| Summary: | Museum executive Elma Lewis was born on September 15, 1921 in Boston to immigrant parents from the West Indies. She earned her B.A. degree at Emerson College and received her M.Ed. degree from Boston University in 1944. In 1950, she established the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts to educate and bring a cultural venue to African Americans in Boston. There, she taught dance, drama and speech therapy. In 1966, she opened the first Playhouse in the Park in Boston, bringing in Duke Ellington and other high-profile entertainers. In 1968, she established the National Center of Afro-American Artists. Although the school closed in 1990, Lewis actively supported the arts and served on boards of several museums. She was the recipient of more than 400 awards, including the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. In 1983, President Reagan awarded her the Presidential Medal for the Arts. Lewis passed away on January 1, 2004 at age 82.
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