Texas Southern University’s Legacy of Women Artists

Mary Alice Williams Loudd, a multidisciplinary artist, believed that art must be allowed to speak on its own terms. She warned that art too often suffers in "the jungle of interpretation, which twists its branches about the arts and chokes off their life." For Loudd, art fulfilled a deep human purpose: "art answers a profound psychological need no society can do without."

Her undergraduate paintings reflected everyday life—children at play in a living room, diners bustling with movement, and vibrant nightlife scenes. Loudd's perspective reminds us that art is not just aesthetic but a vital force woven into the rhythms of daily life.

In 1972, Marion Cole emerged as a muralist, weaver, and sculptor whose work left a strong impression on TSU's art department. Dr. John Biggers, the department's founder, praised Cole's mural Women as "one of our most beautiful murals and one of our best compositionally."

The mural portrays women of all ages, representing the multigenerational journeys of life. Its dense imagery includes turtles, greenery, and stars, with no negative space left untouched. The effect recalls Dr. Biggers's own approach to muralism, layering symbols and figures to build a tapestry of meaning.

Delita Martin earned her BFA in drawing at TSU before founding Black Box Press Studio in Huffman, Texas. Now a master printmaker, Martin's work is featured in major collections including the Library of Congress, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Bradbury Art Museum.

Her art seeks to reconstruct the identity of Black women by weaving together signs, symbols, and languages from slavery to the present. Through these visual narratives, Martin amplifies voices often pushed to the margins: "art answers a profound psychological need no society can do without."

Martin extends printmaking's possibilities by adding stitched patterns, textiles, and rich colors, turning each work into both a print and a tapestry of memory.

Fashion designer Shirlette Thompson brings art to the runway. After earning her BFA at TSU, she relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where she built a creative business encompassing fashion, photography, and community workshops.

At TSU's For the Sake of Art Gala, Thompson stunned audiences with designs that fused sustainability, symbolism, and storytelling. In 2016, she won "Most Creative Design" for a mini-dress crafted from orange peels in tribute to TSU artist Kermit Oliver. Two years later, her "Catch a Fire" dress—constructed entirely from matches—took home both First Place and the People's Choice Award.

LaStarsha McGarity, a preventive conservator and Interim Director at Tuskegee University's Legacy Museum, builds her career around the preservation of Black cultural heritage. After graduating with a BFA from TSU, she worked on mural conservation, including restoring pieces by Dr. John Biggers and Kermit Oliver.

Her professional path also took her to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, where, as a Mellon Fellow, she conserved dresses worn by R&B group En Vogue in the 1990s. She has since restored works by Thornton Dial Jr. and Tuskegee's historic dioramas.

McGarity emphasizes why her field matters: "why diversity in conservation matters." As a doctoral student, she explores how HBCUs have preserved collections under unique conditions, ensuring that the stories embedded in these objects remain accessible for future generations.

New York–based artist and designer LaTonia Allen blends fine art with commercial design, using bold colors to celebrate Black identity. She describes her work as follows: "Infatuated with vibrant colors and positive imagery, LaTonia Allen's work consists of depicting people of color emphasizing the beauty in skin, hair and fashion. She strives to create images to promote pride, happiness and beauty."

Her recent pieces highlight the male figure and natural elements inspired by African hairstyles, from locs to traditional headwraps. Blue dominates the palette, evoking both freedom and faith, solitude and serenity. Allen's work resonates as a celebration of beauty rooted in heritage and everyday life.

With over a decade in education, Yvette Chapman combines her career as a certified art teacher and counselor with her artistic practice. A TSU alumna with a concentration in painting and mixed media, she grounds her work in her southern upbringing, navigating themes of family, colorism, and identity.

Her installation Colored Struck directly addresses how colorism operates across cultures of color, challenging audiences to consider its deep social divisions. By centering lived experience, Chapman transforms her art into an urgent invitation for dialogue and reflection.