Last year 500 paintings were sold in one weekend at Wet Paint, at the Newport Art Museum in Rhode Island. Signups are going on now for this year’s event.
Lead Image: An artist working on location during last year’s Wet Paint event at the Newport Art Museum in Newport, Rhode Island
Last year’s edition drew 368 artists (including 53 children) and presented 564 pieces to the art-buying public. This year’s show, held August15-16, is the 33rd annual event. All pieces are put up for a silent auction, with a live auction held for pieces that are the subject of intense bidding. The museum is also offering collectors the chance to buy pieces before the event for an elevated price. Organizers call it the “Buy It Now” option.
“I don’t know of another organization that does something like this on the same scale and in the same way,” says Christina Alvernas, marketing associate at the Newport Art Museum. “Our entire main gallery and the long hallway leading up to it were floor-to-ceiling, full of artwork. We made $108,500 on the weekend.
It’s a fundraiser — artists donate 80 percent-100 percent of their sales to the museum. It certainly does put their work in front of some voracious collectors and supporters of the arts. To learn more or to sign up for Wet Paint, go here.
