NRF promotes and invests in the architectural heritage of the Newport community, the traditional building trades, and Doris Duke’s fine and decorative arts collections, for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all.
As a leader in the preservation of early American architecture, NRF supports research and education in areas directly related to its collections and issues of critical concern to the field of historic preservation.
Visit Doris Duke’s art-filled mansion and enjoy panoramic ocean views from the extensive grounds. Open late March to November.
The Vernon House is a site for expansive story-telling, contemporary dialogue, and preservation trades skill-building.
Newport Restoration Foundation holds one of the largest collections of period architecture owned by a single organization anywhere in the United States.
Celebrate excellence in historic preservation efforts within the City of Newport, Rhode Island.
Live amidst history by renting one of our many historic properties.
Karina Corrigan brings her expertise to this talk on the collecting of Asian export art (art made in China, Japan, and South Asia for export around the world) by Doris Duke, her parents, and others in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her talk will highlight pieces on display in our special exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection.
Karina is the Associate Director – Collections and the H.A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art at the Peabody Essex Museum. As Associate Director – Collections, she is responsible for spearheading research on PEM’s rich and storied collection, enhancing access to the collection through increased documentation, digitization, and display, and building the collection through new acquisitions. In her curatorial practice, she oversees the largest, most comprehensive public collection of cross-cultural art from China, Japan, and South Asia. Corrigan received a 2020 Award of Excellence from the Association of Art Museum Curators for her work on PEM’s Sean M. Healey Family Gallery of Asian Export Art. She has organized ten changing exhibitions drawn from PEM’s notable collections including Asia in Amsterdam: The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age, co-organized with the Rijksmuseum and most recently, Power and Perspective: Early Photography in China, on display at PEM from September 24, 2022 to April 2, 2023. Corrigan received a BA in Art History and Medieval Renaissance Studies from Wellesley College, an MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture.
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt…
IN THE WAVES by Melissa McGill is an admission-free public art project at Rough Point, curated by Dodie Kazanjian. Presented by Art&Newport with Newport Restoration Foundation’s Keeping History Above Water Initiative, it aims to raise awareness of sea level rise and is being created with an ensemble of local community members.
On Tuesday, August 24, spend the evening with IN THE WAVES artist Melissa McGill and guests – including Sandra Whitehouse, Ph.D., President of Ocean Works, LLC; Elizabeth Rush, the author of Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore; and Lorén M. Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum – for a conversation about how artists and other subject-matter experts tackle the challenge of communicating the issues surrounding climate change and sea level rise to their communities. Admission to this event is free to the public. Advance registration is required.
This program is made possible through generous funding from the EJMP Fund for Philanthropy and BankNewport.
Steve Brown, experienced woodworker and a professor at the North Bennet Street School for 21 years, leads a woodworking demonstration in the garden at Whitehorne House Museum. Discover how four distinct cabriole furniture legs are carved in the style of 18th-century pieces on display inside the museum.
Tickets include admission to Whitehorne House Museum.
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. Climb inside the historic windmill, explore our varied gardens with URI’s Master Gardeners, and enjoy themed activities and crafts.
In July, the crew of the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry visits to demonstrate the surprising connections between ships and windmills (hint: it’s all in the sails!).
In June, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island will share what they know about the beautiful birds that live all around us through hands-on activities and crafts; all questions and bird stories welcome!
Newport was the most active slave port in the British North American colonies, and many of the enslaved Africans who arrived here were placed into training in the artisan trades, including furniture making. This presentation by the 1696 Heritage Group will explore how these African craftsmen and women contributed to colonial Newport’s economic and cultural prosperity.
Part Two of this program will take place at Whitehorne House Museum on July 29, when 1696 Heritage Group takes over the museum for one night only. For more information, click here.
