Arts & Culture

American architects and architecture of the Gilded Age and beyond is the focus of the Preservation Society of Newport County’s 2021 online Winter Lecture Series – with one major detour to a palace in Prague. All presentations will be given via Zoom Webinar. Attendance is free but registration is required through www.NewportMansions.org/learn/adult-programs. • Thursday, February 11, […]

The Newport Art Museum today announced two new exhibitions on view February 6 – June 6, 2021. “Digital Breath: Video and Sound Art in the Age of Global Connectivity,” guest curator and multimedia artist Brian C. O’Malley brings together the work of 7 artists with fresh and diverse perspectives exploring the theme of “breath” during the era […]

With snow piling up and temperatures dropping in Newport this week, I decided to indulge in my favorite winter reading game. It’s called “Choose Your Own Polar Adventure” and playing is really very simple. Obviously, you need to start by picking a Pole (no, not that kind of Pole). They keep saying that polarization is […]

Due to the “climate of uncertainty around live events and the global pandemic”, Innovation Arts & Entertainment (IAE), the producer of Beach Road Weekend Music Festival, today announced that they have made the difficult decision to move the event to August of 2022. The three-day music festival was set to take place this summer, Friday, […]

Sean Galvin is back with another Newport Comic strip for What’s Up Newp, this time around Galvin has some fun summing up what many feel what the real estate market is like right now. Keep an eye out for Galvin’s work on a regular basis here on whatsupnewp.com. Follow Sean’s work on Instagram and Facebook.

Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”) has announced 18 student  winners in the 2020 ALT Art & Writing Contest, held annually to promote an appreciation of the island’s  natural beauty. Students who live or attend school on Aquidneck Island were invited to submit art or  written work portraying their favorite local vista.   “The response to the contest […]

The Friday Night Concert series at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River continued January 29th with a superb streaming show from Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez. Known for her mile-high platinum-blonde hairdo, Ohlman is the current, long-time vocalist with NBC’s Saturday Night Live Band and a popular national performer. Concert Photographer Rick […]

Live Streamed concerts have come a long way since the pandemic began last March. This weekend features several from across the country. We’re listing a few favorites below. Friday and Saturday: Ann Arbor Folk Festival with artists including Colin Hay, Dar Williams, War and Treaty, Bruce Cockburn, David Bromberg and more. Details here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j00JKIIjcK4 War […]

Source: CCRI Eight members of the Community College of Rhode Island’s student-run theater group, the CCRI Players, are competing for a chance to earn scholarships in this week’s 2021 Region 1 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, which will be held remotely this year for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The KCACTF […]

How does the region’s most admired performance venue ride out the COVID pandemic? With bold leadership and military-like planning. We recently spoke with Lynn Singleton, longtime President and CEO of one of the state’s most respected institutions, the Providence Performing Arts Center. With almost 40 years at the helm of PPAC, Singleton thought he has […]

The Tiverton Public Library recently shared the following list of library programs that adults can enjoy in February. Month of February Adult Craft Take-Out This month’s adult craft take-out kit contains the instructions and materials you need to make a heart dream catcher. Ask for a kit at the Information Desk or call 401-625-6796 to […]

Join the Newport Historical Society for a talk with author Dr. Whitney Martinko on Thursday February 25, 2020 at 5pm, on Zoom. Most histories of historic preservation in the United States start with the preservation of George Washington’s Mount Vernon in 1860. But Americans undertook a wide array of preservation projects before that date—including the residents of […]

January and February are traditionally rough months for new releases. Because movies usually need a release date before December 31st to be eligible for Oscars, the major studios load the Fall with prestige pictures and treat the first two months of the new year as a dumping ground for movies they don’t expect much from. […]

Arts and culture organizations, arts education programs, teaching artists in healthcare, folk artists and related community projects to benefit from $750,192 in grants announced today by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA). These 120 grants, approved by the Arts Council’s Board in December, will support arts and cultural activities throughout the state […]

This week, Paste Studios on the Road brings a series of livestream performances from some of the regions best musicians. Paste Studios will be taking over Club Passim for three days of live streams featuring New England artists. Paste will go live Wednesday 1/20 and continue Thursday 1/21 and Friday 1/22 with four shows a […]

The Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC), previously known as the “Opera House”, today announced that it will debut an exclusive Cheryl Wheeler performance on Friday, January 22 at 8 pm. “Cheryl is a brilliant songwriter and beautiful singer, says John Cratin, NPAC Board-Chair president in an announcement provided to What’s Up Newp.  “We’re thrilled to present […]

