Newport’s art scene could be on the cusp of transformation, thanks to a new gallery at 35 Broadway and the vision of its owner, Curtis Speer, an artist who relocated to Newport in November.

Along with his partner, Tyler Martin, Speer moved his CUSP Gallery & Lifestyle from the well-established artist colony of Provincetown, MA to its new home on the corner of Broadway and Spring Street after six years in its former location. CUSP – a portmanteau of the artist’s first and last names – had its soft opening on April 28th and has been attracting locals and visitors alike to its new location all summer. CUSP’s Friday night gatherings, dubbed CUSP TIL DUSK, are well-attended by friends and passersby, and the gallery recently landed a shoutout in the NYTimes article 36 Hours in Newport, Rhode Island.

Speer, who has a background in set styling and design for Neiman Marcus, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, and Nike in addition to fine art photography, aims to infuse Newport with some of Provincetown’s artistic energy and traditions – including weekly gallery strolls – by bringing island artists and gallery owners together. 

Read our full interview with Speer to get to know the artist and learn about his work.

While Provincetown is one of the US’s most renowned artist colonies, Newport has a much different art scene. What are your observations of the local art scene and how it might grow or evolve? 

Various Newport websites tout that the city is an art colony, but when we took a deep dive into the art scene here, we realized there were a handful of great galleries peppered throughout the town but no art colony by any stretch compared to Provincetown, which has more than 50 galleries within two miles on one street. 

I looked into the existence of a ‘Gallery Night” or a “Gallery Stroll,” but learned that Newport didn’t have one or hasn’t had one since the pandemic. Being conditioned to stay open late every Friday night in Provincetown, we decided to keep the vibe going and take the same approach here in Newport. So, we call it CUSP TIL DUSK. The doors open and the music is piped outside.The intention is to make fine art and a gallery experience more approachable, as art can be intimidating on many levels. 

Whether you’re an avid collector or a first time art buyer, we greet everyone that walks in the door with the same grace and respect. We offer a glass of water or wine to everyone while they look around the humble gallery and make ourselves available to answer any questions or just have a conversation about the work. I would love to be able to send people from my gallery to other galleries but no one is open late…yet. CUSP is now working on creating a gallery map for those galleries that want to participate in a stroll. With this comes a little leg work, so stay tuned.   

Now that you’ve lived in Newport for a few months, what are your honest impressions? 

I love living here and everyone has been so welcoming, kind, and supportive — from the folks at The Color House to the crews at the hardware store on Bellevue and Post All. It has small town charm. When Mayor Xay came by the gallery a few months ago, he said, ‘Welcome to the neighborhood. This is exactly the kind of vision we have for Broadway and I can only hope you are on the leading edge of taking this to the next block.’ He also added, ‘If there is anything you need, please let me know.’ That alone made me feel like a viable part of this community. 

The owners of ROOT have been amazing to the gallery and allowed us to hang our work in their space for a little more visibility. A handful of locals always show up on Friday nights to support the gallery and they bring their friends. We walked the town and dropped off copies of my coffee table book, “eleven,” as well as business cards and postcards at several hotels. The Brenton Hotel has been so supportive. They continue to send people our way and vice versa.   

What are some of your favorite local spots to walk, enjoy nature, dine, shop, explore, or draw inspiration from? 

We love Corner Cafe, Caleb & Broad and we find ourselves at La Vecina Taqueria on Thursday nights and sometimes again on Fridays if CUSP TIL DUSK runs late. I get my workout done almost every morning at First Beach and finish with a swim in the ocean. It’s the best way to start the day for me. I’ve been taken out on a boat to explore Gould Island, Castle Hill and the Jamestown Bridge. I like to wrap up my evening at Brenton Point and sometimes followed by a drink at the Brenton Hotel. I love the aesthetic of The Vanderbilt and feel like it resonates with my sensibility and how I approach some of my fine art. If I could do a photoshoot in that space, I would be over the moon. Another spot I recently got treated to was TSK (Thames Street Kitchen) — incredible! We also started attending the Newport Polo matches every Saturday and have made quite a few friends there.   

You’ve lived in many places and traveled extensively. How does travel influence your work and what subjects you choose to photograph? 

I’m a believer that we become a product of our environment if we stick around, so traveling keeps life in perspective for me. Experiencing how other people live, eat, dress, and the music they listen to – it all inspires me when it comes to my work. From Cuba to Ireland to Prague and Vienna – all completely different cultures and all so wonderfully dynamic. I also love the coast of Maine and upstate Vermont. The light up there is indescribable and I can only hope I do it justice in my photographs.   

Can you tell us a bit about your curation process in your gallery? 

As for curating work for the gallery – be it mine or a visiting artist – I look for a story to tell. The exhibit can be beautiful,l but it has to have substance. 

For example, I recently exhibited a collection of still life nest images with naturally dyed eggs to visually portray the poem by Robert Frost, “The Exposed Nest.” The poem tells the story about children surviving World War I. I photographed each nest against a white background and placed a single color egg in the middle to represent a child in its home. The collection was wildly well-received and I hope I can show it again.    

Beyond CUSP gallery, you also offer design consulting and styling services. Can you tell us more about that?  

I have been able to apply my knowledge and experience to client projects looking to elevate a space. I also work with other galleries to help procure fine art for my clients if it is something I do not currently offer in my gallery. I think all art is important and I know it to be subjective, so I leave my ego at the door and know that my work may not resonate with someone, but I can help them find and acquire work from another artist or gallery. 

Any upcoming  events readers should know about?

We are currently putting our attention on the Broadway Street Fair in October and there is rumor about a Holiday Stroll. I am waiting to host a guest artist until I can beef up the patronage at CUSP GALLERY and make it a destination for Newporters and visitors alike. Until then, we host CUSP TIL DUSK on Friday evenings. As the sun starts to set earlier, we will call it CUSP AT DUSK.

To stay up-to-date on CUSP Gallery’s latest exhibitions and events, follow @cuspgallerynewportri on Instagram and visit https://www.cuspgallery.com/.