NBC Oklahoma to present John Newsom prints to local library

NBC Oklahoma will be donating a framed print and the framed color separations of John Newsom’s painting, Homecoming to the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County on August 19 at 4 p.m. The reception will take place at the library, located at 120 W Maine Ave., in Enid. Newsom will be in attendance and the original painting will be on view.

Newsom personally selected the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County as where he would like to donate these framed pieces. “We are thrilled to have Mr. Newsom’s art on display here in the library. I’ve heard Mr. Newsom credits the Enid Public Library as having provided a space for him to learn about art and the art scene in New York City. He used the library to learn and grow when being an artist was his dream. He is now living out the dream. I think it is a wonderful testament to the power of libraries to inspire and empower people to follow their dreams,” Theri Ray, library director of the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County said.

Homecoming is the 17th commissioned work of the NBC Oklahoma Artist Series. “I wanted to create an iconic image using timeless motifs from the Oklahoma landscape,” Newsom said about his work. “It is with great sincerity and reverence for the natural landscape of Oklahoma and its inhabitants, that this very meaningful and special painting has come into being.” The oil on canvas painting is 84 by 60 inches and was featured in Nature’s Course, Oklahoma Contemporary’s mid-career retrospective of Newsom’s work.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Newsom thrived in his Enid, Oklahoma upbringing but always yearned to travel and explore the world as a painter. Homecoming represents a visual return to his experiences in Oklahoma. John currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and their two children.

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University, he had his first New York exhibition in 1995, when he was only 25. Since that first show, his work has been exhibited in the United States, across Europe, and in Japan. His paintings are included in the permanent collections of numerous public institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT; and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI. Articles and reviews of his work have appeared in Artforum, Art in America, Flash Art, The New Yorker and The New York Times, among others.

NBC OKLAHOMA ARTIST SERIES

Each year, NBC selects an Oklahoma artist to create an original work of art, which is then exhibited at each NBC location in Altus, Enid, Kingfisher and Oklahoma City. The bank also reproduces the artwork on a limited number of prints, posters and postcards available to customers at NBC locations. Learn more about the series, its artists and how NBC support the arts at  nbcwigwam.art, or for information contact Jarrod Fergeson, director of NBC Oklahoma art collection, at jfergeson@nbcok.com .

ABOUT NBC OKLAHOMA

NBC Oklahoma is a $900 million state bank with seven locations across Oklahoma. It is an Oklahoma-owned bank. Member FDIC. 

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