Lucille Procter Nawara was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1941 and spent her childhood in Massachusetts. Majoring in painting and printmaking, she received a Bachelor of Art degree from Smith College, a Bachelor of Fine Arts equivalent at Boston University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois. Currently a Michigan resident, she has taught drawing and painting at Wayne State University, College for Creative Studies, and Cranbrook Academy of Art, all in the Detroit area.
Nawara’s work has been exhibited at numerous American museums including the Detroit Institute of Arts, San Francisco Museum of Art, Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles, Butler Institute of American Art, Oklahoma Art Center, Krannert Art Museum, and the Miami Art Center. Her work has also been acquired for the permanent collections of the Detroit Institute of Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Ford Motor Company, IBM, Kemper Group, Michigan Bell Telephone Company, and others. The recipient of multiple creative artists’ grants from Michigan, Nawara has devoted several years to coordinating art exhibitions at the former Nawara Gallery and non-profit Detroit Focus Gallery.
Nawara’s personal interest in landscape began during childhood, when she and her composer/draftsman father would paint together outdoors. Mountain climbing in New England has brought her close to the woodland pools and streams as well as the rock formations that continue to inspire her artwork.
