Presented by the Newport Restoration Foundation in partnership with artist Ava Reynolds.
“The printed panels transform each building into both a measuring tool and a site for data visualization, illustrating the projected height of predicted sea-level rise. The painterly, water-inspired forms printed on the panels acknowledge the beauty and awe of the ocean while creating a subtle tension between this beauty and the reality of its impacts as rising waters increasingly inundate coastal neighborhoods.” –Ava Reynolds, 2026
RISING— a Keeping History Above Water™ project and partnership between the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) and artist Ava Reynolds—seeks to visualize sea-level rise and storm surge across 6 properties preserved and restored by the Newport Restoration Foundation while highlighting the resilience efforts being implemented to help ensure the future of these historic sites.
Each building features two screen-printed panels: one representing projected sea-level rise and the other indicating increasing storm surge associated with rising seas. The colors used in the installation were specifically chosen to align with StormTools sea-level rise data.
Residents of The Point neighborhood are already experiencing the effects of sea-level rise, and the NRF team is actively developing preservation and resilience strategies to protect these historic properties for decades to come. While RISING is rooted in a partnership with NRF and its properties, the project seeks to increase awareness of sea-level rise in coastal communities everywhere and to encourage broader consideration of the resilience strategies and planning tools that NRF is implementing for its vulnerable historic sites. Visitors are invited to explore The Point neighborhood and experience each installation site, reflecting on the impacts of climate change and imagining what The Point and other low-lying coastal neighborhoods may experience as sea levels continue to rise.
This installation is presented as part of a series of programming celebrating 10 years of Keeping History Above Water, NRF’s initiative advocating for resiliency in the wake of climate change. Learn more about Keeping History Above Water.
This project is made possible in part thanks to the support of 
and the Felicia Fund.
We invite you to explore this installation as a walking tour, about a quarter of a mile in length.
35 Washington Street/The Isaac Drayton House, ca.1725
Sea-level rise: 11 inches since the 1930s
Flood risk from a 100 year coastal storm: 3 feet
51 Bridge Street/The William Gardner House, ca.1795 & ca.1860
Sea-level rise: 1 foot by 2040
53 Bridge Street/The Thomas Townsend House, ca.1735-1750
Sea-level rise: 1.5 feet by 2050
11 Third Street /The David Lyman House, ca.1795
Sea-level rise: 2 feet by 2060
88 Bridge Street/The Dayton-James House, ca.1758
Sea-level rise: 2.5 feet by 2070
33 Washington Street/The Ann Webber House, ca.1794
Sea-level rise: 5 feet by 2100
About Ava Reynolds:
