William Ellisworth Artis (February 2, 1914 – April 3, 1977)[1][2] was an African-American sculptor, whose favorite medium was clay.

He was featured in the 1930s film A Study of Negro Artists, along with Savage and other artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance, including Richmond Barthé, James Latimer Allen, Palmer Hayden, Aaron Douglas, William Ellisworth Artis, Lois Mailou Jones, and Georgette Seabrooke.

[4][5] He taught at the Harlem YMCA after finishing high school, then was involved with Works Progress Administration's artists project.

Artis studied at the Art Students League of New York and Syracuse University, where he worked with Ivan Meštrović.

In 1945, Artis, with fellow artist Romare Bearden and Selma Burke, were together in the landmark Albany Institute of History and Art exhibit and over the next decade found the black artist making inroads in national exhibits and major galleries.