Who is Robert L. Newman III?

Origin:

I’ve never been the type of person to know exactly where I was going or what I’d want to be when I grow up, but I’ve always known what I liked and what direction to head. As far back as I can remember my interest has always centered Art & Business. I’ve always loved the mix of creativity and practicality. There’s something magic about the question “what can I make that will solve a problem or fill a need for someone else?” 

I started this inquest at the age of 4 in Tulsa Oklahoma. My grandmother is the woman that set me on my path. She owned her a doll shop in the historic Greenwood district, better known as Black Wall St, from which she sold handmade (black) porcelain dolls. What was even more extraordinary was that she was completely self taught. I still haven’t been able to fully articulate the amount of inspiration she has given me over the years.

As a youngster she saw that I was active, curious, and if not monitored a bit mischievous. Her solution was simple, put the energy to use. She sat me down in her shop and showed me how to weave pot holders, I sat there still entranced by the process. After a few days of practice, and probably the good advertising of me sitting in the shop window, I had my first customer. I was completely caught off guard, I didn’t know what to do, how much the pot holders should be, or if I should even be talking to a stranger!! When I asked grandma for advice she “you can do whatever you want…” 

To this day, the craziest thing  I’ve ever done is believe her.

Today:

Fast forward to present and not much has changed. After graduating from high school I moved to Atlanta, GA to get my BA in Business from Morehouse College. Shorty after completing my undergraduate studies I moved to New York City and have been a Harlem resident ever since. I started my professional career in 2014 at Morgan Stanley, an American multinational investment bank and financial services company, in their Finance department and have since transitioned to the private investment management firm Neuberger Berman. So in a way, I’ve always worked on Wall St. in one respect or another from the very beginning. 

After spending a few years getting acclimated to NYC, I decided to take the leap of faith in 2016 to become a “professional” artist. I began showing off my doodles, scribbles, and drafts of my work literally to anyone who would take a look. After a few months of gathering resources, connecting with amazing people and just plain gritting it out, I landed my first art exhibition at City College of New York. The opening day of the exhibition was April 18, 2016, my grandmother’s birthday. 

Since then I’ve had the pleasure of being featured in galleries, event and museums across the city of New York. I’ve also begun to explore and expand my creative mediums adding writing, photography and curation to répertoire.