A Former Newport Service Shop Gains New Life as a Contemporary Art Gallery
Jamestown ceramicist Susie Matthews first opened Overlap Gallery last February.
Susie Matthews, left, and Alicia Renadette inside the gallery. Photography by Dana Laverty.
“Dark Void” by artist Taleen Batalian. Courtesy of Overlap Gallery.
A squat, concrete building that started life as a service shop in the 1930s has been churning out cutting-edge contemporary art for the past year from its gleaming home in residential Newport. Jamestown ceramicist Susie Matthews opened Overlap Gallery last February after driving by the empty building for months. “I said, ‘Let’s go for it,’” Matthews says. “You know, I’m not getting any younger. It’s time to pursue those dreams.” Architecture firm Estes Twombly + Titrington overhauled the building, earning a prestigious Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects Rhode Island for its work. Since opening, Gallery Director Alicia Renadette has curated six shows featuring regional artists working across a spectrum of media: everything from printmaking to
installation, sculpture, textiles, photography, painting and a site-specific graphite wall-drawing. “We’ve had well-attended openings — people drove over bridges! — and a variety of engaging presentations by our exhibiting artists,” Renadette says. With two galleries and a retail area that sells jewelry, prints and housewares by local artisans, the space has plenty of room for exhibits to breathe. Its newest show, “Counterpoint,” opens Feb. 28, showcasing the work of Rhode Island artists Taleen Batalian and Francoise McAree. An opening reception will be held March 9 from 4–6 p.m. and the exhibit runs through April 13. 112 Van Zandt Ave., Newport, overlapnewport.com.
The building’s exterior. Photography by Dana Laverty.
