At the recent Art Impact virtual event celebrating the life of painter and sculptor Artis Lane, Debra Kawsky gave a presentation on some of her research of Lane.

Kawsky, an art historian and adjunct associate professor in the art department at Madonna University, interviewed Lane during the COVID1-19 pandemic.

Some of the highlights of Kawsky’s lecture— which was videoed at the Cranbrook Art Museum and shared during the virtual event— included Lane's place as the first black woman to attend Cranbrook Art Academy in 1951, her experience as a celebrity art portraitist in Los Angeles, and her close personal friendship with Rosa Parks that led to several portraits of the important Civil Rights icon, a release issued on the Madonna University website said.

Kawsky also did a presentation of her interview with Detroit artist Hubert Massey, who created the mural "Power to the People," which was featured in the Detroit Youth Choir’s video "We Are One."