August 15-November 15, 2026
Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, 200 W. First St., Claremont, CA
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 15, 5-8 p.m.
The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art exhibition Samella! Black as Lacquer and Iron illuminates the extraordinary life and profound influence of Dr. Samella Lewis as an art historian, educator, philanthropist, and artist. Curated by her Scripps student Francine Farr, the exhibition includes works by Claude Lewis, Harmon Outlaw, Alison Saar, Howard Smith and others, as well as drawings and prints by Samella Lewis.
A seminal figure in 20th-century American art, Samella Sanders Lewis (1923-2022) was a trailblazing art history professor at Scripps College and considered the first American woman polymath of African descent to receive a PhD in the history of art. Her life and global legacy celebrate and perpetuate the visual arts not only of African Americans and Africans but also of Asians, Asian Americans, Austronesians, and other indigenous peoples within and neighboring the Pacific Rim and Western Hemisphere.
The exhibition, sponsored in part by Gould Asset Management LLC, will open with a reception on Saturday, August 15 from 5-8 p.m., and remain on view through November 15, 2026.
The Museum is open Thursday through Sunday in the historic Claremont Depot at 200 W. First Street next to the Metrolink Station. For hours and more information visit clmoa.org.
Direct link to the web page: https://clmoa.org/exhibit/samella
More about Dr. Samella Lewis: https://samellalewis.com
