by NRF User | May 12, 2020 | NRF News
We learned about the Power of Wind from our May Second Sunday From Home program (Click here to check it out!). Now it’s time to learn how to create your own weather vane!
Instructions
Supplies:
– straw
– Pin or paper clip
– Pencil with eraser
– Cardstock (or heavier) paper
– Paper cup
Step 1
Draw arrows on cardstock paper and cut out. Try to make the back arrow slightly larger than the front, this will help the weather vane point in the right direction (the bigger side will be pushed by the wind, so the smaller side will point in the direction the wind is blowing).
Step 2
Cut slits into ends of straw. Make sure your cuts are done in the same direction, or your arrows will not be aligned.
Step 3
Insert paper arrows (head and tail) into the ends of straw.
Step 4
Poke pencil into center of the bottom of the paper cup, or another household object (such as a paper box, a piece of clay, anything that will keep the pencil upright).
Step 5
Attach straw to the eraser using pin or paper clip. Make sure that your straw is able to turn smoothly.
Step 6
Bring outside and watch it turn!
(Optional)
If you would like, use a compass to determine north, south, east, and west, and mark them on your weather vane. Now you’ll always know the direction of the wind!
Feel free to color or decorate your weather vane however you choose!
Be sure to share your weather vanes with us by tagging NRF on social media @nptrestoration!
by NRF User | Apr 9, 2020 | NRF News
Between 1988 and 1992, Doris Duke’s camels Princess and Baby spent their summers at Rough Point in Newport. Today, you can still find camels at Rough Point — made out of plants!
Our talented grounds and gardens crew adds new plants to the sculptures every year, so they never look exactly the same. Now you can try your hand at decorating your own camel, and when we reopen check out how Princess and Baby are dressed this year!
Instructions:
Step 1 – Download a Camel Template, or draw your own!
Step 2 – Gather your supplies (whatever you can find!)
Step 3 – Create a masterpiece. Be as creative as you’d like! Perhaps even add plant materials to make your creation even more like our plant sculptures
Step 4 – Share your work of art with us on social media using the hashtag #camelcreations and tagging us @nptrestoration!
Templates:
Click here for Camel Template
by NRF User | Mar 30, 2020 | NRF News
This April, hundreds of Rhode Island nonprofits are participating in the first-ever statewide giving day known as #401Gives. Starting at 6:00 a.m on April 1, you can visit 401gives.org and make a donation to one or more of the many participating nonprofit organizations in the Rhode Island community.
What is 401Gives?
401Gives is an initiative of United Way of Rhode Island. Its purpose is to bring a collective voice to Rhode Island’s nonprofit community and deepen the state’s culture of philanthropy. At a time when everyone is feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits rely on the support of their members, visitors and donors like you to keep their missions moving forward.
Whether you decide to make a gift to NRF on April 1, or another organization, we hope you will participate if you’re able. The Newport community needs your help during this time. Together, we can make a difference and help offset the economic impact many local nonprofits are facing.
How can you make a difference on 401Gives Day?
- Visit 401gives.org and search for your organization(s) of choice – we hope you will keep us in mind as you choose from the list of participating nonprofits.
- Check out NRF’s microsite to learn more about what we do and to make your gift, if you choose.
- Like and share our posts on Facebook and Instagram to spread the word to your friends and family who can join the 401Gives movement and support local nonprofits
Questions? Comments?
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Development Coordinator Alicia Cipriano at 401-849-7300, Ext. 117.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, for participating in this greater community effort, and for caring about the well-being of all Rhode Islanders!
by NRF User | Mar 12, 2020 | NRF News
We’re continuing our celebration of Women’s History Month by participating in the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ #5WomenArtists challenge! The origination of this challenge came from the question, “Can you name five women artists?” When NMWA posed the question, they found that “people struggled and many could not at all—even those who consider themselves well versed in the arts.” The challenge sought to increase awareness for women in the arts by sharing their contributions through social media during the month of March.
Newport Restoration Foundation is honored to have several pieces created by women in our fine and decorative art collections. We’ve spotlighted five of these women artists here, and invite you to see them for yourself when our museums open this spring!
Madame Gres
Madame Gres (1903-1993) was one of the leading French couture designers of her generation. Gres was known for her superior use of fabric and materials to create dramatic gowns like this silk and ostrich feather dress, made for DorisDuke circa 1966. This dress was featured in 2019’s exhibition, Beyond Fortune: The Life & Legacy of Doris Duke.
Margarete Heymann
German, ca. 1928
Earthenware, glaze
This glazed ceramic bowl is a striking example of the work of German-Jewish ceramic artist Margarete Heymann (1899-1990), who was one of the first female students of the innovative Weimar Bauhaus. She was the co-founder of the Hael-Werkstätten workshop and created bold, modern designs.
While we are not sure what drew Doris to this particular bowl (it is one of the few examples of modern art at Rough Point), she placed it alongside other mementos that held particular sentimental significance and against the backdrop of her purple-infused bedroom.
