Cora Lee Gibbs

Cora Lee Gibbs was active in arts, educational and civic organizations for more than 50 years. In 1991, Cora Lee was the recipient of the Governor's Arts Awards for lifetime services to the arts in Rhode Island. Born in1924 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Cora Lee came to the United States in 1939, attending the Northfield School for Girls in 1942. She later attended Smith College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in art history and marrying Julian Howard Gibbs in 1946. The Gibbs had four children and moved to Barrington in 1960, with Cora Lee joining the RISD Museum of Art, as Curator of Education. Returning to academia, she received her Master's Degree in the History of Art from Brown University in 1972. She then moved to Amherst, Massachusetts and was awarded the Amherst College Medal for Eminent Service in 1984. Returning to Rhode Island, Cora Lee was named Director of the Newport Art Museum and during her tenure, a substantial addition to the Cushing Memorial Gallery was built. The Governor’s Award noted Gibbs' boundless energy and enthusiasm for the arts in being responsible for transforming the Newport Art Museum from a local art institution into a well-respected regional museum. She remained a trustee of the museum until her death in 2016. Cora Lee also served as president of the Newport Rotary, and was a board member of the Friends of Touro Synagogue, the Bristol Art Museum, the Newport YMCA, the Colonial Dames, Rhode Island Historical Society, and the Alliance Française.