Key Takeaways
- Living African American women who practice direct carving in stone or wood are exceptionally rare, with only one to three artists documented today
- Historical figures like Edmonia Lewis and Elizabeth Catlett carved directly in stone and marble, establishing a powerful tradition that few have continued
- Direct carving requires physical strength, dedicated studio space, expensive materials, and years of hands-on training that were historically denied to Black women in sculpture programs
- Carol C. Griffin is among a tiny number of living African American women carving directly in natural stone and wood
I came across something recently that stopped me.
A research report on living African American women who practice direct carving in stone or wood. I expected a modest list. What I found was closer to silence.
The report concluded that Alison Saar, who works in Los Angeles and carves wood, appears to be the only widely documented living African American woman whose practice centers on direct carving. For stone, specifically, the researchers found no one with confirmed documentation. They estimated the total at one to three artists, with the caveat that undocumented practitioners may exist.
I sat with that for a while.
I have never thought of myself as doing something rare. I think of myself as someone who goes to the studio and picks up a hammer and chisel and works. But reading that report made me look at what I do a little differently.
The Women Who Came Before
What struck me most was the historical section. There were three women, all deceased, who had carved directly in stone.
Edmonia Lewis worked in Rome in the 1800s and insisted on doing her own physical stonework at a time when most sculptors hired Italian craftsmen to do the carving for them. Her reasoning was simple and heartbreaking: she feared that if she didn’t carve the work herself, no one would believe it was hers. Her masterwork, The Death of Cleopatra, is carved marble and weighs over three thousand pounds.
Elizabeth Catlett earned her MFA in sculpture from the University of Iowa in 1940, the first African American woman to do so. She carved limestone, black marble, onyx, mahogany, and cedar across five decades of work.
Selma Burke carved in alabaster and limestone. She is best known for her portrait of Franklin Roosevelt, which eventually became the image on the dime.
These women did extraordinary things under conditions I can barely imagine. I carve in my New York City studio with a community of artists around me and a tradition, through my mentor Lorrie Goulet, that stretches back to José de Creeft and Constantin Brancusi. These women had none of that scaffolding.
Why So Few
The report offers some explanations for why direct carving never became common among Black women sculptors. Sculpture departments excluded women from stone and wood carving courses well into the twentieth century. The work requires physical strength, expensive materials, dedicated studio space, and usually years of hands-on training under someone who already knows how to do it. All of that was historically difficult to access, especially for Black women.
Contemporary African American women sculptors have done remarkable work in bronze casting, ceramics, and assemblage. Simone Leigh, whose work I deeply respect, coils clay by hand. The methods are different but the commitment to material and form is something I recognize.
Direct carving is its own particular conversation with material. When I find an unexpected mineral deposit in a piece of Brazilian soapstone, or when a knot in the wood redirects where a piece is going, I have to respond. The stone or wood has something to say and I have to listen. I can’t undo a cut. That constraint, as I’ve said before, is what I find liberating.
I don’t know if I can explain why that way of working called to me specifically. It just did. From the moment my uncle showed me how to shape a bar of soap with a knife, I was interested in the thing that was already inside the material, waiting.
The Lineage Matters
Lorrie Goulet trained under José de Creeft, who was a direct carver in the tradition of Brancusi. That lineage has always felt meaningful to me, not as a credential but as a way of understanding where the ideas come from. Someone watched someone else work. Techniques passed from hands to hands. Lorrie carved for over seventy years and she passed things on to me that I couldn’t have learned from a book.
Knowing that Lewis and Catlett and Burke were doing this kind of work, in stone, long before me adds something to that sense of lineage. They were part of a tradition too, even if the connections weren’t formalized the way mine has been.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is direct carving? Direct carving means working without a model or pre-planned design. The sculptor carves directly into the raw material, allowing the properties of the stone or wood to influence the final form. Decisions made during carving cannot be reversed, which makes the process both demanding and deeply personal.
Why is direct carving rare among African American women sculptors? Historically, sculpture programs denied Black women access to stone and wood carving courses. The work also requires physical strength, expensive materials, studio space, and years of mentorship, all of which were difficult to access. Contemporary Black women sculptors have largely worked in ceramics, bronze casting, and assemblage instead.
Who were the most significant African American women direct carvers in history? Edmonia Lewis (marble, 1800s), Elizabeth Catlett (limestone, marble, and wood, mid-20th century), and Selma Burke (alabaster and limestone, mid-20th century) are the three most widely documented historical figures.
Are you a direct carver? Yes. Carol carves directly in natural stone and wood without the use of models or pre-planned designs. Her materials include alabaster, soapstone, Carrara marble, limestone, black walnut, sassafras, and cedar.
Where can I see your sculptures? Carol’s work is currently on view at Harmon-Meek Gallery in Naples, Florida. Her full portfolio is available right here on my website.
Reading that report reminded me that what I do every day in the studio is less common than I realized. I’m not sure what to do with that except keep going, and keep doing the work as carefully and honestly as I can.
