This is the high season for local art lovers, with exhibitions up from the Newport Art Museum to small galleries in various regions. To add to the viewing opportunities, the Newport Artists Collective rolls out the free Art Trolley it inaugurated last summer on June 15 for once-a-month tours of 19 locations.
The Artists Collective, which has 19 gallery locations on its monthly tour, will run the trolley on the second Sunday of each month through December. Among the stops are Overlap, Gallery Sitka, Jessica Hagen Fine Art, the Newport Art Museum and DeBlois Gallery. You can hop on the trolley at any of the locations and visit as many as you please from noon to 4 p.m.
Art Trolley Starts Rolling Again – Newport This Week
- ART SCENE By Newport This Week Staff May 29, 2025
“We averaged somewhere around 35 trolley patrons a month last year,” said Curtis Speer, owner of Cusp Gallery and the primary organizer of the collective, which started last year. “The other thing we found was that some galleries had an increase of foot traffic during the time the trolley was running.”
Newport artist Christopher Benson’s work is included in the current group show at Jessica Hagen Fine Arts. This image is entitled “Beavertail Waves.”
The publicity generated by the event seemed to encourage interest, he said. The collective produced a gallery map that shows the route you can take. If you are at a downtown site, such as Blink Gallery on Thames Street or Cory Silken Gallery on Lower Thames, and you want to visit Overlap or DeBlois, just jump on the trolley. Most of the sites are between the downtown area and Bellevue Avenue, but half the fun is joining others on the trolley.
The Artists Collective, which started last year, now has over 75 artist members, and it hit a high note in late winter with a fundraising ball and member exhibition that raised $125,000 for its operations.
“We had about 300 people attend the ball,” Speer said. “The exhibition included 38 artists, 26 of whom sold work. The artists showed over 100 pieces for three days.”
Speer and others who are guiding the collective’s activities intend to hold a similar event next winter.
“It helps during the off- season,” he said. “It gave folks a chance to get together at a time of year when things are slow here.”
They also have a new monthly event in the works for the same days as the Art Trolley runs. Calling the events “tea dances,” the collective will raise funds through a cover charge for a late day of music and dancing at the Sidecar at Stoneacre Garden. The first event on June 8 will run from 4 to 7 p.m., with proceeds to benefit the Artists Collective and Newport Pride.
The collective also continues its Thursday evening Salon Series at the Brenton Hotel, featuring different artists each week.
“We’ve been averaging about 50 attendees a week,” Speer said. “We have a pretty steady following for the series. People seem to look forward to it.”
Whether you visit on trolley nights or at your leisure, there is a great deal to see across the city and beyond.
Noteworthy:
The Newport Art Museum on Bellevue Avenue features an ocean-themed exhibition of brilliant work by Sean Landers in its main gallery and a small exhibition of paintings by Edward M. Bannister in an adjoining room.
Across the street at Spring Bull Gallery, “Every Day Life” includes 42 small works from still life to outdoor scenes. Sherry Harkins won first prize in the exhibition, Ted Foster took second and David Lee Black was third. Honorable mentions went to Scott Glaser, Barbara Larned and James Estes. Spring Bull’s next show opens June 21 and features small paintings on summer themes.
Jessica Hagen Fine Arts brings back Hunt Slonem in late June. Meanwhile, the gallery continues with “The Effects of Sunshine,” a show with 21 artists. Slonem’s work includes paintings of flowers, butterflies, birds and bunnies, for which the artist is well known. The Maine-born artist has had over 300 one-man shows in galleries and museums internationally.
Overlap opens two shows on June 7. Megan Bogonovich’s sculpture is on display in one, and the other is a group show curated by Kirstin Lamb.
Gallery Sitka opens a lovely exhibition of paintings by Jerell Angel on June 1, featuring images of cities from Rome and Paris to Naples and Istanbul.
DeBlois Gallery closes “Birds of a Feather” this weekend and opens “Four Dimensions” on June 7, featuring work by Elbert Baez, Marilyn O’Donnell, Claudia Rowland and Michael O’Donnell.
Judita Musette’s work goes on display at the restored Belmont Chapel in the Island Cemetery, beginning with a reception on June 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Art Talk, a new gallery on Spring Street, presents a group exhibition on May 31 inspired by the metaphor of waves as a cause of anxiety, fear and emotional stress. Art Talk’s mission is to use art as a vehicle for mental wellness.
Finally, plan to get out of town July 19-20 when the South Coast Artists hold their 22nd annual open studios event, featuring artists from Tiverton, Little Compton, Westport and Dartmouth.
CREDITS: John Pantalone
- ART SCENE By Newport This Week Staff May 29, 2025
After retiring from 22 years of teaching journalism at the University of Rhode Island, John Pantalone, the first editor of Newport This Week, is happy to be writing for the paper again.