Join art gallery reception for “John Howard Benson: Drawing Newport”

salvetoday Posted On March 16, 2021
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The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is currently displaying an exhibition entitled “John Howard Benson: Drawing Newport,” which will be open through Tuesday, March 30. An online reception for the exhibition will take place on Thursday, March 18, at 6:00 p.m. Anyone interested in joining is asked to contact jeroen.vandenhurk@salve.edu for a link.

“John Howard Benson: Drawing Newport,” explores the City of Newport’s architectural landscape through the drawings of John Howard Benson, a lifetime resident of Aquidneck Island. Working with pen and ink, Benson meticulously rendered a selection of thirty historic homes and prominent buildings from all areas of Newport.

These drawings were made for the Newport Daily News’ annual calendar, and each marks a new calendar year from early to mid-twentieth century. These drawings also give a window into Newport’s evolution. Through Benson’s eyes, viewers are transported back in time and provided with a view of Newport that differs from today. Some of the buildings depicted are no longer standing, while others belong to neighborhoods that have undergone a remarkable change.

This exhibition was organized to support student research in the area of Salve Regina’s Cultural and Historic Preservation (CHP) major. Dr. Jeroen van den Hurk, assistant professor and program director of CHP, currently has a class on historic building documentation, and students are learning about the architectural history of Newport and methods of interpretation and description. They are researching the characters who lived in these buildings and the roles they played in Newport’s community.

Anyone interested can learn more about this at the reception. A short program will connect a group of students, faculty and friends of the exhibition to share in a conversation about John Howard Benson, his work and its ties to the architectural landscape of Newport.

Anyone interested in joining on Thursday, March 18, at 6:00 p.m. is asked to contact jeroen.vandenhurk@salve.edu for a link.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is handicap accessible. Due to the pandemic, its exhibits are open exclusively to the Salve Regina community on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The gallery is currently closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

This exhibition was made possible through a generous gift to Salve Regina University by a local Newport collection from the Sherman Publishing Company.