Charlotte Lewis – Artist

Charlotte Lewis (1934-1999) is a local African American artist whose legacy reverberates throughout the community through her art, teachings, and activism. Charlotte Lewis has woven her African American heritage within her art as a means of strengthening community.

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Charlotte Lewis was a multimedia artist noted for her work as a painter and as a quilter of complex scenes. One of her “fabric paintings” as she called them, Isis, is part of the permanent collection of the North Portland Library on North Killingsworth Street. After a long career working on commissioned pieces, Lewis shifted her focus to community work.

Although she had no children of her own, she is best remembered for her devotion to North and Northeast Portland kids. Lewis taught art to children at the Black Educational Center (also formerly on North Killingsworth Street) and in the Portland Public Schools. Her Kwanzaa events at the Firehouse Cultural Center were renowned. One of the last art collections Lewis completed was a series of images for a Multnomah County Healthy Birth Initiative outreach pamphlet, recruiting young mothers and fathers for a parenting education program

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Links:

• • • NorthEast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) Harvey Rice Heritage Housing Development Honors Beloved Sabin Activist
      • https://heyneighborpdx.com/harvey-rice-heritage-housing-development-honors-beloved-sabin-activist/
    • Portland Community College – Struggle and Hope:
      • https://www.pcc.edu/art-collection/art/struggle-and-hope/#:~:text=Charlotte%20Lewis%2C%20a%20Portland%20artist,at%20other%20locations%20around%20town
    • Urban League of Portland: Kwanzaa, Remembering Charlotte Lewis (1934-1999)
      • https://ulpdx.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/KWANZAA4thNightUjamaa/RememberingCharlotteLewis19341999/tabid/928649/Default.aspx
    • A Friendly Letter: Charlotte Lewis, A Fine African American Artist by Chuck Fager
      • https://afriendlyletter.com/charlotte-lewis-a-fine-african-american-artist/
    • Charlotte Lewis Fine Art Portfolio
      • https://www.charlottelewisart.com/
    • Culture Now – Museum without Walls:  Children of Humanity (1995 Painting by Charlotte Lewis) Courtesy of the Regional Arts Council
      • https://culturenow.org/entry&permalink=06322&seo=Children-of-Humanity_Charlotte-Lewis-and-City-of-Portland-and-Multnomah-County-Public-Art-Collection-courtesy-of-the-Regional-Arts-Culture-Council
    • McMenamins: Meet the Artist featuring works by Charlotte Lewis
      • https://www.mcmenamins.com/Artist.aspx?id=64
    • Portland Art Museum: Black Artists of Oregon Exhibit
      • https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/black-artists-of-oregon/
    • Portland Art Museum (PAM), Center for an Untold Tomorrow (CUT) Exhibit featuring Black Artists of Oregon including Charlotte Lewis (2022 Aug 17)
      • https://nwfc.pam.org/museum-awarded-major-grants-for-black-artists-of-oregon-exhibition/
    • Alamy Stock Photos
      • https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/charlotte+lewis.html

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Sabin CDC recognizes local artist Charlotte Lewis, chosen by Mr. Bobby Fouther to be the namesake for the new affordable multi-family residential complex featuring 12 units with 2-3 bedrooms in two (2) three-story buildings totaling 16,009 sf.  In addition there is a meeting room on the ground floor of the west building and an 1,100 sf outdoor education space. 

This new apartment complex honors Charlotte Lewis and expands housing opportunities for low-income individuals and families.

CHARLOTTE LEWIS MULTI-FAMILY COMPLEX

16,009 sf

CHARLOTTE LEWIS OUTDOOR COMMUNITY CLASSROOM

1,100 sf