About the Presenters
Theresa Guzman Stokes is President and founding member of 1696 Heritage Group. Ms. Stokes has a professional background that includes magazine editor and published writer with a focus on ethnic American history. Ms. Stokes has participated in and supervised dozens of historic preservation, genealogical and cultural resource investigations throughout New England and Virginia, with an expertise in African American, Latin American and Jewish history and genealogy. She also has years of experience in the design and creation of web sites and social media promotions tailored around historic, genealogical, and creative (Arts, Literature & Music) presentations. Ms. Stokes has received numerous awards for her web design and genealogical work, including the Women Webmasters Award for Excellence and the Ancestry Connections Genealogy Award. Her current professional memberships include the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Historical Novel Society, and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.
Keith Stokes is Vice President of 1696 Heritage Group. Mr. Stokes has been an Advisor for the National Trust for Historic Preservation along with serving on numerous regional and national historic preservation boards including Touro Synagogue Foundation, Preservation Society for Newport County, and Newport Historical Society. Mr. Stokes has a long and distinguished career in business and community development, with degrees from Cornell University and University of Chicago. His past professional positions have included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and Executive Director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Stokes is a frequent national, state and local lecturer in community & regional planning, historic preservation and interpretation with an expertise in early African and Jewish American history. Together, Mr. Stokes and Ms. Guzman Stokes have lectured extensively to regional, national and international clients, providing training in the fields of African and Jewish American history, developing historic interpretation programs, historic main street planning and historic site recovery. They are the recipients of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities.
What happens when a dovetail joint shrinks down to a few thousands of an inch? Miniatures artist Bill Robertson shares the stories and secrets of his 42-year career building tiny objects inspired by historic interiors, furniture, and decorative arts. His unique approach brings the Townsends and Goddards into the 21st century.
About the Presenter Bill Robertson is a miniature artist, museum designer, and teacher based in Kansas City, Missouri. Over his 42-year career, he’s created hundreds of original miniatures of period interiors, furniture and scientific instruments based on extensive research in museums and libraries across Europe and America. He prefers to copy objects from 17th and 18th centuries. His techniques combine ancient shop practices and period tools along with his own unique methods. In addition to practicing his craft, Robertson has received awards, taught classes and lectured across the globe. His miniatures are in public and private collections throughout the world.
Nantucket Island has long looked to the ocean to determine its future. From fishing village to international whaling port to beloved seaside escape, the waters that surround Nantucket have always inspired. A National Historic Landmark with more than 800 pre-Civil War era historic structures, Nantucket is one of the countless coastal communities that now must rethink its relationship with the sea.
Keeping History Above Water: Nantucket is a two-day workshop on Nantucket that will bring together members of the island community, stakeholders from other coastal communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and national experts to share experiences and case studies. This is the fifth iteration of Keeping History Above Water and is a partnership between the University of Florida, Nantucket Preservation Trust, and Town of Nantucket, in collaboration with the Newport Restoration Foundation.
Newport in the 1960s was a time-worn place, a city of many architectural layers. Some saw decay; others saw a sleeping beauty. Urban renewal celebrated modernity, and historic preservation revered the past. These two forces were engaged in an epic battle for the future of the city. Through period photographs and compelling news reports, journey back to the old colonial districts of the Historic Hill and Point and witness the explosive firmament of the 1960s when an important chapter in Newport’s history was being written.
Doors will open at 5:00; the lecture begins at 5:30. We invite you to visit the special exhibition galleries before the program.
A Perfect Storm: The Collision of Hurricanes, Climate Change and Coastal Population Growth
Hurricanes pose a significant threat to coastal populations, but the causes of changes in the frequency of hurricanes are poorly understood. Long-term historical and geological records provide potential analogs for future climate scenarios and indicate that hurricane frequency has varied significantly. Most modeling studies suggest that we may experience more frequent intense hurricanes in the future as the Earth warms, but the historical and geological record indicates a complex relationship between ocean warming and hurricane activity.
Jeff Donnelly, a climatologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will discuss the historical links between hurricanes, climate change, and the population growth along the coast.
Please register for this event by calling 401-846-0813 x110 or email hrockwood@newporthistory.org