For performing artists, the year 2020 was a year of change, of pivoting and re-invention. Former Connecticut State Troubadour Lara Herscovitch has been navigating her path in the same way she always does – by focusing on contribution and service. In addition to releasing a new album and performing in concert online all year, she […]

(Boston January 11, 2020) Three of New England’s top emerging artists will take the stage for a special episode of the Boch Center’s music television series The Ghost Light Series. Jay Psaros, The Restless Age, and Alice Howe will all perform Friday, January 22, at 7:30 PM on NECN. Jay Psaros, a longtime resident of […]

This past week, a team of local high school students installed a ‘Black Lives Matter’ decal on the basketball court at Rogers High School.  To my understanding, this is the first action of its kind in the Rhode Island public school system and one that is meant to draw attention to institutional racism in our […]

The slow trickle of movies that had Spring-2020 release dates to video-on-demand has become a familiar story for cinema of the plague year, and while Promising Young Woman is the latest to follow that pattern, it does so with a buzz that has endured since its Sundance premiere nearly a full year ago. Having seen […]

January 15, 2021—Tonight, “Best New Artist” Grammy-nominee and critically acclaimed band Tank and The Bangas will debut an on-demand virtual concert with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at 8:30PM EST. Presented with support from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and filmed in New Orleans’ historic Orpheum Theater, the performance will feature renditions of numerous […]

Nashville, TN – January 13, 2021 – John and Aimee Oates have partnered with FeedingAmerica.org, nugs.net and Drive Entertainment Group to create and produce: “OATES SONG FEST 7908”   An all-star collection of like-minded artists have answered the call to participate in a virtual streaming broadcast on March 20, 2021. The show will be streamed free […]

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) is requesting qualifications for a new public art commission for the Garrahy Judicial Complex parking garage, which is located at 1 Dorrance St., Providence. The deadline is Feb. 15, and the applications will be reviewed by a public art selection panel. Without belying the dignity of […]

The Bright Siders are back with a new tune that celebrates the joys of making music with friends, and how sometimes the best way to share your feelings is through song. From their upcoming album, A Mind of Your Own, listen to “The Song About Songs” now! The Bright Siders, a.k.a. singer/songwriter Kristin Andreassen and fiddler/child psychiatrist Kari Groff are […]

By Ms. Lucie M. Raposo, Director of Public Information for WSBE Rhode Island PBS In a year defined by “war” against a global pandemic, and with social movements calling for justice in the same cadence of prior generations, today’s headlines are not unlike the ones that we, as a nation, have seen before. Unmistakable parallels […]

The Newport String Project has recently launched a new series, Hidden Newport, showcasing some of Newport’s most beautiful and unusual locations through virtual chamber music concerts. Their first performance, premiering on January 17th at 2 pm on YouTube, was filmed at Fort Adams and features music by Haydn, Komitas, and Walker.  Hidden Newport aims to make the music-making […]

The DC Extended Universe has been more of a mixed bag than its Marvel counterpart, but Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman in 2017 was a major bright spot. It helped inspire Warner Bros. to shift their tactics, moving away from a multi-film arc of Zack Snyder’s vision to handing individual projects to filmmakers with interesting voices. […]

Tulasi Srinivas, Emerson College If ever there was a year to toast drawing to an end, it’s 2020. Over the festive period, people around the world will be raising a glass to better times ahead. Accompanying sighs of relief will likely be the subtle tinkling of ice. In researching a book on the social, medical […]

It’s never easy to pick the best music of the year, particularly when there are so many worthy releases in numerous genres. Below are ten of my personal favorites from 2020 in Americana – that elusive spot where folk, roots, rock, and county collide.    Drive-By Truckers – The Unraveling. One of the great rock […]

As we wrap up 2020, we’ll usher in 2021 musically at home and online. We’ve put together this list of streaming concerts for you to consider over the next few days. Happy New Year! Dec. 30: Patti Smith is celebrating her birthday with a live performance at 9PM from London. Details here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z9G8BdnFGs Dec. 30: […]

It wasn’t easy to hear live music this year. As concert venues closed in March due to COVID-19, musicians were forced to get creative. Outdoor pop-up shows and drive-in concerts partially filled the void. What’sUpNewp Concert Photographer Rick Farrell was there to cover what he could. Here’s hoping for the return of live music in […]

As we get ready for the New Year, we also wanted to look back at the annus horribilis of 2020 and try to find the silver linings. It was a year that we’ll always remember for the founding of our Newport bookstore… and hopefully forget everything else. But before we indulge in collective amnesia, we’re […]

