In my newest series, ‘She Wears Her Story,’ I feature a Metro Detroit woman who embodies power, purpose, and personal expression.   Meet Deborah Lubera Kawsky — a native Detroiter and celebrated art and architectural historian who doesn’t just study the city’s past—she breathes new life into it.   With degrees from Smith College & Princeton University, Deborah serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Art History at Madonna University, where she inspires students to explore the intersection of place, identity, and design.   She’s also Board President of Docomomo Michigan @docomomomi championing the preservation of modernist architecture across the state.

A true bridge between eras, Deborah has illuminated the work of midcentury visionaries like Alexander Girard @alexandergirard_tec & Ruth Adler Schnee, and Detroit artists Hubert Massey @hubertmasseymurals , and Artis Lane @artislane —through museum exhibitions, lectures, and publications.

She led the restoration of Girard’s 1950s mural in Grosse Pointe and authored the 2018 book Alexander Girard Architect, which brings attention to his under-recognized Detroit-era works and collaborations with Eero Saarinen, Minoru Yamasaki, and Charles and Ray Eames.

But beyond her accolades, Deborah wears Detroit. Quite literally.

Over the years, she’s worn pieces from ASTOURI’s Detroit Collection with skyline silhouettes & city map fabrics that reflect the very legacy she protects. Her clothing becomes part of her scholarship: a visual tribute to the city she loves and studies.

Deborah wears her story with intention, intellect, and timeless elegance. Her legacy is found not only in archives and architecture, but also in how she shows up—for her students, her city, and herself.

Because to wear the city is to love it. And Deborah loves Detroit in every stitch.