(The DeBlois Gallery)

DeBlois Gallery will present the 2026 Annual Aquidneck Island High School Art Show in Memory of Rosemary Day from Feb. 12-22, celebrating the artistic talents of local high school students.

The show opens with a gala reception on Thursday, Feb. 12, from 4-7 p.m., with awards presented at 5:30 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view daily from 1-5 p.m. through Feb. 22.

The annual exhibition honors its founder, the late Rosemary Day, a dedicated Middletown High School art teacher and DeBlois Gallery member who believed her students deserved opportunities to exhibit their work publicly. The tradition she started continues nearly 25 years later, bringing together art teachers, students and private donors.

Four Aquidneck Island schools are participating this year: The East Bay Met School with teacher Cara Willi; Middletown High School with teachers Lucas Lundgren and Christine Woolbright; Portsmouth High School with teachers Talia Berghman, Krista Hook, Mel Olsen, Jordan Silveria and Emily Woratzeck; and Rogers High School with teachers Hope Lowe and Barbara Wunderler-Selby. Hook is serving as the high school show coordinator.

Admission is free with ample free parking available.

DeBlois Gallery is located at 134 Aquidneck Ave. in Middletown. For more information, call 401-847-9977 or visit debloisgallery.com.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...