2024 SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

July brought warm southerly sea breeze in the afternoons that kept the climate pleasant for Oceancliff’s Sip & Shop event. Thank you to the hundreds of shoppers who gathered with friends to clink glasses of bubbly and support Newport’s fine artisans, brands, boutiques and charity. A summer weeknight, in Newport, overlooking the water, colorfully-clad friends, and champagne - does it get much better? There is something special about retreating from the busy hustle and bustle of downtown Newport to a coastal castle of sorts. Next summer, plan ahead for this highly anticipated event by reserving a table for dinner at the famous Safari Room next to the vendors. Stay tuned for details on their Holiday Sip & Shop market coming in December!

Photos from Left to Right: The Newport Experience's event planners Galen and Susanne, Whitney, and travel lifestyle writer Andrea McHugh in front of Whitney’s table set up at the entrance of Oceancliff’s Sip & Shop event, July 2024.

July also brought with it the Great Elephant Migration. A public art display that traveled from India for a United States tour. Over 100 life-sized wooden sculptures cropped up overnight around Newport. The largest gathering on the lawn of Salve Regina University’s McAuley Hall, complimented with sites on the lawn of the Breakers, Doris Duke’s Rough Point, and the Great Friends Meeting House maintained by the Newport Historical Society. The sculptures are woven by 200+ artisans in Southern India made from an invasive weed that cramps wildlife habitat. The Great Elephant Migration hit the road in September and heads for New York City followed by Miami Beach, Montana, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Los Angeles, California. As a side note, while also strolling along Cliff Walk and driving in Newport (or almost anywhere in New England for that matter!) one can not help but notice the hydrangea bloom that burst forth this year.

Another summer highlight was the opening reception for photographer Nick Mele’s exhibition Pages & Play at the Newport Art Museum. Mele kindly personalized and signed a copy of his hard cover book A Newport Summer in which he captures whimsical old-world American luxury from within the intimate domestic spaces of some of Newport’s privately owned grande mansions. I have long admired how his lens incorporates humor and playfulness among austere stately backdrops.

The last Sunday in July, Shepherd’s Run Estate Winery in Narragansett, RI invited me back for their much anticipated Summer Artisan Market! Shepherd’s Run is a luxury inn, spa, and wedding venue … and a hidden gem of Rhode Island. Vendors set up outside in the front entrance cul-de-sac surrounded by a lush vineyard and Romanesque stone architecture of the winery - equally beautiful backdrops. It feels as though the combination of Shepherd’s Run’s architecture and landscape welcomes us all in for a big embrace. Guests are able to flow around the circle to peruse all kinds of locally made novelties.

Thank you for following along. Until soon my fellow art enthusiasts!

Sincerely,

Whitney