Newport: The Artful City

Newport, Rhode Island is a place of memory, both collective and individual, where myth and reality intersect in streets and public spaces. Spectacular scenery, a centuries-old architectural heritage, and the cultural legacy of its residents and visitors make for a storied past. In this event, John Tschirch, architectural historian with the Newport Historical Society and visiting curator of Urban History, delves into the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Newport. "Newport is such a historically intact city, it has stories to tell," says Tschirch. Through the media of maps, paintings, photographs and literary descriptions, the city's evolution may be traced from the entrepreneurship and religious circumstances determining its colonial streetscapes to the picturesque ideals that inspired the nineteenth century resort area and the tenets of urban renewal and historic preservation that shaped the twentieth century city. Through the ages, Newport became an accidental work of art never subject to a grand plan with a grand vision, but the final effect is artful, eliciting the responses associated with a work of art: admiration; condemnation; interpretation; and inspiration. For more events like this, become an Untapped New York Insider! https://untappedcities.com/become-a-member/