FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE----JUNE 1, 2021
June 3, 2021 

 Arts & Cultural Alliance Presents Artist Award 

The Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County (ACA) announces that the DeBlois Gallery in Middletown has been awarded the spring 2021 Artist Award. The $500 award is given twice-yearly to grantees who propose art projects to benefit the community. 

The Artist Award will support an effort by the DeBlois Gallery to “take the gallery outside” by creating a series of murals on the exterior of the Aquidneck Avenue building. The murals will enhance the streetscape and add vibrancy to the area surrounding the building, a mixture of shops and restaurants. The site offers views of the scenic Easton’s Beach reservoir, located behind the gallery. 

The DeBlois Gallery is a cooperative gallery consisting of 17 members. For the mural project, seven members will collaborate to design and paint a series of murals, to be installed around a balcony on the north end of the gallery. The Newport Public Arts artists will also participate in the collaboration. 

 The ACA’s Artist Awards champion innovative arts activities and events, presented in and for the community. It is the only grant offered specifically for artists of any discipline in the six towns of Newport County. In addition to awards of up to $500, recipients are promoted in ACA’s SPLASH e-newsletter and social media channels. 

The ACA depends on supporters and donations to fund its activities. Donations may be made on the organizations’ website, www.newportarts.org/about/.