Hattie Naomi Gantt

Hattie Naomi Gantt was an artist who attended the Kansas City Art Institute during the 1930s. She belonged to a group of Kansas City sculptors active during that time, including William Wallace Rosenbauer, Mildred Welsh Hammond and Ivan Ganser.

Hattie Naomi Gantt was born in 1910 in Magnum, Oklahoma. She had five siblings, and her father worked in the lumber industry. Her family lived for a while in Lynn, Texas, then later moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Gantt attended Manual High School, where her talent was recognized by her teacher, artist Alice Callan. Gantt graduated in 1926 on the art honor roll.

In 1935, Hattie Gantt enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute. She studied sculpture with William Wallace Rosenbauer and painting with Thomas Hart Benton, two celebrated regional artists. Gantt frequently exhibited her work, including at the 1933 Missouri State Fair. Gantt was praised by a Kansas City Star article for her skill in stone-carving. She was identified with a group of up-and-coming sculptors that included Mildred Welsh Hammond, Ivan Ganser, James Roth and Troy Ruddick.

Hattie Gantt married James Gantt in 1936, after meeting in a class at the Art Institute. They stayed in Kansas City until the mid-1940s, after which they lived in Wichita, Kansas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Memphis, Tennessee. Neither artist taught: James Gantt worked corporate jobs and Hattie Gantt was a stenographer. They were both passionate about jazz and amassed a large collection of records. At one time, they were offered a radio program to play selections from their collection, but canceled it after learning the station had refused to host a black band.

After James Gantt died in 1984, Hattie Gantt returned to Kansas City. She lived there for another seventeen years until moving to Missoula, Montana, a few years before her death in 2006. Unfortunately, there are few records of Hattie Gantt's work despite her husband's career being well-documented. However, she belongs to a unique legacy of female sculptors in Kansas City and left an impact through her contributions to the arts community.