Samella Lewis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samella Lewis
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Samella Lewis at Scripps College in 1995 (Robert Hale)
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Samella Sanders Lewis
February 27, 1923 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Died | May 27, 2022 (aged 99) Torrance, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Artist, art historian |
Samella Sanders Lewis (born February 27, 1923 – died May 27, 2022) was an amazing American artist and art historian. She was known for making prints and paintings. Many people called her the "Godmother of African American Art." In 2021, she received a special award for her lifetime achievements from the College Art Association.
“Art is not a luxury as many people think – it is a necessity. It documents history – it helps educate people and stores knowledge for generations to come.” – Dr. Samella Lewis
Contents
Early Life and Education
Samella Sanders was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 27, 1923. She grew up in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Her dad was a farmer, and her mom worked in homes.
Samella Lewis was a talented artist herself. But she was even more famous as a historian, writer, and collector of art, especially art by African Americans. She earned four degrees, made five films, wrote seven books, and created many artworks that people admired.
She started studying art at Dillard University in 1941. Later, she moved to Hampton University in Virginia. She earned her first degree there. Then, she got her master's and doctorate degrees in art history and cultural anthropology from Ohio State University in 1951. Samella Lewis was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in fine art and art history. This was a huge achievement!
Teaching and Founding
While finishing her doctorate, Samella Lewis taught art at Morgan State University. In 1953, she became the first head of the Fine Arts Department at Florida A&M University. That same year, she also organized the first national meeting of African American artists at Florida A&M.
She taught at other universities too, like the State University of New York, California State University, Long Beach, and Scripps College in Claremont, California.
In 1970, she helped start the Contemporary Crafts Gallery in Los Angeles with Bernie Casey. This gallery showed modern art. She also helped choose art for a big exhibition called BLACKS: USA: 1973 in New York.
Documenting Black Artists
Samella Lewis's grandson, Unity Lewis, is also an artist. He plans to update her famous book, Black Artists on Art. This book, first published in 1969 and 1971, showed the work of Black artists who were not often seen in regular art galleries. Thousands of copies were sold.
Samella Lewis said about her book, "I wanted to make a timeline of African American artists. I wanted to document our history. Historians weren't doing it. I felt it was better for artists to do it, using pictures and writing."
In the 1960s and 1970s, Samella Lewis was part of a group of artists who met every month. She started collecting art in 1942. She especially loved art from the Harlem Renaissance and art created during the WPA (Works Progress Administration) program.
Career and Contributions
In the 1960s and 1970s, Samella Lewis created art that showed ideas about humanity and freedom. Her art included different types of prints, like lithographs and linocuts.
Between 1969 and 1970, Samella Lewis and E.J. Montgomery helped create an important exhibition. It helped people learn about the history of African American art.
Founding Museums and Journals
Samella Lewis founded the International Review of African American Art in 1975. This was a journal that focused on Black art.
In 1976, she helped start the Museum of African-American Art in Los Angeles, California. She worked with other artists, teachers, business people, and community leaders. They all wanted to help more people learn about African American art. Many people and companies, like Macy's, gave money to help the museum.
As the museum's senior curator, Samella Lewis organized many art shows. She also found new ways to teach people about African American art. She believed that museums should explore the African roots of African American art. The museum still runs today with donations and dedicated staff.
Samella Lewis also founded three other museums in Los Angeles. She was a member of the NAACP. She collected art from many cultures, including African, Chinese, Asian, and South American art. Some of her collected art was later given to the Hampton University Museum.
In 1984, she wrote a book about the artist Elizabeth Catlett. Elizabeth Catlett had been one of Samella Lewis's teachers when she was studying at Dillard University.
Exhibitions and Legacy
In 2012, some of Samella Lewis's artworks were shown alongside pieces from her own art collection. This exhibition was called Samella Lewis and the African American Experience. It took place at Louis Stern Fine Arts in West Hollywood, California.
In 2015, her grandson Unity Lewis and Trevor Parham created "The Legacy Exhibit." This show featured three generations of Black artists. It included modern artists and some who were in Samella Lewis's original "Black Artists on Art" book. This show helped them find 500 Black American artists to be part of the updated versions of the book.
Personal Life and Death
Samella Lewis married Paul Gad Lewis, a mathematician, in 1948. They had two sons. Paul died in 2013. Samella Lewis passed away on May 27, 2022, in Torrance, California, at the age of 99.
Exhibitions
- 1969: Samella Lewis and George Clack, Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles
- 1980: Solo Exhibition, University Union Gallery, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, California
- 1980: Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition, United States and Canada
- 1981: Solo exhibition, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, California
- 1981: Solo exhibition, University of California, San Diego
- 1984: African American Art in Atlanta, Public and Corporate Collections, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
- 1984: Solo exhibition, Museum of African American Art, Los Angeles, California
- 2011: Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California
- 2012: Samella Lewis and the African American Experience, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California
Awards and Recognition
- 1962: Fulbright Fellowship to study Asian culture in Taiwan
- 1964-65: National Defense Education Act postdoctoral fellow at University of Southern California, studying Chinese language and Asian civilization
- 1993: Charles White Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1995: UNICEF Award for the Visual Arts
- 1996-97: Named a Distinguished Scholar by the Getty Center for the History of Art and Humanities
- 2003: The History Maker Award
- 2004: Special Day Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions from the City of New Orleans
- 2005: Alumni Association Award from the Ohio State University
- 2021: Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement from the College Art Association
