Image: Newport Art Museum
The Newport Art Museum will stage its annual Wet Paint celebration on August 8, 2026, with a preview party the night before and artist drop-offs closing on July 31. The museum’s announcement frames the fundraiser as a region-wide gathering for artists and art lovers, combining a silent auction, live auction, performances, and hands-on activities across the weekend.
According to the museum’s email notice, the Preview Party will take place on Friday, August 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The evening is set to include performances by local dance artists Lauren Difede and Emily Baker, early bidding on the silent auction, a chance to meet the Wet Paint artists, a preview of live auction items, and complimentary bites and drinks. The preview serves as the lead-in to the main event the following day.
Wet Paint itself is scheduled for Saturday, August 8, from 12:00 to 5:00 PM. The museum says the day will feature community portraits, music by dj4hundo and Zelda Hayes, hands-on artmaking, food trucks, and more. Silent auction bidding begins at noon, followed by a live auction under the tent at 3:00 PM. Silent auction bidding ends at 4:00 PM, and the afternoon concludes with a Wet Paint happy hour from 4:00 to 5:00 PM before checkout begins.
The auction will offer works by Robert Manice, Kate Hickman, William Heydt, Kelsy Patnaude, John Grosvenor, Elizabeth Kahane, Tom Deininger, Susan Petree, Holly Grosvenor, and Elena Obelenus. The museum also notes that bidders may register at any time, including on the day of the event, and that four galleries will display the art, each with its own number and bid sheet.
The email describes Wet Paint as a beloved annual celebration that brings together artists and art lovers from across the region. It welcomes painters, mixed-media artists, and ceramicists, and asks participating artists to deliver their work by Friday, July 31. The event’s structure suggests that Wet Paint remains both a public gathering and a sales platform, with the art on view and bids unfolding throughout the afternoon.
The museum’s message also lists sponsor support from Bank of America Museums on Us®. In the same email, Newport Art Museum notes its participation in the Museums on Us program, through which cardholders from Bank of America, Merrill, and Bank of America Private Bank can receive free general admission on the first full weekend of each month by showing an active branded debit or credit card and a valid government-issued photo ID.
Wet Paint 2026 appears alongside the museum’s current exhibition schedule, including 'Play/Pretend', 'Unfurling: Small Work by the 2027 Art Cup Artists', 'Howard Gardiner Cushing: Rediscoveries', 'Sheila Isham: Between Worlds', and 'Angel Otero: The Ocean Forgot Your Garden'. 'Unfurling: Small Work by the 2027 Art Cup Artists' is shown at Griswold House from June 4 to December 31, 2026, and the museum says it previews the Art Cup, a 2027 collaboration with Sail Newport and Shields Fleet 9 in which artists’ imagery will be printed onto sailboat sails for a regatta held offshore of Fort Adams State Park.
