gallery, Houston, TX
• 2018 Between Sisters and Spirits, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
• 2019 Shadows in the Gardens, Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, LA
• 2019 Mapping Black Identities, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
• 2019 [Un]Common Collections: Selections from Fifteen Collectors, David C. Driskill Center, College Park, MD
• 2020 Calling Down the Spirits, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
• 2021 Conjure, Art Museum of Southeast Texas