Two Newport Museums Partner to Celebrate the Art of Ceramics

NEWPORT, R.I., June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Newport Restoration Foundation and the Newport Art Museum are partnering for a day-long celebration of ceramics on Saturday, June 27 from 10am-4pm. On the Lawn at Rough Point: Clayfest features interactive, hands-on demonstrations for all ages and skill levels. The event is being held in support of the 2015 exhibit, Fired and Inspired: Ceramics at Rough Point.

The day's activities range from informational to interactive. Spectators can view finished pieces from a pit that had been fired overnight and learn about the process. There will also be ceramic vendors on site selling original works. For those interested in a hands-on experience, there will be a "handful" of activities to choose from:

• Pots on Wheels (POW!): featuring Fired and Inspired exhibit artist Kathy King. Visitors to the mobile gallery and project space will decorate cups for future event attendees and take home pre-decorated cups from previous events.
• Raku Firing: attendees can purchase pre-made tea bowls, glaze them and watch the firing process. The finished products can be taken home at the end of the event.
• Hands-on Kids Creation Station: activities on the Rough Point terrace
• Pottery throwing: demonstrations of technique by students and faculty from the ceramics program at the Newport Art Museum's art school, the Coleman Center for Creative Studies

In addition to the ceramics activities, food from vendors including Tallulah's Taco Truck and Flat Waves will be available. Attendees are also welcome to bring a picnic lunch. Admission is $15; $10 for Newport Art Museum members; $8 for children. In the event of rain, Clayfest will be held Sunday, June 28.

The Rough Point exhibit includes historic pieces collected by Rough Point's last owner, Doris Duke, as well as new work commissioned by seven contemporary artists and installed throughout the house museum.

Rough Point was bequeathed to the Newport Restoration Foundation by Doris Duke upon her death in 1993, complete with all of its contents. It was her express wish that it be opened to the public as a house museum. Founded by Miss Duke in 1968, the Newport Restoration Foundation, a non-profit institution, was formed with the purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island's 18^th- and 19^th-century architectural culture.

The Newport Art Museum is devoted to the art and artists of Rhode Island and surrounding regions. Its mission is to inspire a passion for the arts in diverse audiences through exhibitions and collections, arts education, historic preservation, and arts and cultural programming. Its educational arm, the Coleman Center for Creative Studies offers classes, camps, and workshops for students of all ages and skill levels. Classes are held in professional grade art studios and led by locally renowned and practicing artists.

SOURCE Newport Restoration Foundation