▁from ▁the ▁Philadelphia ▁public ▁schools ▁to ▁attend ▁J . ▁Liber ty ▁T add ' s ▁art ▁school . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁thousands ▁of ▁rural ▁black s ▁came ▁from ▁the ▁South ▁in ▁the ▁Great ▁M igration , ▁stim ulating ▁the ▁growth ▁of ▁numerous ▁black ▁organizations ▁and ▁institutions . ▁ ▁W arr ick ' s ▁art ▁education ▁and ▁art ▁influ ences ▁began ▁at ▁home , ▁n urt ured ▁from ▁child hood ▁by ▁her ▁older ▁sister ▁Bl anche , ▁who ▁studied ▁art , ▁and ▁vis its ▁to ▁Pennsylvania ▁Academy ▁with ▁her ▁father , ▁who ▁was ▁interested ▁in ▁sculpt ure ▁and ▁painting . ▁Her ▁older ▁sister , ▁who ▁later ▁became ▁a ▁beaut ician ▁like ▁their ▁mother , ▁kept ▁cl ay ▁that ▁Meta ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁play ▁with . ▁Her ▁brother ▁and ▁grand father ▁ent ert ained ▁and ▁fasc in ated ▁her ▁with ▁end less ▁horror ▁stories . ▁These ▁influ ences ▁partly ▁sh aped ▁her ▁sculpt ure , ▁as ▁she ▁eventually ▁developed ▁as ▁an ▁intern ation ally ▁trained ▁artist ▁known ▁as ▁" the ▁sculpt or ▁of ▁horror s ." ▁ ▁Education ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 8 9 0 s , ▁W arr ick ▁became ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁few ▁African - American ▁students ▁selected ▁for ▁an ▁innov ative ▁public ▁school ▁program ▁that ▁introduced ▁tal ented ▁youth ▁to ▁art ▁and ▁design ▁at ▁the ▁J . ▁Liber ty ▁T add ▁Art ▁School . ▁ ▁W arr ick ' s ▁career ▁as ▁an ▁artist ▁began ▁after ▁one ▁of ▁her ▁high - school ▁projects ▁was