Newport Art Museum facts for kids
The Newport Art Museum is a cool place to see art in Newport, Rhode Island. It started way back in 1912. You can find it on Bellevue Avenue.
The museum has its main art gallery inside a special old house. This house is called the John N. A. Griswold House. It's a very important building because it's one of the first "American Stick Style" houses ever built. A famous architect named Richard Morris Hunt designed it in 1864. The museum bought this house in 1915 to show off its art.
In 1919, the museum added another gallery space. This part was designed by Delano & Aldrich. Later, in 1990, they added the Sarah Rives lobby and the Morris Gallery.
The museum also has a school for creative studies. It's called the Coleman Center for Creative Studies. You can find it on Liberty Street.
History of the Museum
The Newport Art Museum began as the Art Association of Newport. It is one of the oldest art groups that has been open continuously in the United States. This association started when many artists were moving to Newport. They were part of the "art colony" and "Impressionist" movements. The group was also connected to the art scene in New York City. In 1916, the Association bought the Griswold House to use as a gallery.
Today, the museum has many amazing artworks. Most of these pieces are by artists from Rhode Island and New England. Some famous artists whose work you might see include William Trost Richards, John Frederick Kensett, John La Farge, and Gilbert Stuart. The museum also shows art by many artists working today.
How the Museum Organizes Exhibitions
In the summer of 2024, the museum made some changes to how it organizes its art shows. They decided to use guest experts to help put together new exhibitions. This means they invite different art specialists to create exciting displays. Before this, they had full-time staff who did this work.
