Mana Lesman began drawing and painting in the mountains of Montana where she grew up. In the early 1960's she spent her time studying Art and Architecture at Denver University, Kansas State University and Kansas City Art Institute. Mana then traveled across the United States observing people and making sketches. In 1964 she settled in Chicago where she worked for the next seven years as a product designer. During this time, she turned her artistic skills toward recording the scenes and the people of Chicago. where she quickly became known as ‘La Pintora’, or the ‘Lady Painter’ and was often found in schoolyards or side-streets painting in watercolors or oils. Mana began exhibiting her art in 1976 and has since had over 100 one-woman shows ,in the U.S. and Canada! Her work is currently featured in galleries in Billings, Helena, and is accessible on the internet. In 1978, in her capacity as Fine Arts Director for Elixir Gallery in Chicago, Mana Lesman received a poster design award from the World Without War Committee, Midwest. She also received awards in 1981 and 1982 from the City of Chicago for work exhibited in the Palmer Square Festivals. She received the Grand Champion Fine Arts award in 1990 and Best of Show in 2015 as well as many First Place awards for her paintings at Montana Fair in Billings over the past 30 years. Mana Lesman was asked to write a Program for Public Arts in Chicago in 1979 by Mayor Jane Byrne of Chicago, much of which was enacted during her term of office. Ms. Lesman designed and directed the painting of two murals in Chicago, “The People of Richmond Street United,” in 1979, funded by the Illinois Arts Council; and “Mujeres Latinas en Accion” (“Latin Women in Action”), 1982-83. She served as juror for city and community sponsored art exhibits and instructed art and dance in Public Schools, community centers and her own not-for-profit organization, Lesman Studio, Inc. from 1979 to 2022. In 1980, ’81 and ’82, Ms Lesman received monies from the Chicago Council on Fine Arts to teach visual art workshops to young people and subsequently she served on a panel to select recipients of similar grants. In 1985, Ms. Lesman returned to her birthplace, Billings, Montana with her family. She has continued painting and teaching. She taught at Lockwood School, Young Artists’ Studio, Growth Thru Art, City of Laurel, West Park Village, Billings Parks and Recreation and Rainbow House. In 1988 she received a grant from the Montana Children’s Trust Fund to produce silkscreen posters. She painted a horse in the “Horse of Course” program in 2002. Currently she still instructs art at the South Park Senior Center. She has taught art classes for the Summer Art Academy at Rocky Mountain College, at the Mt. Women’s Prison (Billings) under YAM administration , at Billings Education Academy and at her own studio. Mana and her husband, painter and sculptor, James Seward coordinated the fine arts component of the Senior Sports and Arts Festival for 10 years. Sadly, Mr Seward passed away after a long illness in 2022. Currently Ms. Lesman is dedicated to seeing arts reach out to the community in every possible way. Her direction has been to raise people’s consciousness, to enhance their understanding of their roots, their beliefs, their labor and ultimately themselves through art.