Two new exhibitions open at Newport Art Museum

The Newport Art Museum today announced details of two new exhibitions on view through April 25, 2021.

“Abstract Ideas” features an array of modern and contemporary American artists from the Museum’s permanent collection exploring ideas and emotions through abstraction.  Eliciting feelings and sensations, abstract art prioritizes emotional experiences over tangible realities. With this exhibition, viewers are encouraged to let their eyes and minds wander and delight in the colors, shapes, and gestures of these evocative works. Featured artists include: James Baker, Donna Bruton, Ruth Dealy, Mary Dondero, Jemison Faust, Ralph Gibson, Corita Kent, Alan Metnick, Joseph Norman, Mahler B. Ryder, Aaron Siskind, and Hugh Townley among others.

“Light and Presence: Richard Benson’s ‘The Touro Synagogue,'” curated by Megan Horn, features Benson’s 1988 black and white portfolio of images that go beyond simply documenting architecture and allow viewers to experience the intimacy of the site. Designed by architect Peter Harrison and completed in 1763, the Touro Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the United States. The synagogue has survived the British occupation of Newport during the American Revolution and major shifts in Newport’s economic history, and early on its congregation participated in advocating for religious freedoms in the United States’ Bill of Rights. Benson’s photographs of this Newport landmark make the presence of the past felt.

“Abstract Ideas” and “Light and Presence: Richard Benson’s ‘The Touro Synagogue'” join two other exhibitions now on view; “Digital Breath: Video and Sound Art in the Age of Global Connectivity” and “Donna Ferrato: Selections from ‘Living with the Enemy.’” Newport Art Museum Introduces “Abstract Ideas” and “Light and Presence: Richard Benson’s ‘The Touro Synagogue'”isit newportartmuseum.org for more information.