Susan Nichols
Ca. 1818
Silk, glass, wood, gilt
Doris Duke found this piece in a New York auction house and brought it to Newport, where Susan Nichols once lived with her family on Washington Street. This example of needlepoint is representative of the work of many women in the period who documented their lives, showed off their skill, and created artwork that often became a treasured heirloom passed from mother to daughter. The piece is inscribed in gilt lettering “Wrought by Susan Nichols 1818.” and can be found at the Whitehorne House Museum.
Abigail Whitehorne
“Abbey Whitehorne’s Sampler Work in Her Tenth Year of Age”, 1804
Linen, cotton, glass, wood, gilt
This sampler, completed by Abigail Whitehorne (about 1794-1875, sister of Samuel Whitehorne, the original owner of Whitehorne House) in 1804 allowed her to sew her way into the historical record. Samplers like these were kept and displayed, and sometimes have found their way into archives and museum collections where they are studied to gain a better understanding of domestic life, the role of girls in the household, and education practices of the time. This piece can also be found in the collection of the Whitehorne House Museum..
Mary McFadden
Mary McFadden (American, born 1938) was known for her use of pleats similar to Italian designer Mariano Fortuny. Doris Duke had several McFadden designed pieces in her fashion collection. This circa 1984, turquoise belted caftan is on view in this year’s exhibition, Beyond Fortune: Myths & Truths of Doris Duke.
Want to learn more about the collections at our museums? Click here for Rough Point Museum, Whitehorne House Museum, or find Newport Restoration Foundation at newportalri.org!
by NRF User | Mar 1, 2020 | NRF News
Throughout the month of May, we have shared stories about our current projects and the people behind the scenes who help make NRF’s preservation work possible. In our community, historic preservation matters. NRF’s collection of 18th and 19th century houses is one of the largest collections owned by a single organization anywhere in the country. Its continued maintenance is one of the most crucial ongoing preservation activities in New England.
We invite you to become part of a community that cares deeply about protecting these resources.
By joining Restoration Partners, our monthly giving program, your gift provides consistent support to the work we do every day to preserve important historic buildings in Newport.
Ten caring individuals have already joined the program this month, and we are grateful for their generosity. Will you join your neighbors? We need 10 more community members to help us achieve our goal of welcoming 20 monthly donors by the end of May.
If you’re passionate about preservation, please consider making your gift this month so we can continue to protect Newport’s architectural heritage.
JOIN TODAY
P.S. Learn more about our preservation work on YouTube! Click here to start watching.
by NRF User | Jan 13, 2020 | NRF News
Newport Restoration Foundation is pleased to collaborate with Christie’s Auction House on a special lecture event for their upcoming Americana Week (January 17 – 24). On Wednesday, January 22 at 4:30 pm, NRF’s Director of Museums Dr. Erik Greenberg will present Furniture Forward: A New Approach to Interpreting Doris Duke’s Furniture Collection at the Whitehorne House Museum in Christie’s Boardroom at their headquarters in New York City. A reception will follow at Christie’s beginning at 5:30 pm.
During Americana Week, Christie’s will hold three auctions (as well as associated programming) that speak to themes of American beginnings, patriotism, diversity and influence. The series begins with the Outsider Art sale that highlights exceptional artists such as Bill Traylor, Henry Darger and William Edmondson. Chinese Export Art Featuring the Tibor Collection, Part II showcases Chinese Export porcelain, specifically famille rose soldier vases, covers, and court lady candleholders. And The Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Silver auction closes the week with an array of extraordinary artworks and objects, including pieces from the collection of the late Ralph E. Carpenter, the renowned collector, curator, and advocate for the restoration and preservation of Newport’s decorative arts and architecture.
The Whitehorne House Museum was NRF’s first museum, opening in 1974, and for many years it served as a domestic house museum. In 2017, the museum closed, as staff, outside scholars, and others reinterpreted the museum collection, focusing more closely on its exceptional collection of 18th-century furniture, much of it purchased by NRF’s founder, Doris Duke, and most of it from Newport in particular or Rhode Island in general. NRF uses the furniture on display to tell important stories of colonial Newport through one of its most prized creations. Staff have also developed a more engaging experience for visitors to the museum, including hands-on objects, a multimedia installation, and other opportunities for visitor engagement. It reopened on May 29th, 2019. Dr. Greenberg’s presentation will address the museum’s recent, interpretive changes while placing them in the broader context of Colonial era furniture exhibition across the country.
When asked about his upcoming talk, Greenberg noted that, “When I arrived at NRF a year ago, our interpretive staff shared with me their plans to reinterpret the Whitehorne House Museum and their desire to bring the ‘furniture forward’ from among the many utilitarian objects and decorative arts in the collection. I was taken with their vision, and have become fascinated by Newport furniture, the people who made it, purchased it, traded it, and the many stories these pieces can tell. I see my presentation at Christie’s as an announcement of our new direction, an appreciation for the work of our talented staff, and an assertion of our plan to evolve and grow into an important institution that celebrates 18th-century, Newport furniture and its stories in the city in which it was made.”
This free event is open to the public. RSVP to the lecture is required. If interested, please respond to Alicia Cipriano by Friday, January 17th 401.849.7300 ext. 117 or at acipriano@newportrestoration.org. Christie’s is located at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