As January 1st approaches, it’s customary for critics to publish a list of their top films of the year— even if, like me, you don’t get screeners or attend festivals and haven’t seen everything on offer yet. I did manage to catch 80-odd movies that released wide in 2020, but it’s still worth mentioning that […]

Frank Dobson, Vanderbilt University On Dec. 26, millions throughout the world’s African community will start weeklong celebrations of Kwanzaa. There will be daily ceremonies with food, decorations and other cultural objects, such as the kinara, which holds seven candles. At many Kwanzaa ceremonies, there is also African drumming and dancing. It is a time of […]

It’s been a year mostly devoid of magic, but a few cultural organizers are hoping that’ll change on December 27. Pitch & Prose​, a new record label and recording studio based in Rhode Island, has joined forces with the Harry Potter Alliance, Wizards in Space Literary Magazine, and Yes All Witches to announce the ​16th […]

Matthew McMahan, Emerson College The first Christmas card was, perhaps predictably, one of good cheer. The concept is commonly credited to Sir Henry Cole, the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. To spare himself the stress of responding to the all-too-many Christmas letters he received from friends, Cole commissioned an artist to […]

Beginning in the early hours of Christmas Eve, you can track Santa live as he takes his historical journey around the world and watch videos from NORAD Santa Cams of Santa and his reindeer on www.noradsanta.org! Starting at 4 am EST on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s […]

The Thompson Middle School Band is here to get you in that holiday spirit. Under the direction of Band Director Don Chilton, the band recently held a virtual performance of Joy To The World. Look for a full list of credits near the end of this video to see who was involved in this festive […]

Steve Iwanski, the founder of Charter Books, will join the What’s Up Newp Crew for a conversation on Friday, December 18 at 11 am. Charter Books, which has become the sponsor of our ongoing Authors’ Series, is slated to open at 8 Broadway in early 2021. In the meantime, they are offering online shopping with […]

We’re bringing back our popular column “Six Picks” for the holiday season. Check out some of the best local and national concerts this weekend. Saturday: Rhode Island native Billy Gilman is back with his holiday show with Mike Renzi streaming live from the Greenwich Odeum. Details here. Saturday: Another RI native, Sarah Potenza, presents a […]

We continue our authors’ series with a 1 p.m. videocast today (Wednesday) with Edward J. Delaney, an award-winning author, journalist, filmmaker, playwright, and educator. His books include the novels Broken Irish, Warp & Weft and Follow the Sun, and the short-story collections The Drowning and Other Stories and The Big Impossible: Novellas+Stories, published in 2019 by Turtle Point Press. What’s Up Newp’s Authors’ Series is brought to you […]

Spring Bull Gallery will host its 30th Annual Fakes and Forgeries Exhibition this January, with prizes selected by gallerist and art historian Michael Rose. Conceived 30 years ago as a fun way to hone artists’ skills, Spring Bull Gallery’s popular exhibit Fakes and Forgeries has become an annual winter tradition in Newport. It provides an […]

Christmas In Newport announced the winners of the 2020 Christmas in Newport Door Decorating Contest on Friday. Participants were encouraged to decorate their doorways with natural materials/decorations and were judged on Friday, December 11th. OVERALL GRAND PRIZE RECIPIENT RESIDENTIAL at 77 Third St. (Eric Gilbert RESIDENTIAL TIE FOR 1ST PLACE 9 Greenlaw Blvd. (Katie Hook) […]

Newport Music Festival, in partnership with Music Worcester, will present Messiah via an on-demand/flexible viewing link beginning December 13. Opening with a beautiful performance of O Holy Night by Newport Music Festival President Suzanna Laramee and Artistic Director Trevor Neal, “this virtual event features a quartet of soloists from the Connecticut Choral Artists (CONCORA) leading us in a sing-along of the entire Christmas portion, […]

On Dec. 11, 1620, precisely 400 years ago today, battered, beleaguered, and greatly diminished by a horrifying passage, an exploratory group of Pilgrims in their tiny shallop arrived at Plymouth. After the Mayflower first landed at the harsh tip of Cape Cod one month earlier, this smaller contingent, launched from the larger ship, could hardly […]

Mermaid Masterpieces today announced that it has teamed up with Trinity Rep to provide a bonus activity for families to paint their own “A Christmas Carol” inspired artwork all from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Trinity Rep’s “A Christmas Carol”, a Southern New England favorite holiday tradition, will be released for free […]

On this edition of What’s Up In Local Music, we’ll be joined by Neal Weiss and Ginny Shea from Whaling City Sound. Since its inception in 1999, Whaling City Sound, founded in New Bedford, Mass., has made a point of providing a viable musical outlet for its abundance of outstanding local musicians. Tune on into […]