Remembering the Legacy of UHD Art Professor Floyd Newsum
Contributions are being accepted for the Floyd Newsum Visionary Artist and Humanitarian Scholarship. Art and social justice are the focus of this endowed scholarship in Floyd Newsum’s memory. The scholarship will be available to students pursuing Art or Social Work degrees.
Through 48 years of service to the University of Houston-Downtown, visionary Art Professor Floyd Newsum touched thousands of lives, not only as an exceptional art teacher, but also as a mentor, colleague, friend, and tremendous supporter of the university beyond the classroom and into almost every aspect of the life of the greater community.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Professor Newsum graduated from Memphis College of Art with a BFA in 1973 and from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with an MFA in 1975. He came of age during the Civil Rights movement and the Black art movements of the 1960s and 1970s, influencing his own personal social justice mission. He was one of the seven founders of Project Row Houses in Third Ward
During his tenure at UHD, Professor Newsum created a wide range of work, including numerous public art commissions. His work is part of permanent collections at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Read MoreProfessor Newsum was more than an artist, more than a teacher. He was a connector, a motivating force who worked to touch lives every day and who brought people together in remarkable ways. His art was intricately linked with his desire to nurture young artists and invest in the next generation of change agents, not only here at UHD but also in the historic Third Ward of Houston and even in communities he visited when his art was on view.
