Elba Lightfoot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elba A. Lightfoot
|
|
|---|---|
Elba Lightfoot working on Mother Goose Rhymes, 1938 WPA mural at Harlem Hospital, New York, NY. From the collection of the Archives of American Art.
|
|
| Born | 1910 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Muralist |
Elba Lightfoot (born 1910, date of death unknown) was an African-American artist. She was famous for her work on the Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals. These murals were created at the Harlem Hospital in New York City.
Contents
Who Was Elba Lightfoot?
Elba Lightfoot was born in Evanston, Illinois. She became a talented artist. She was especially known for creating large paintings called murals. Murals are often painted directly onto walls.
Fighting for Fairness in Art
In 1935, Elba Lightfoot helped start an important group. It was called the Harlem Artists Guild. She worked with other artists like Charles Alston and Augusta Savage. They also worked with a book lover named Arthur Schomburg.
The main goal of the Harlem Artists Guild was to fight for equality. They wanted fair treatment for Black artists. This was especially true in government art programs. These programs were part of the Federal Art Project (FAP) in New York. The FAP was a part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
The Harlem Hospital Murals
In 1936, a group of Black artists designed murals for Harlem Hospital. Elba Lightfoot was one of these artists. Other artists included Charles Alston and Georgette Seabrook.
The WPA's Federal Art Project approved their mural designs. However, the hospital's superintendent, L.T. Dermody, at first said no to four of the designs. Despite this challenge, the murals were eventually created. Elba Lightfoot worked on a mural called Mother Goose Rhymes. You can see her working on it in the image above.
Showing Art to the World
Elba Lightfoot's art was shown in important exhibitions. One was the Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro. This show took place in Chicago in 1940. It was connected to the American Negro Exposition.
She also had her art featured in American Negro Art. This exhibition was held in New York City. It took place from December 1941 to January 1942. This was a very special show. It was the first time a mainstream art gallery showed African-American art. The gallery was called the Downtown Gallery. Important people like Mayor Fiorello La Guardia supported the exhibition. Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady, also supported it.
A Glimpse into History
Elba Lightfoot appears in a group photograph. This photo shows artists from the WPA Art Center. The center was located in New York City.
Her story is also preserved in history. An interview with Elba Lightfoot from 1988 exists. It is kept in the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch Archives. These archives are at Emory University.
