Theresa Newsome is a fine art photographer who explores the intricate and delicate relationships between identity, femininity, and race within her creative practice. Drawing inspiration from her own personal experiences and observations, Newsome creates images utilizing a variety of photographic techniques including solvent transfers and historical photographic processes. Through her work, she is interested in shedding light on the nuances of the black female experience, referencing historical events, familial oral narratives, and contemporary experiences.

 

Theresa graduated from Texas Woman’s University where she received her MFA in Photography and Art History in 2019. She graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word with a BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Psychology, with a concentration in drawing in 2015. She currently works and resides in San Antonio, TX as an instructor and working artist.

Artist Statement of Work

Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):

“My grandmothers are full of memories, smelling of soap and onions and wet clay
With veins rolling roughly over quick hands, they have many clean words to say.
My grandmothers were strong. Why am I not as they?”

– Margaret Walker “Lineage”, 1942

 

Exploring significant instances of black and African American history, culture, and experiences within the United States, Theresa Newsome examines how these events and historical narratives have had long-lasting effects on her own culture and identity, both from a personal and universal perspective. Throughout history, black women and their bodies have been experimented upon, stereotyped, judged, and discriminated against. Her photographic works, What my Mother Told Me, What my Grandmother Refused to SaySims, Objects, and her most recent series Teaching Myself Manners investigate her own journey into womanhood; referencing instances from childhood, stereotyped female ideology, historical perspectives of femininity, and how gender and culture within the Black/African American community have come to be defined. Newsome’s work incorporates traditional interdisciplinary artistic practices including photography, textile, historical processes, solvent transfers, and bookmaking.

Culturally Specific Art Category

Select Culturally Specific Art Category:: Black or African American

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