Imago Foundation for the Arts’ new, public speaker series, “Artists Speak” will continue October 4 when Howard Newman, painter, sculptor, art restorer and inventor, tells the story of his work and how his artistic career unfolded, enriching our communities in unexpected ways.
The event will be held at 7 p.m. at IMAGO Gallery, 36 Market Street, Warren, and is free and open to the public. Since Newman wants to use the majority of the time in dialogue, those interested in attending are urged to visit his website beforehand at: http://www.newmansltd.com to learn more about his work and career.
The 2018 “Artists Speak” series features four established artists and aims to heighten public understanding of how the arts connect to building community. Other speakers in the series include Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Mary Healey Jamiel, and Willy Heeks.
“Artists Speak” is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Other funding is provided through the Rhode Island Legislative Grant Program, BankNewport and the Jay Barry Cultural Arts Foundation.
Newman received a BA from Miami University of Ohio, where he studied Architecture, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology and Classical Literature. After graduation in 1965, he and his wife, Mary, entered Peace Corps training in Puerto Rico and then lived and worked in Laredo, Texas as community organizers, and in New York City, where Newman worked as a legal aid defending disadvantaged people involved with the city’s welfare board. Later, Newman attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where he received a BFA in Industrial Design and an MFA in Sculpture with a concentration in Silversmithing under the mentorship of master metalsmith John Prip. Newman was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Italy in 1971, where he began making bronze sculptures.
These are just a few highlights of his early career. Over the years, with the help of many assistants, he created artwork for seven one-person shows at New York’s Cordier and Ekstrom Gallery and produced over 250 bronzes, along with paintings and drawings. Two of his bronzes grace the grounds of the Newport Art Museum.
Today, Newman continues to work at his private studio in Newport, where he and his staff restore a wide range of art objects made of silver, gold, bronze, tin, iron, zinc, and, more recently, marble and alabaster. His company, Newmans Ltd., spent a decade working on projects for the Preservation Society of Newport County. In 2008, Newmans Ltd. undertook the restoration of sculptor Richard Lippold’s “Trinity” in The Church of St. Gregory the Great at Portsmouth Abbey, in Portsmouth, RI.
In 2011, in partnership with Len Katzman of Portsmouth, Newman started Sigma Surfacing LLC, an intellectual properties venture through which he has received a recent patent for a new, highly efficient way of applying solar panels, roofs and clapboards. He also has a patent pending on a new way of finishing metals without removing material.
IFA strongly encourages student artists, emerging and mid-career artists, as well as those interested in the arts to attend “Artists Speak.” A video and monograph featuring all four artists will be created for public enrichment following the lecture series.
IFA operates IMAGO Gallery at 36 Market Street in Warren and supports community involvement in a wide range of cultural activities related to the arts. Regular gallery hours are Thursday, 4 – 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit www.imagofoundation4art.org to learn more about IFA and its mission.
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