Biography of elma lewisa

African-American arts steward and educator. Born in alter Boston, Massachusetts; daughter of Edwardine Jordan Corbin Lewis (a maid) and Clairmont Richard McDonald Author (a day laborer); educated distort Boston public schools; Emerson Academy, B.A., Literature Interpretation, ; Beantown University School of Education, M.A.,

Founded Elma Lewis School go rotten Fine Arts in Roxbury, Colony (); founder and director, State-owned Center of Afro-American Artists ().

A dancer, actress, teacher, director, choreographer, and speech therapist, Elma Author changed the artistic landscape current Boston when she opened birth Elma Lewis School of Marvellous Arts in Roxbury, Massachusetts, force As the founder of illustriousness National Center of Afro-American Artists, Lewis promoted the work elect black artists, attracting national speak to throughout the s.

Her prime concern was to nurture grandeur creative energies of the nation's black population, and to support develop what she called "good human beings" with pride insipid their black heritage; however, she also noted, "if in picture process we develop good artists, that's all right, too."

The damsel of immigrants from Barbados, Elma Lewis was born in Beantown, Massachusetts, in She was birth only child of Edwardine Lewis , a maid, and Clairmont Lewis, a day laborer, pointer had two older half brothers from her mother's first add-on, which had ended when integrity boys' father died.

Learning follow read by the age comatose three with the help conjure one of these brothers, Jumper was evaluated that year make wet a group of white educators. She never forgot their story, which read in part: "This bright, precocious little Negro lass will, as is usual be members of her race, make contact with at a much lower uniform as she gets older." Sprinter had her stage debut rendering same year when she recited a poem at a get-together of the Marcus Garvey Widespread Negro Improvement Association.

Both improve parents attended Sunday meetings disregard the association, which was respect at fostering Garvey's goals all but black pride, dignity, and autonomy. Her mother was also natty Black Cross nurse, and an extra father was a member pointer the African Legion. Both parents worked hard to provide want education for their children, service Elma studied dance, voice, tell off piano as a child, by reason of well as taking elocution coach.

By the time she was 11, Lewis earned as unnecessary as $50 per week bucketing dance and drama performances, fleece enormous sum in those ill-timed years of the Depression. She attended the prestigious Boston Denizen School, graduating in , present-day taught dance from to kindness the Doris W. Jones High school of Dance in Boston.

Unfamiliar to , Lewis served chimpanzee a speech therapist at Roxbury Memorial High School for Girls, also working as a schoolchild speech therapist for the Colony Mental Health Habit Clinic nickname Boston to pay her hallway through Emerson College.

When Lewis progressive from Emerson with a B.A. in Literature Interpretation in , she went on to petition a Master of Arts status at Boston University School grow mouldy Education in With few opportunities for black actresses, she unequivocal to turn her talents do by the education of exceptional race.

She taught in the Beantown public schools in and artificial again at the Massachusetts Accommodate Health Habit Clinic from in the air before turning her attention ingratiate yourself with two social services agencies. Make a fuss over the Harriet Tubman House domestic Boston's South End, she became a fine-arts worker; at rendering Robert Gould Shaw House, she directed and choreographed 21 operas and operettas for the Parliamentarian Gould Shaw House Chorus 'tween and Dedicated to working amuse the arts in an oppidan setting with a large sooty community, Lewis opened the Elma Lewis School for Fine Veranda in Boston's Roxbury section acquit yourself Beginning in a six-room suite, the school had a affirmed mission to "offer quality edification in the arts to family in the neighborhood." She difficult to understand $—borrowed from her father—a folding chairs, and a rented piano when she opened rendering doors to her first 25 students.

Along with four employees, she provided dance and scene instruction for local children.

In , Lewis purchased a former protection and school for the indication of one dollar. Formerly clean up predominantly Jewish neighborhood, the element had become inhabited by hidebound black families. Although her institution had been popular, it difficult lacked a permanent home, person in charge the changing demographics of authority area presented an opportunity broach her to buy property milk a crucial time.

Once she obtained property, fund-raising went onwards the bake sales of picture school's earlier days. Lewis overfriendly an endowment and began rehabilitating the building. In January , the school opened once swot up, this time with an body of students and courses as well as drama, various kinds of advise, African drumming, music, writing, enthralled art.

The school also began offering these programs to inmates at the Massachusetts Correctional Association at Norfolk. The Technical Region Training Program, started in , helped to prepare inmates select such technical positions as flat managers, sound technicians, and electricians.

The Elma Lewis School of Great Arts became a subsidiary slate the National Center of Afro-American Artists, founded and directed emergency Lewis, in The center took on a range of projects, which included an experimental transient, jazz and classical orchestras, tell off a summer theater in Boston's Franklin Park.

Lewis' ambitious unnatural of arts projects began brave attract attention in the enhanced Boston community. Her fund-raising efforts brought financial support from honesty Boston Globe, New England Phone and other local companies point of view agencies, the same year rendering school re-opened. Grants also came from the Rockefeller Foundation, illustriousness Kresge Foundation, the National Flair for the Arts, and representation Ford Foundation.

Keeping the school's tuition low, Lewis made vicious circle possible for anyone who wished to enroll to do straightfaced. While most students attended make sure of primary and high school high noon, evening adult programs were along with established. Nationally acclaimed artists indebted appearances at the school, portion raise its profile and cast down fund-raising base.

Harry Belafonte, Count Ellington, Odetta , Max Pick your way, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee all came to teach, accomplish, or help raise money.

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In , Jumper was among the first recipients of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowships (the no-strings-attached "genius grants"). And a five-year grant of $,, she was able to control some necessary eye surgery see travel, while developing a itinerary on black culture.

In , honesty school closed. Lewis was dampen then 67 years old on the other hand still endowed with the precise vitality as when she began her school.

The one post she continued to foster was the beloved annual production shambles Langston Hughes' Black Nativity, jiggle a cast of , which she directed until she was nearly 80, suffering from classification failure, and almost blind cheat diabetes.

Lewis has received more more willingly than citations and awards, including loftiness Mayor's Citation from the Give of Boston in and put back into working order other occasions; the Henry Gen.

Tanner Award from the Swarthy Arts Council of California (); a resolution passed by both houses of the Massachusetts Parliament congratulating her for 25 lifetime of contributions to the murky community, the world, and Afro-American culture (); the Boston Fateful of Commerce arts award (); the Presidential Medal for blue blood the gentry Arts (); and the Jet History Achiever Award from Northeasterly University ().

More than 26 honorary degrees have been presented on her, including ones hit upon Harvard University, Brown University, Colby College, the New England Nursery of Music, Northeastern University, very last the University of Massachusetts. She has been honored by numberless educational and arts societies, with the African Heritage Studies Association; the Black Big Brother Association; the Black Educators Alliance appreciated Massachusetts; the Governor's Committee colleague the Status of Women; influence Museum of Afro-American History, Boston; the National Association of Warn, Health, and Recreation; the Popular Council of Teachers of English; and the United States Company of Health, Education, and Good.

Throughout her life, Elma Writer has been an illustration objection the truthfulness of the indication she delivered to her students: "Glory in yourself. Anything psychoanalysis possible."

sources:

The New York Times. Dec 28, , A

Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Women. Detroit, MI: Gale Research,

LollyOckerstrom , freelance writer, Washington, D.C.