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RHODE ISLAND
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NEWS
The Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design new Exhibition -- Pilgrims of Beauty: Art and Inspiration in 19th-Century Italy
New England's Historic Ocean House Has Re-Opened its Doors
NEWPORT
Hyatt Regency Newport Gets Makeover
Rhode Island's largest city hotel/resort has retooled a $34 million makeover touching almost every area of the property. It also included many upgrades to the event and conference facilities. The hotel has an 8,000 square foot grand ballroom space, 16 meeting rooms, and 27,000 square feet of function space.
The Inn At Newport Beach Announces A Complete Interior Renovation
The Inn at Newport Beach, known for its unique waterfront setting overlooking Newport Beach and Easton’s Pond, has been completely renovated as follows:
• Guestrooms: Guestrooms received all new furniture, bedding, 37” flat panel LCD TV’s with high definition cable signal, carpet, wall coverings, draperies and wood blinds, lighting, artwork, in-room safes, and many other enhancements. Furnishings are in rich dark wood tones with granite tops, while fabrics are in beige and blue tones, in keeping with today’s contemporary New England beachside architectural interiors.
• Bathrooms: New white Carrera marble floors and wall surrounds, residential wood vanities with granite tops, lighting, mirrors, and increased storage space for guest amenities.
• New Lobby and Hallways: Featuring English Ax minister carpets and marble flooring, wall coverings, draperies, signage, lighting, and artwork. The lobby continues with the seaside design of the guest rooms and resembles the interiors in keeping with today’s shingle style resort architecture.
• New Suites: 14 existing guest rooms have been converted to 7 spacious, one and two bedroom suites.
• New Exercise Room: Exercise while enjoying the beautiful water views in this new exercise room featuring cardiovascular equipment with LCD panel televisions, strength training and flexibility equipment.
“Guests have always loved our special beachfront location, historic character, and
personalized service,” says Douglas Cohen, Principal of the Newport Hotel Group, and owner of the hotel since 1998. “With the exciting renovations, the Inn at Newport Beach has become Newport’s premier beachfront hotel. We are committed to offering excellent value to guests.
9 Manning Square Newport, Rhode Island Artist Captures Hollywood’s Attention!
Former social worker and community activist Meg Reagan is stunned by the success she has had as a jewelry and glass artist in Newport, often referred to in Rhode Island as “the city by the sea.” Friends and supporters can’t get over it either – yet they are hardly surprised that someone with Meg’s talent, work ethic, and personal generosity would capture the notice of Hollywood.
Reagan, owner and creator of 9 Manning Square, unabashedly pulls out pictures of Paris Hilton wearing the glossy belt buckle she designed and produced and unveils a photo of herself taken with Carlos Santana. Reagan’s success is flooring considering how young both she and her business are. Even Martha Stewart’s editors have taken swift notice of Reagan’s quirkily slick house wares and as we speak are poring over her portfolio to see what they’ll feature in one of Martha Stewart’s numerous publications.
9 Manning Square, nostalgically named after her grandmother’s home in upstate New York, boasts simple, yet elegant fused glass and sterling silver jewelry, belt buckles,mirrors, tiles, and other house wares such as the “Lazy Meg,” an updated glass version of the 1970’s era ‘Lazy Susan.’ What sparked national attention is an invite to Las Vegas in October to be a part of the celebrity gift lounge at Andrea Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children, a star-studded benefit concert that raised $9 million for children’s charities. Reagan put her toe into that big and gleaming sea by gifting sets of two buckles and one belt.
The publicity is heady, but it would never have happened without Reagan’s own
community embracing her products first. At age 30, Reagan shifted gears instinctually from her work helping others to answer a creative calling that wanted to put her into the limelight. She began an online jewelry business that became so popular that she was able to open her own storefront this past summer in Waite’s Wharf, a charming beach-side pad that conveniently offers free parking – and gains by sharing the flow of human traffic with the West Deck, an esteemed Newport restaurant. Reagan is solely responsible for all stages of production, and admirably seems up to the challenge. The glass tile is handmade and created using a four-step process: design, fusion of numerous layers into one, forming holes, adding the final touches to make each piece distinct.
According to Reagan, she never dreamed of being a full-time artist, despite minoring in fine art while receiving her undergraduate degree. Her life took a 180-degree turn seven years ago while in grad school when the glass necklaces she’d made for friends as Christmas presents found their way into a high-end shop in Boston’s affluent Beacon Hill area. Today Reagan calls herself a full-time artist and entrepreneur and her one-of-a-kind, handmade glass creations sell in over 100 shops, museum stores, and galleries across the country.
