Nearly 400 years of history effortlessly breeds an indelible spirit of artistry and ambition that dwells on the streets of our Classic Coast. Meander eclectic galleries and vibrant studios for a look at a robust roster of new enchanting exhibits. From a brand new exhibit at the oldest continuously operating lending library in the country to the 28th annual celebration of local artists, cozy up in these studios and museums for an enchanting experience.

 

 

RUSSELL LEE: A DOCUMENTARIAN'S PERSONAL KODACHROMES

A stalwart of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographic documentation project of the 1930s, Russell Lee’s legacy has up to now rested largely on his iconic black & white photographs of rural America. Presenting material heretofore never exhibited publicly, the exhibition comprises a body of enlarged color kodachromes taken by Lee during trips to Mexico and Norway during the 1950s and 60s, offering up the late, personal visions in rich color of an artist known for his haunting documentary photographs.
Where: Redwood Library & Athenaeum

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28TH ANNUAL LES PETITES OEUVRES EXHIBITION

Explore small artistic treasures in oil, watercolor, pastel, graphics,  sculpture and other media at Spring Bull Gallery as we enter into the holiday gift giving season. Work changes daily as new art replaces sold pieces. 

Dates: Through Tuesday, December 31
Where: Spring Bull Gallery

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BEYOND THE FLOATING WORLD

This exhibition showcases a small selection of the Museum’s vibrant Japanese woodblock print collection. Made in the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries, these prints represent three different movements in Japanese printmaking: Ukiyo-e, Shin-hanga, and Sōsaku-hanga. Meaning “picture(s) of the Floating World,” Ukiyo-e spanned from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Ukiyo-e prints featured subjects as diverse as scenes from folktales and history, beautiful women (or “beauties”), flowers, and landscapes. They were also embraced by Westerners who were fascinated with Japanese art and culture. In the twentieth-century, Shin-hanga or “new prints” revitalized Ukiyo-e printmaking while incorporating aspects of European Impressionism. Sōsaku-hanga or the “creative prints” movement promoted “self-draw” work or self-expression. Beginning in the early twentieth century, this movement experienced a rebirth after World War II and championed abstraction

Dates: Through February 10, 2020
Where: Newport Art Museum

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RECENT ACQUISITIONS: GO FIGURE

Each year, the Newport Art Museum acquires and receives gifts of works of art for its permanent collection. The collection is now around 2,700 works of art and counting. This exhibition features a small selection of recent acquisitions, some of which have never been on view before. With so many donations of works of art that are still lifes or landscapes, only a quarter of the Museum’s recent acquisitions are works of art the show or include people. This gallery showcases some of these rare works. From glass and paper sculptures of the body to painted scenes that contain people together or alone, the works on display focus on the figure. We would like to thank our many donors who have generously given works of art to the Museum’s expanding collection.

Dates: Through December 31
Where: Newport Art Museum

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AMERICA AT PLAY: WINSLOW HOMER

Winslow Homer (1836 – 1910) is widely recognized as an important American painter, but he was also a prolific illustrator. From 1857 to 1875, Homer made countless images that were reproduced as wood engravings in popular nineteenth-century periodicals and journals, such as Harper’s WeeklyEveryday SaturdayBallou’s PictorialAppletons’ Journal of Literature, Science and Art.

Thanks to a gift from David S. Hendrick III, the Newport Art Museum owns over 160 of Homer’s printed illustrations including some of his most well-known and popular images. Drawing from the Museum’s collection, this exhibition focuses on Homer’s many illustrations of children and adolescents. After the American Civil War, Homer frequently turned to children and youth as his subject matter. Depicted in bucolic settings or on the beaches of Gloucester, Massachusetts and Long Branch, New Jersey, the children and adolescents in Homer’s images took on symbolic significance. They represented the promise of America’s rebirth after the divisive Civil War. At the same time, Homer’s children also reveal some of the social realities of America in the late 1860s and 1870s. 

Dates: Through December 31
Where: Newport Art Museum

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AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR

American Illustration and the First World War celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the resolution of “The War to End All Wars” by honoring the essential work the American illustrators accomplished in swaying opinions and rallying National support for the war effort. Featuring original paintings, works on paper, vintage posters, and accompanying artifacts, American Illustration and the First World War displays these artworks as powerful, emotional reminders of the hardships and threats the United States faced during this time, and highlight the critical role the American illustrators played in the outcome of the War.

Dates: Ongoing
Where: National Museum of American Illustration

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