The School of Art celebrates the exhibition of John Newman Retrospective: Visual Stories of Shared Experiences at Art Ventures in downtown Fayetteville.

Arkansas native John Newman became professor emeritus of art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences in 2013, where he began teaching in 1990.

"John's many years of service at the U of A were instrumental in forming successful artists and alumni," said Jeannie Hulen, the college's associate dean of fine arts. "His career has been an amazing example to our students and the art community, and we are grateful he shares this beautiful and thought provoking work for all to see."

Throughout his career, Newman has received numerous regional, state and national awards in art and his work has been exhibited in over 100 shows.

Newman said, "I consider myself an artist whose work is a commentary on social issues and social circumstances. I have attempted in my work to capture people's candid emotional circumstances and situation, including my own."

Visual Stories of Shared Experiences is an exhibition capturing human experiences, through the artist's experiences and African American and Japanese Americans experiences shared with Newman throughout his life.

He intends for the work to tell stories of the human condition, of the simplicities and complexities of life and how circumstances transcend ethnicities.

Newman's work is described as muted and soft, bold and hard, languid and moody; and sometimes dark, but never morose.

Sharon Killian, president of Art Ventures NWA said, "Newman's remarkable work carries salient stories about the American experience for African Americans, Japanese Americans and others who find themselves marginalized in a variety of ways in our country."

Art Ventures promotes the visual arts in Northwest Arkansas and invites the community to see this exhibition and diverse artists like John Newman throughout the year free of charge.

John Newman Retrospective: Visual Stories of Shared Experiences will be on exhibit through March 31, 2018.