Reagan’s penchant for rich layered color sings in every piece she creates, from deep
fuchsias and turquoises, to caramel swirled with chocolate tones, to hues of jade sandwiched together to make an eye-catching almost mouth-watering statement. Each necklace, bracelet, ring, and buckle is derived from a simple rectangular or oblong shape that gracefully concedes itself to the vibrancy of Reagan’s palette.
The process that brings each unique creation to life includes designing the piece, creating the tile, fusing numerous layers of glass into one, and adding final touches that make each piece a distinct work of art. Every 9 Manning Square creation comes with an unconditional guarantee, and is repaired or replaced for free in the event of breakage, a rare perk enjoyed by enthusiasts of Reagan’s line.
Reagan’s work is available throughout the country and at her Newport Waites wharf studio and retail store. To learn more about 9 Manning Square, or find a store or gallery near you, please visit www.9manningsquare.com.
PROVIDENCE
The Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design new Exhibition -- Pilgrims of Beauty: Art and Inspiration in 19th-Century Italy
Cocktail Culture is one of the largest exhibitions of costumes and textiles in the RISD Museum's history.
From Prohibition to disco, the cocktail hour ritualized the passage of time between work and leisure amidst the sweeping social changes that defined 20th-century American life. This social phenomenon sparked vibrant new forms of expression in fashion and design - from the iconic cocktail dress and barware to lively printed fabrics. Cocktail Culture: Ritual and Invention in American Fashion, 1920-1980, is the first exhibition to explore the rich and varied ways individuals presented themselves within the theater of cocktails.
Organized by the Department of Costume and Textiles, Cocktail Culture features more than 220 works, including clothing, jewelry, textiles, and decorative and fine art drawn from the Museum's vast holdings and loans from other museums and private collections. The array of apparel - stunning in breadth and quality - represents the century's major designers, such as such as Elizabeth Arden, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Pierre Cardin, Chanel, Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Hubert de Givenchy, Halston, Elizabeth Hawes, Charles James, Mr. John, Beth Levine, Mainbocher, Norman Norell, Jean Patou, Mollie Parnis, Emilio Pucci, Lilly Pulitzer, Scaasi, Elsa Schiaparelli, Carolyn Schnurer, Pauline Trigère, Vera, and Madeleine Vionnet. More than10 special pieces loaned from the Swarovski jewelry archives in Austria bring Hollywood glitz and everyday glamour.
Cocktail fashion is presented in context with photographs, illustrations, decorative arts, and novelty items such as a 1940s tiki bar from Japan. Organized thematically, the exhibition illustrates the ways in which the cocktail hour transformed 20th-century fashion and design - from the Roaring Twenties to the wartime and postwar periods to the social upheaval and loosening of societal rules of the 1960s and '70s. Visitors will see how different popular venues for cocktails - such as urban nightclubs, backyard barbeques, and the luxury ocean liner - changed the ways we dressed for one another. A section about icons introduces the classic elements of cocktail culture, such as the little black dress.
Cocktail Culture is sponsored by Swarovski, with additional support from The Coby Foundation and the Museum Associates. Cocktail Culture is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated book published by the Rhode Island School of Design and available for purchase at the Museum's shop. Five essays explore the various ways in which Hollywood, Harlem, suburbia, and Paris all helped shape the visual culture of the cocktail party. Contributing scholars include Joanne Dolan Ingersoll, Curator of Costumes and Textiles, Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design; Clare Sauro, Curator and Director of Historical Collections, Drexel University; Kristina Wilson, Assistant Professor of Art History, Clark University; Susan Hannel, Associate Professor of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design, University of Rhode Island; and Gretchen Fenston, milliner and registrar, Condé Nast Archive.
Where: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903
Chace Center entrance
20 North Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
WARWICK
NYLO Providence/Warwick Invites Travelers to Stay Unique with Special Hotel Getaway Packages
NYLO Providence/Warwick, located at 400 Knight Street in Warwick, RI, is offering a selection of exclusive getaway packages. Valid year-round, these packages allow guests to enjoy the unique loft lifestyle experience of NYLO Providence/Warwick while taking in some of the area's top attractions. For more information or to make reservations, please call NYLO Providence/Warwick at 1.866.391.NYLO or visit www.NYLOHotels.com/Warwick.
Beginning at $199, NYLO's Romance Package offers overnight accommodations for two, a bottle of champagne, dinner in The Loft - NYLO's signature full-service restaurant and bar, and a complimentary in-room movie. The Wine Tour Package, starting at $250 per night, features overnight accommodations for two, dinner in The Loft, a bottle of wine, and limousine transportation for wine tastings at three of Rhode Island's historic vineyards: Sakonnet, Newport and Greenvale. The Dinner and a Movie Package includes overnight accommodations for two, dinner in The Loft and tickets for two to the Showcase Cinemas. Rates for Dinner and a Movie Package start at $159.
