Wet Paint Plein Air: Blue Garden

Join us for a unique plein air painting opportunity at Newport’s historic Blue Garden!

Inspired by artist-founder Helena Sturtevant’s love of painting “en plein air”, translating to “in the open air”, the Museum is planning outdoor art-making opportunities ahead of Wet Paint 2025 on Saturday, August 9th.

Whether you’re working in oils, watercolors, photography or sketching, this is a rare chance to paint in one of Newport’s most enchanting and exclusive settings.

Bring your art supplies and enjoy an afternoon of quiet art making alongside other artists at the glorious Blue Garden in Newport. The Blue Garden opened in 1913 and was an integral part of a 30-acre Gilded Age Estate designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. The garden boasted a distinctive plant palette of blue, purple, and white annuals and perennials, surrounded by over 200 evergreen trees. The property was subdivided in the 1970s with the Blue Garden remaining on a 3-acre parcel. The garden was restored in 2014, and today the garden, brought back to its original glory, is privately owned and open on Thursdays so visitors can enjoy it as a unique example of landscape artistry.
Space is limited, registration is required.

** Information about the address, directions, and parking:
Use GPS for directions to 74 Beacon Hill Road. Do not turn into the drive with 74 on the mailbox, this is a private residence. The entrance to the Blue Garden is a little further up the road and marked with a wooden gate and stone columns with blue pots and white flowers on top. Turn in here and pull into the lawn strip to the right of the drive. Pull in as close as possible to the next car to make room for everyone.
You may drive to the greenhouse to drop off supplies before returning to park.
There is NO parking on Beacon Hill Road.