Malcolm X
About the Artist
This fabric portrait was created by Gary V. Lett, Instructor, Anthologist, and CEO of Lett's Do Art, hailing from Pomona, California. Gary's artistic journey began when he sketched his first self-portrait in front of their living room mirror before entering kindergarten. Growing up near the Pomona Fairgrounds, the roar of dragster engines ignited his imagination into a passion for drawing racing vehicles, popping wheelies and all.
As a visual artist, Gary refuses to confine himself to a single genre. Over the years, he's developed into a multifaceted creator, working through various mediums including paint, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, fabric, and graphic art. His sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Fredericks, played a pivotal role in channeling his artistry and motivated him to stretch his creative and academic abilities through storytelling and illustrating.
Despite facing race-based rejection in the late 1970s due to Black life themes in his paintings, Gary's creative pursuits endured. His artistic narratives define a confluence of history, community, and a search for purpose, emphasizing the significance of enriching lives through love and appreciation of diverse histories and heritages.
About the Subject
Malcolm X (1925-1965) was a powerful African American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he advocated for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community. Malcolm X's speeches and writings emphasized racial pride, economic self-reliance, and identity politics, making him an enduring symbol of Black resistance and self-determination.
About the Artwork
As the instructor of the textile art class, Gary had no intentions of making a portrait himself. However, when a participant abandoned the Malcolm X portrait after laying down the jacket, shirt, and tie, Gary picked it up and brought it to its zenith. This piece represents not only Gary's technical mastery across diverse mediums but also his commitment to completing meaningful work that honors civil rights icons.
The Malcolm X portrait stands as part of Gary's broader artistic mission: creating works that depict civil rights leaders and emphasize the ongoing struggle for equality and justice. Gary is currently creating a mural depicting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights icons with a voting theme, to be installed in Pomona.