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Having recently curated a group of Negro artists for the landmark Texas Centennial Exposition of 1936 43, Aden also introduced photographic images of art by African Americans stressing the importance of their contribution to American culture. Thomas expanded the speaker's roster for the School Arts League Project by securing the services of Herring and other University lecturers. 

In 1938, Thomas organized the first art gallery in the D.C. Public Schools using vacant rooms at Shaw Junior High for exhibitions. Exerting her influence with Herring and Aden, she borrowed works of African American artists from the Howard University Gallery of Art. 44

Thomas decided to return to formal instructions in art education, and began a course of study at the Colombia University, New York, during the summer months from 1930-1934. Her curriculum throughout those years included: teaching fine arts in secondary schools, clay modeling, theories and techniques of teaching, principles of art structure, amateur play production, drawing and painting, art structure and lettering, and pottery. She received a Masters Degree in Art Education with her thesis on marionettes, an area of interest begun early in her career. During the summer of 1935, Thomas took additional instructions with Tony Sarg, an internationally known puppeteer and marionette artist. Considered the "authority" on marionettes at the time, Sarg of German-English descent, had served as theatrical artist of several magazines in

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