Starting at $129 (midweek) and $99 (weekends), the NYLO Providence/Warwick Park & Fly Package ensures that travelers will get a restful night's sleep and a good parking spot when heading to their next destination. Details include overnight accommodations for two the evening prior to departure and free parking for two weeks with shuttle to/from TF Green airport.
The Stay & Play Golf Package includes overnight accommodations for two at NYLO Providence/Warwick, dinner and breakfast in The Loft, and 9-holes of golf at Midville Golf Course in Warwick with a special "19th hole" refreshment in The Loft. Rates start at $189 (weekends).
The Retail Therapy Getaway Package has shopping written all over it with the Warwick Mall steps from the hotel and Providence Place minutes down the road. Itching to see the latest flick? The Showcase Cinemas at the Warwick Mall features all the latest releases, or stretch out in NYLO's chic loft-style accommodations with an in-room movie and snacks from The Loft's "to-go" menu. The Retail Therapy Getaway Package includes overnight accommodations for two with dinner in The Loft and a $25.00 American Express gift card. Rates start at $175 (weekends).
Guests will experience an explosion of decadent flavors when art and cuisine come together at NYLO's Dining Getaway, showcasing the gourmet cuisine and regional specialties in The Loft - NYLO's signature full-service restaurant and bar serving sophisticated regional cuisine. With rates starting at $175 (weekends), this special dining package includes an overnight stay for two at NYLO Providence/Warwick, dinner and breakfast in The Loft, plus admission to the Culinary Archives Museum at Johnson & Wales University.
NYLO Providence/Warwick opened on September 2, 2008 as the first property in New England for loft lifestyle hotel innovator, NYLO Hotels. Designed by Stephane Dupoux, one of America's Top 20 architect/designers, NYLO Providence/Warwick features 163 guestrooms, called guest lofts, and more than 1,450 square feet of meeting and event space. Each guest loft has 300 square feet of bright, airy living space, with 10-foot-plus ceilings, exposed brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. The property offers a Pure Floor with allergy-friendly guest lofts. Its signature ultra-social living area, The Loft, features a hip atmosphere, eclectic menu and local musicians. A 3,000-square-foot terrace also provides outdoor dining and entertainment.
About NYLO
Atlanta-based NYLO Hotels offers a new class of hotels that combines the dynamic qualities of urban residential loft-style living with the best-of-the-industry features of leading hotel brands. The properties will feature bright, spacious loft accommodations; state-of-the-art business center; gym; and 24-hour, healthy-alternative restaurant and bar.
WATCH HILL
New England's Historic Ocean House Has Re-Opened its Doors
A slice of 19th century history in Watch Hill, that has engaged vacationers since just post Civil War begins a 21st century iteration next spring. Continuing its 136 year history, the Historic Ocean House, one of the last grand hotels in New England, re-opened its doors June 2010. The Ocean House is a five star hotel featuring 49 guestrooms and 23 private residences perched high on the bluffs in Watch Hill Rhode Island with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Montauk and Block Island.
Because of its age, the original structure was dismantled in 2004 after the property closed in 2003. Longing to preserve this centerpiece of Watch Hill history, a community group came to its rescue. Bluff Avenue LLC, led by Charles M. Royce, Nicholas C. Moore, Donna Simmons and Grant Simmons, was formed to preserve the Ocean House site as a hotel, community asset and significant cornerstone of the Watch Hill and Westerly neighborhood for generations to come.
Famously known for its warm yellow facade and stunning views of the Atlantic, the Ocean House was built in Watch Hill just after the Civil War. The Victorian-style hotel has always been a gracious and genteel resort where generations of families and guests from across America would come ìto summer. The new Ocean House will be open year-round and will cater to leisure and business travelers seeking a serene, first-class, beachfront hotel. Guests will be treated to ìfarm to tableî cuisine in both the fine and casual dining venues. A private Club Room and bar will offer light fare and a convivial atmosphere. An impeccably designed spa will feature six treatment rooms, an ocean view lap pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center. A 1,000 foot expanse of private beach will provide guests with an oceanfront playground replete with staffed cabanas and an array of water sports and area activities. The Ocean House will feature over 10,000 square-feet of indoor and alfresco events space to accommodate private gatherings, corporate retreats, business conferences and weddings.
In addition to the hotel, the Ocean House will feature 23 private residences ranging from sumptuous studios to stately two bedrooms, all with stunning ocean views and each featuring the privacy of home combined with the elegant services of the finest of hotels: world-class cuisine, breakfast in bed, private beach and cabana access, spa and fitness centers and all the exceptional touches that make Ocean House living an unparalleled experience.
Nightly rates at Ocean House are from $450 depending on the season. For additional information on Ocean House, please visit www.oceanhouseri.com or call (401) 345-5599.