By Emily Glory Peters
The words 鈥渘o one has done that before鈥� may deter some people from their goals鈥攂ut they never stopped Dr. Samella Lewis, 61传媒鈥檚 first tenured Black professor and an iconic leader in the art world. An art historian, curator, and celebrated visual artist, Lewis devoted her life to spotlighting other Black creatives. She died in Torrance, California, on May 27, 2022, at the age of 99.
Born in New Orleans and brought up in Louisianna鈥檚 strawberry belt, Lewis showed artistic talent from a young age. After taking an undergraduate art course with her future mentor, artist Elizabeth Catlett, Lewis went on to obtain her bachelor鈥檚 degree from Hampton University and her MFA and two PhDs in visual arts and art history from The Ohio State University. She was the first Black woman to obtain a doctorate in fine arts.
In 1948, she married mathematician Paul G. Lewis, and they raised two sons together while she established her teaching career. Lewis went on to teach at Morgan State University, Florida A&M University, State University of New York, Plattsburg, and serve as a fellow at the University of Southern California before arriving at 61传媒, where she taught from 1970 to 1984.
The beginning of her academic tenure came at a time when few Black individuals, let alone Black women, were members of the 61传媒faculty. Having collided in the past with institutions of higher education and museums about their explicit overemphasis on European art and minimization of Black artists, Lewis created a sea change in Scripps鈥� art history curriculum. Under her leadership, coursework embraced non-Western perspectives in art, including those from Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.
鈥淪amella was simply empowering.聽Whether it was her students she mentored, the artists she advocated for, or the museum professionals who sought her out, Samella never wavered,鈥� says Kirk Delman, interim director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at 61传媒. 鈥淪he stood her ground, always mindful of what was the right thing to do. In every moment, Samella was her authentic self.鈥�
Her influence on racial equity in art didn鈥檛 end there. Lewis opened no fewer than three galleries to promote artists of color, wrote seminal books on Black art that are used in classrooms to this day, and created a quarterly journal on Black art鈥攁n international publication she referred to as a 鈥渇amily operation.鈥�
In 1976, she founded the Museum of African American Art (MAAA) in Los Angeles to preserve and raise support for the work of Black artists. She directed the MAAA for 10 years while continuing to teach at Scripps鈥攁nd in 2007, the College honored her efforts by creating the at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery. , which continues to acquire art by leading women and Black artists, includes many works by Lewis as well as by her mentor, Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, , and other luminary creators.
鈥淚 had known Samella since the early 鈥�70s as she was instrumental in furthering the careers of many Black artists in Los Angeles and throughout the US, including being one of the first curators to give my mother Betye Saar a solo exhibition,鈥� explains Saar. 鈥淪he was a brilliant scholar, an amazing artist, and a fierce advocate for Black artists around the world. Her diverse knowledge in the art of China, Africa, and Black artists in the United States and the African Diaspora in the Americas truly formed who I became as an artist鈥擨 am so grateful for her generosity and support.鈥�
While Lewis鈥檚 legacy is defined by her role as an uncompromising champion for Black artists, she was first and foremost a teacher鈥攁nd impacted many during and after her time teaching at Scripps.
Thanks to Lewis, the College was able to host remarkable speakers to connect with students, including Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Catlett. To honor her time at 61传媒and her impact on the lives of students of all backgrounds, a group of 61传媒alumnae came together in 2003 to endow a scholarship in Lewis鈥檚 name. Designed to support Black 61传媒students of distinction, today that scholarship has aided 20 recipients who have pursued careers as educators, human rights activists, and more.
鈥淚 have heard [Lewis] called 鈥榯he godmother of Black art.鈥� My relationship with her and her amazing work provided me with a deep understanding of how critical African American artists have been to the art field, and how important art itself is to the African American experience,鈥� says Crystal Jones 鈥�85, a former 61传媒Trustee and staff member who helped establish the fund. 鈥淲e created her scholarship to solidify and celebrate Dr. Lewis鈥檚 legacy and concretize a place for African American students at Scripps.鈥�
It鈥檚 tempting to summarize that legacy by her achievements鈥攐f which there are almost too many to number鈥攂ut Lewis considered it more valuable to advance the achievements of others. And while her colleagues have described her as a 鈥済iant,鈥� her students as inspiring, and her family as revolutionary, perhaps most poignant is how Lewis saw herself and the purpose of art in her life. As she shared in a film by Eric Minh Swenson:
鈥淎rt is not only a surprise, but something that endears you; you love it. And you鈥檙e not supposed to, you know鈥攜ou鈥檙e supposed to be creating art for selling. I don鈥檛 create art for that. You can tell. I鈥檓 talking about experiences.鈥�
Dr. Samella Lewis will forever be an honored part of 61传媒 history. To make a gift to the scholarship in her name, please click .