Guiding Students on Using Art to Become Interdisciplinary Thinkers

Professor Gina Lewis did not plan on becoming an educator, even though she comes from a long line of teachers. Her path began in the Marine Corps, where she worked in accounting and in television production and graphic illustration. Art followed her through each role and she eventually returned to it with intention. She completed her bachelor's degree through a distance learning program in Vermont and later earned an MFA at Howard University. During her graduate studies, she met Professor Tewodross Williams, who is now chair of the Department of Fine & Performing Arts. Williams asked about her plans after graduation and told her about an opening for an adjunct professor. Lewis had no intention of applying until a conversation with her adviser James Phillips, MFA, who shared that all artists teach and she should do it. This began the path that brought her to Bowie State University.

Lewis said she first came to Bowie State expecting it to be a short step in her artistic journey. However, it quickly became much more.

"By the time I reached tenure, I had fallen in love with the students," she said.

Her passion for art extends into her classroom, where she encourages students to connect their creativity to broader disciplines and to use their work as a tool for personal and social impact.

She believes students excel when they know they are seen and supported.

"They need you to care about who they are, not just the assignments they turn in," Professor Lewis said.

She regularly asks students about their long-term plans and helps them think about how art can influence areas such as history or psychology as well as business or science. She frames art as a way to understand the world and to enter fields where visual thinking and creativity can be powerful strengths.

Now on sabbatical, Lewis continues several community-centered projects, including research with the National Park Service on African American descendant communities and a project that explores organic gardening as a pathway to health and environmental empowerment. She said these initiatives reflect her belief in art as a bridge that connects heritage to community and social change.

Lewis credits Bowie State for giving her the space to grow as both an artist and an educator. She speaks often about the energy and resilience of BSU students and the pride she feels in serving the university.

"Bowie State has become home," she said. "The students inspire me every day. In my classes, I teach students to use their art as a platform for creating positive lasting impact on whatever issue matters most to them," she said.

Through visiting artists and through redesigned curricula supported by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Thelma T. Daley Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair Award, Lewis is helping students envision how their creativity can shape communities.