Karol Ann Peard Lawson

Dr. Karol Ann Peard Lawson, born in Davenport, Iowa, on November 10, 1958, died unexpectedly in her adopted home of Lynchburg, Virginia, on October 11, 2026. Karol’s parents, Alice and Kenneth Lawson of Bluemont, Virginia, predeceased her and she will be buried next to them in Malden, Illinois, where her maternal grandparents also are buried. Karol is survived by her sister Karin (Lawson) Look and her husband George Look, her twin brother Kurt Lawson and his wife Jill Feasley, and her nephew Scott Lawson and nieces Joan Lawson and Amy Look.

Karol Lawson, a graduate of Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia and Sweet Briar College in Amherst, Virginia, received her PhD in Art History in 1988 from the University of Virginia and spent her career working in that field. Her career began at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum. This was followed by positions as Curator of Art at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia; as Director of the Maier Museum of Art at Randolf College in Lynchburg, Virginia; and then as Director, Art Collection & Galleries and the Sweet Briar Museum at Sweet Briar College. More recently, Karol applied her research and organizational skills to work with the Lynchburg Museum and as the Registrar for the Lynchburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of which she was a member.

Karol had a strong interest in museum administration, and was active in various professional organizations, including the American Alliance of Museums, the American Association for State and Local History, the College Art Association, the American Association of University Women, and MuseumExpert.org, a community of museum professionals formed during COVID. An example of her commitment to the ethics of museum administration, is that in 2014, under her direction, Sweet Briar College identified and repatriated cultural objects in its collection belonging to the Quapaw Tribe of Indians in Arkansas.

During the 25 years Karol lived in Lynchburg she helped preserve its history and encouraged and supported the appreciation and practice of art here. One of Karol’s most notable and visible projects was her investigation of the Cold War history surrounding the construction of the Maier Museum. The information Karol unearthed showed that the National Gallery of Art supported building the Maier and intended it to house a portion of the Gallery’s collection in the event of war. As a result of Karol’s research and tenacious interaction with the National Gallery of Art, it gave the Maier Museum the blueprints and archival photography from the building’s construction. Those important historical documents now reside in Lynchburg. Also, as an offshoot of her interest in women who had an impact in art and education, Karol researched and enjoyed learning about the life and contributions of the founder of Sweet Briar College, Indiana Fletcher Williams. This effort epitomized her skill as a researcher and scholar.

Please consider remembering Karol with a donation to one of the professional organizations in which she was an active participant.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.