Installation Week at the Newport Art Museum

The week prior to opening night of A Focus on the Feminine at Newport Art Museum, we packed all featured multimedia pieces with care in our Brooklyn Studio, preparing them for the drive to Rhode Island. One full Sprinter van and three plus-sized rolls of bubble wrap later, we (and the art) made it safely to Newport.

After our first meeting with the NAM team, we were assured that the installation of our show would be as fulfilling as it was fun. Staff members guided us through troubleshooting various display options, creating floor plans for each room our Collective would touch, and ensuring our team that our opening night cocktail hour reception would go smoothly. Four consecutive days of visits to the museum pre-showing allowed us to work through the how’s, why’s, and where of each piece’s positioning and conversation with those around it—and spend much valued time with the incredibly kind staff/board members who helped to make our debut weekend possible.

One of the biggest and most fulfilling takeaways from our week of installation was learning how excited the Newport Art Museum was to host up-and-coming artists like those featured in our collective. Proudly showing cutting-edge contemporary work in a historic landmark of Newport made for an interesting juxtaposition between tradition and new beginnings, sparking a number of eye-opening conversations at both opening night and throughout the weekend. Seeing a near-5-foot-tall collage of naked bodies and shattered glass hanging proudly, suspended over a door in the Griswold House’s Cushing Memorial Gallery, reminded us of the progression of ‘fine art’ standards throughout art history. We’re creating for the now, from experiences of now, and always working towards a better future. And our weekend at the Newport Art Museum was just the first step.

Special thanks to Danielle Ogden, Emeline McKeown, Francine Weiss, and the whole Newport Art Museum staff for hosting us and making our installation process seamless. Also thank you to Audrain Automobile Museum and Audrain Hospitality for helping us make all of this possible, we couldn’t have done it without them.

Next exhibition Dec 13-18th, 2023- Be there!