The Newport Art Museum will flip the script on Giving Tuesday this year, offering free admission and special programming on Dec. 2 instead of soliciting donations.
The museum, typically closed on Tuesdays, will open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with art-making activities for children and a 1 p.m. performance by Aquidneck Singers, a multigenerational treble chorus. Docents will lead tours of current exhibitions.
“It has been a tremendous year at the Newport Art Museum. We’ve seen record attendance and fundraising, fueled by a compelling and engaging 2025 season of exhibitions and programming,” Executive Director Harry Philbrick said. “The Museum enters this holiday season stronger than ever, thanks to the commitment of our community, and we want to show our appreciation for that enduring support.”
Visitors can view exhibitions in both the historic John N.A. Griswold House and the Cushing Memorial Gallery, including “Edward Mitchell Bannister’s Landscapes in Conversation,” “Art Through the Ages: A House of Timeless Treasures” and “Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color.”
Dec. 2 will be one of the last chances to see “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea,” which closes in December. Recently opened exhibitions “THE COURT: Art in Play” and “Sport!” explore emotion and energy in movement and sport as cultural tradition.
Gardiner House, a boutique waterfront hotel named for Howard Gardiner Cushing, has selected the museum as its exclusive Giving Tuesday charity and will promote it to guests.
The museum will continue seasonal programming with a Holiday Sip & Shop on Dec. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. The members’ show “Springboard” opens Jan. 22, 2026.
Founded in 1912 as the Art Association of Newport, the museum offers multigenerational programming and showcases classic and contemporary art. More information is available at newportartmuseum.org.