Newport Classical is calling on artists, designers and creatives to submit original artwork for a chance to design the official poster for its 2026 summer music festival. The organization announced its first-annual poster competition this week, inviting submissions that could become a defining image of the festival season. The winning design will be displayed around […]
Arts & Culture
A look at What’s Up in arts and culture in Newport, Rhode Island, and beyond.
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Love Story’ is revealing just how much Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s style has endured
By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH Associated Press Grainy paparazzi shots on social media show her hailing a cab in a black slip dress. Walking the streets of New York in an oversize coat. Wearing that signature red lipstick. Nearly three decades after her death at age 33, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is back in the spotlight as […]
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Westerly’s Jen Christina is living her best life in ‘Six’
Westerly’s Jen Christina spent three years on tour with the traveling company of “Annie.” “I was very happy being home in Rhode Island,” she said in our recent phone interview. “I was finally settled in after being on the road for three years, settling into my groove.” But after six months being home, she got […]
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Movies and TV shows casting in Rhode Island
The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities’ Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of […]
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Marc Roberge of O.A.R. coming to The JPT in April
Marc Roberge, frontman of multi-platinum alt-rock band O.A.R., will bring his solo tour to The JPT Film & Event Center on Wednesday, April 29. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Presented by Spectacle Live, the evening promises a more intimate experience than a typical O.A.R. concert. Roberge’s solo shows feature stripped-back renditions of O.A.R. fan favorites, a […]
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Newport Folk Festival adds Lauryn Hill, Lizzy McAlpine, Gillian Welch to growing 2026 lineup
The 2026 Newport Folk Festival lineup is taking shape, with organizers steadily unveiling artists over the past two weeks in the event’s signature rolling announcement style. One of the biggest names yet came Tuesday, when five-time Grammy winner Ms. Lauryn Hill was confirmed for the festival’s opening day. “We are honored to announce that Ms. […]
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Preservation Society to host panel on legacy of landmark 1974 sculpture exhibition
The Preservation Society of Newport County will host a panel discussion March 6 at Rosecliff exploring the legacy of “Monumenta,” the pioneering 1974 outdoor exhibition of modern sculpture, and its influence on contemporary art. “An Inside Look at the ‘Full Circle’ Exhibition” is inspired by the exhibition currently on view in the Rosecliff galleries. The […]
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Maquette of George T. Downing statue to be unveiled at Newport Art Museum
Rhode Island Slave History Medallions will unveil a maquette of a planned 8-foot bronze statue of George T. Downing at an Oyster Fest reception Feb. 28 at the Newport Art Museum. The event, held in recognition of Black History Month, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and supports RISHM’s $250,000 campaign to complete the fabrication […]
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Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra to present ‘Tradition vs. Innovation’ concert March 8
The Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra will explore the tension between classical tradition and musical innovation when it takes the stage for its winter concert on Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. at East Providence High School. Guest conductor Zeke Fetrow will lead the orchestra through a program spanning more than a century of orchestral […]
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Little Feat to headline 29th annual IYRS Summer Gala in Newport
Little Feat, the acclaimed Los Angeles-based band known for blending rock, funk, folk, jazz and New Orleans swamp boogie, will headline the 29th annual IYRS Summer Gala on Saturday, July 11. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the IYRS School of Technology & Trades campus, 449 Thames St. The performance will be part of […]
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Michele Gallagher: America’s love affair with coffee dates back to Colonial times
A friend recently gifted me Robert Mastin’s newly published book, Liberty Call: When Newport Was Home to the Atlantic Fleet. As an enthusiastic student of local history — and someone raised in a military family — I read every word. Much has been written about Newport’s Colonial and Gilded Age eras. Far less has been […]
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38th Annual Newport Winter Festival returns February 13-22 with new WienerFest competition
The 38th Annual Newport Winter Festival returns February 13–22, bringing ten days of live entertainment, culinary competitions, and family-friendly events to venues across the City by the Sea. Billed as “New England’s Largest Winter Festival,” the annual celebration kicks off Friday, February 13, with a performance by Bennie & The Jets, an Elton John tribute […]
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Nate Smith named new artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival
Nate Smith, the drummer, producer and bandleader who won two Grammy Awards earlier this month, has been appointed the new artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival, the Newport Festivals Foundation announced Wednesday. Smith will serve a three-year term beginning with this year’s festival, set for July 31 through Aug. 2 at Fort Adams State […]
