by Sylvia McDowell
continued—in the Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park, a forerunner of the city sponsored program “Summerthing”, which for several years provided cultural events throughout Boston neighborhoods.
Her “arrival” as a phenomenal woman was certified by her establishment in 1968 of the National Center for Afro-American Artists, for which she assembled a national board of directors. Its initial local component was her school of performing arts, whose faculty included local performing artists and several guest artists. Using her persuasive skills, she convinced the congregation of Temple Mishkan Tefila to transfer ownership of its vacant buildings in Roxbury to the NCAAA for the use of the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. Shortly afterwards, she acquired the Godwin estate, a short distance away from the school, to open the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists. The mansion, which was in major disrepair - almost inhabitable - has been rehabilitated and renovated room by room to become one of the finest African-American art museums in the country.
Miss Lewis received many honors and awards. President Ronald Reagan presented her with the Presidential Medal for Art. She was an early awardee of the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation; and received the [Massachusetts] Commonwealth Award and, numerous honorary doctorates from universities and performing arts institutions. In April 2001, she was the 2000-01 Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award recipient, which carries an honorarium of $10,000 and is administered by the Office for the Arts at Harvard.
I knew of Miss Lewis as an important, international public advocate of the arts, transforming culture. It was awesome to hear her niece deliver the family’s tribute at her memorial service. She was as committed to her family as she was to her public.
Elma Lewis is lauded primarily for her work imbuing the culture of African-American heritage into mainstream American life. Miss Lewis was more than that. She was a beacon of determination and perseverance for all African-American organizations in the Boston area built on dreams of enhancing the lives of persons in need. She was one woman who gave encouragement and certainty that goals and success could be achieved despite setbacks and naysayers. For 53 years, since the date of opening her school for the performing arts, she was tireless in fundraising for the school, selecting teachers for her students, counseling her students, and staging productions for them not only to showcase their talents, but to have them help her fulfill her goal of educating people about African-American heritage. These were her activities related to the performing arts. For visual artists, she gave us the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists, an institution for all of Boston, which will be her everlasting memorial.
Her “arrival” as a phenomenal woman was certified by her establishment in 1968 of the National Center for Afro-American Artists, for which she assembled a national board of directors. Its initial local component was her school of performing arts, whose faculty included local performing artists and several guest artists. Using her persuasive skills, she convinced the congregation of Temple Mishkan Tefila to transfer ownership of its vacant buildings in Roxbury to the NCAAA for the use of the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. Shortly afterwards, she acquired the Godwin estate, a short distance away from the school, to open the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists. The mansion, which was in major disrepair - almost inhabitable - has been rehabilitated and renovated room by room to become one of the finest African-American art museums in the country.
Miss Lewis received many honors and awards. President Ronald Reagan presented her with the Presidential Medal for Art. She was an early awardee of the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation; and received the [Massachusetts] Commonwealth Award and, numerous honorary doctorates from universities and performing arts institutions. In April 2001, she was the 2000-01 Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award recipient, which carries an honorarium of $10,000 and is administered by the Office for the Arts at Harvard.
I knew of Miss Lewis as an important, international public advocate of the arts, transforming culture. It was awesome to hear her niece deliver the family’s tribute at her memorial service. She was as committed to her family as she was to her public.
Elma Lewis is lauded primarily for her work imbuing the culture of African-American heritage into mainstream American life. Miss Lewis was more than that. She was a beacon of determination and perseverance for all African-American organizations in the Boston area built on dreams of enhancing the lives of persons in need. She was one woman who gave encouragement and certainty that goals and success could be achieved despite setbacks and naysayers. For 53 years, since the date of opening her school for the performing arts, she was tireless in fundraising for the school, selecting teachers for her students, counseling her students, and staging productions for them not only to showcase their talents, but to have them help her fulfill her goal of educating people about African-American heritage. These were her activities related to the performing arts. For visual artists, she gave us the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists, an institution for all of Boston, which will be her everlasting memorial.
Sylvia McDowell
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