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Biography · Education & Scholarship

Elma Lewis

1921–2004

United States

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Biography

Elma Ina Lewis (September 15, 1921 – January 1, 2004) was an American arts educator and the founder of The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts and the National Center of Afro-American Artists. In 1981 she was one of the first recipients of the newly organized MacArthur Fellows Grant, in 1981, and in 1983 was awarded a Presidential Medal for the Arts by President Ronald Reagan. She is also an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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