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Middletown library to host talk on Black history of Aquidneck Island ahead of new center’s opening
A new center dedicated to Black history on Aquidneck Island will open on Juneteenth, and Middletown residents can get a preview later this month. Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, director of the Edward W. Kane and Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History at the Newport Historical Society, will give a presentation titled “Recovering and […]
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Ragged Island Brewing Co. to host third annual music festival in Portsmouth this June
Ragged Island Brewing Co. will bring live music back to the meadows this summer with its third annual Ragged Island Music Festival, presented by Northeast Alternatives, on Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14. The two-day, family-friendly festival at the Portsmouth brewery and farm at 54 Bristol Ferry Rd. will feature a full stage with professional sound […]
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Newport Public Library director to be featured guest at Arts Around the Fire
Ann Amaral, the new director of the Newport Public Library, will be the featured guest at the next Arts Around the Fire, a monthly networking event hosted by the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Newport County. The event will take place Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sardella’s Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd. […]
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Gilded Age Orchestra to ‘Celebrate America 250’ with concert at Rosecliff
A 30-piece professional orchestra will fill Rosecliff’s legendary ballroom with patriotic music later this month as part of a program marking America’s 250th anniversary. The Gilded Age Orchestra of Newport will present “Celebrate America 250” on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bellevue Avenue mansion. The concert, hosted by the Preservation […]
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Grace Kelly bringing “Joy Party” tour to The JPT in August
Saxophonist and vocalist Grace Kelly will bring her 20th anniversary tour to the JPT Film & Event Center on Friday, Aug. 13, at 8 p.m. Presented by Spectacle Live, “Grace Kelly: It’s Grace’s Joy Party” is a high-energy performance blending jazz, pop, funk, R&B and dance. Known for her captivating vocals and vibrant saxophone playing, […]
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Newport Historical Society to debut “Occupied!” exhibition exploring Revolutionary War occupations
The Newport Historical Society will open a new exhibition next week exploring the three military occupations of Newport during the Revolutionary War. “Occupied! Newport and the Fight for Independence” debuts Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center. The exhibition, which is part of the society’s ongoing programming to commemorate the 250th anniversary […]
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Puddingstone returns to Belmont Chapel with “From Salon to Tango” performance
Puddingstone Music will return to Belmont Chapel next month with a program that spans centuries of musical tradition, from the refined elegance of 18th century salons to the fiery passion of the modern tango. Harpist Amanda Romano Foreman and flutist Clint Foreman will perform “From Salon to Tango” on Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. […]
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Newport Art Museum launches the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Society
The Newport Art Museum has launched the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Society, a new fund designed to support dynamic and ambitious exhibition programming at the Bellevue Avenue institution. The initiative, first previewed at the opening of the Members’ Show Exhibition, will be shared with the broader museum community at the upcoming Julie Keyes Gallery Pop Up […]
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Hayley Williams & Friends announced as first act in 2026 Newport Folk Festival lineup
The Newport Folk Festival unveiled the first act in its rolling 2026 lineup Thursday, announcing that Hayley Williams & Friends will perform on the opening day of the three-day event. Williams, the Paramore frontwoman, is set to take the stage Friday, July 24, at Fort Adams State Park, where the iconic festival will celebrate its […]
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Panel of R.I. preservation leaders to discuss ‘America 250 and Beyond’ at Rosecliff
Six of Rhode Island’s top preservation and history leaders will gather at Rosecliff on Thursday, Feb. 12, to explore how the nation’s semiquincentennial will shape commemorative activities, inclusive storytelling and preservation efforts across the Ocean State. “America 250 and Beyond: Perspectives from Preservation Leaders,” hosted by The Preservation Society of Newport County, will run from […]
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Save The Bay announces date for 50th annual swim across Narragansett Bay
Save The Bay will host its 50th annual swim on Saturday, Aug. 8, challenging hundreds of athletes to cross 2 miles of open water from Newport to Jamestown. The flagship fundraiser will begin at the Naval War College in Newport and finish in Potter Cove in Jamestown. Registration opens Monday, March 2. “Since 1977, The […]
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Standing at the CUSP of Newport’s Art Scene: Curtis Speer, CUSP Gallery, and the Newport Artists Collective
For 2026, on the advice of a wise mentor, I’m expanding the scope of my WUN Voices column from exclusively spotlighting women-led organizations’ “Voices” to include the Voices of all Rhode Islanders doing ground-breaking work that is making an outsized impact in the smallest state.” Enter Curtis Speer I recall sitting at a Greater Newport […]