Floyd Newsum – Nationally Recognized Artist and Educator

Floyd Newsum was born and raised in Memphis, TX where his childhood gave him a front row seat to the Civil Rights movement, while being reared by an activist father who was part of the city’s first crop of Black firefighters. Determined to pursue his love of art from an early age, Floyd pursued his study at the Memphis Academy of Arts, and subsequently obtained his MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. His professional career began when he was offered a faculty position at the University of Houston-Downtown, where he has taught art for over 40 years, while simultaneously pursuing his career as an artist. The hallmark of his career was achieved with his work being selected for exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.