Delita Martin is an artist currently based in Huffman, Texas. She received a BFA in drawing from Texas Southern University and an MFA in printmaking from Purdue University. Formerly a member of the fine arts faculty at UA Little Rock in Arkansas, Martin currently works as a full-time artist in her studio, Black Box Press.

Martin’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. “Delita Martin: Calling Down the Spirits” held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2020 was Martin’s first solo museum exhibition. Her work toured the country (2016-17) in the Crystal Bridges Museum exhibition, “State of the Arts: Discovering American Art Now” that included 101 artists from across the United States. In 2015 she was featured in the International Review of African American Art as one of sixteen “African American Artists to Watch” who are gaining national and international recognition.

Permanent Collections (selected): Bradbury Art Museum, C.N. Gorman Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum, David Driskell Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota Museum of American Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Petrucci Family Foundation, Studio Museum in Harlem, Thrivent Financial, William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, and the U.S. Embassy, Nouachott, Mauritania.

Martin’s work is also represented in numerous private and corporate collections in the United States and aboard.

Artist Statement about "Between Sisters and Spirits":
“Wherever two or three woman are gathered together, there is the spirit and authority of Sande.”
-Mende belief
“Women create Sande on the spot where they group together, sharing with one another, excluding men. This space is defined by privacy and secrecy- Women together in their womanhood, in a free exchange of words and actions among sisters -This is Sande.”
-Sylvia Ardyn Boone from "Radiance From The Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art"

The duality of women in this body of work project the spirit and its connection to the physical world, which reinforces the bond amongst women and how they coexist in the physical and spiritual realms. The mask seen in the work are my interpretation of the Mende mask, specifically created for young girls being initiated into Sande. These masks are created as a reminder that human beings have a dual existence viewed as one body.

In this work, I am also exploring the different signs and symbols that help define the space the women reside in. In my previous works, the backgrounds communicated a specific sign, symbol, or icon to assist the viewer in their conversation with the work. Those signs and symbols helped define the perspective of the image. This body of work transitions the women and their place of residence into a spiritual realm, where the symbolism is less defined, the shapes are more organic, and the icons are left for the viewer to ponder and creating a space for the women to be birthed into.