Summer Art Party at Newport Art Museum

Annual Newport Art Museum: Summer Art Party

Honoring The Legacy of Sheila Isham

July 10, 2026 from 6:00 - 11:00 PM

Summer Art Party Committee

Ellen Bowman, Co-Chair
Chas A. Miller III, Co-Chair
Marie Samuels, Co-Chair
Sandra Craig
Sherry Fardie
Sue Metzger
Rebecca Rex
Ellie Voorhes

Interested in Community or Corporate Sponsorships?
Contact Susan Hanley, Director of Advancement at shanley@newportartmuseum.org

More information:
Download Community Sponsorship Packet
Download Corporate Sponsorship Packet

Sheila Isham: Between Worlds

Opening July 10, 2026 during the Newport Art Museum’s prestigious Summer Art Party.

On Friday, July 10, 2026, the Newport Art Museum is honored to present Sheila Isham: Between Worlds, a major exhibition celebrating one of the most singular voices in postwar American abstraction.

Spanning more than six decades, Isham’s work traces a deeply personal and philosophical journey through abstraction. Transforming color, gesture, and material into sites of meditation and discovery, she approached painting as a spiritual discipline — a means of giving form to the unseen. Her practice was profoundly shaped by formative years in Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Hong Kong, Washington, D.C., and New Delhi, drawing on influences ranging from Taoist philosophy to Jungian psychology.

This exhibition brings together rare and, in some cases, never-before-exhibited works from 1968 to 2004, illuminating the evolution of an artist who continually expanded the language of abstraction. Long admired by peers and critics alike, Isham’s work is represented in major collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, and has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Presenting Sheila Isham: Between Worlds reflects the Newport Art Museum’s commitment to placing historic and contemporary art in meaningful dialogue, elevating artists whose contributions merit renewed and well-deserved attention. We invite you to join us in supporting this landmark exhibition and celebrating Sheila Isham’s enduring legacy.