Congratulations to 2010 Lewis Award winners Dr. Abraham L. Davis, Marcia L. Fudge, Stan Jefferson, and John B. Williams.
ABOUT THE LEWIS AWARD
Awarded biennially to an African American alumnus who has achieved notable career accomplishments and outstanding professional contributions, including professional impact, authorship of significant publications or research, and community service.
NOMINATION FORM (PDF)
NOMINATION FORM (WORD)
ABOUT DR. SAMELLA S. LEWIS
Dr. Samella S. Lewis is a pioneer in the field of art history. An award-winning author, an exceptional visual artist, and an internationally known historian of African American and African art, Lewis was the first woman in the country to receive a Ph.D. in art history and art. She also received a master's degree in fine art from The Ohio State University in 1948.
Lewis spent five years as the chair of the Fine Arts Department at Florida A&M University, where she organized the first conference for African American artists in 1953. Lewis moved to State University of New York in 1958, where she developed an interest in Chinese and Asian art, language, and culture. The interest turned into a passion and Lewis earned a Fulbright Fellowship in Taiwan to study Asian art history and language. Lewis taught at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., from 1969 to 1984, where she became the college's first tenured African American professor.
A native of New Orleans, La., Lewis founded the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles in 1976, where she served as senior curator until 1986. Lewis was coordinator of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1968 to 1969, and her efforts created new exhibition opportunities for African American artists.
Through the years, Lewis has remained dedicated to The Ohio State University and Columbus. She donated some 36 works of art to Ohio State’s Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, which has succeeded in part by following an outline of goals and missions provided by Lewis in 1989. Lewis also supports the King Arts Complex in Columbus. She has received the UNICEF Award for the Visual Arts, and from 1996 to 1997 worked as a distinguished scholar at the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities in Los Angeles. Lewis is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Art Caucus.