Newport Antiquities, Tooth and Bone Exhibit on Display at St. George's This Weekend

With all the summer music festivals and outdoor parties starting their wind-down, this weekend's highly anticipated Newport Antiques Show shifts gears a bit to celebrate New England's rich history.

Now in its fourth year, the Newport Antiques Show has evolved into a favorite event among antique dealers, historians, and collectors of curiosities from New England, as well as the whole of the United States. Indeed, a quick gloss over the media outlets that cover this event reveals a wide net of interest cast as far as away as California and Florida.

With more than forty fine antiquities dealers showcasing their own best-of-show items, about 2,500 visitors are expected to descend on Middletown's south shore this weekend for the event, which takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Stephen P. Cabot and Archer Harman Ice Center on the grounds of the picturesque, sprawling campus at St. George's School, overlooking the Sachuest Point beaches.

Proceeds from the Newport Antiques Show benefit The Newport Historical Society and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County.

A special preview reception Friday night from 6 to 9 pm will give those guests a less crowded and more relaxed opportunity to browse this year's offerings, as well as another opportunity to give to the area charities. Tickets for the preview range from $100 to $500 and include unlimited entry to the weekend show.

The Show itself will take place Saturday, August 14th from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday, August 15th from 10 am to 5 pm. General admission tickets are $12 per person for one-day admission.

Several lectures and special talks are also planned for the weekend.

On Saturday beginning at 11 am, the Newport Historical Society will host a special "Tooth and Bone" loan exhibit of fine miniature paintings and scrimshaw from the society's collections, featuring 18th and 19th Century scrimshaw and miniature paintings on ivory. Most pieces have a Newport connection, according to society curators. Leading scrimshaw expert Stuart Frank, PhD, will discuss the unique nature of the scrimshaw and ivory pieces in Tooth and Bone and will be available to answer questions afterwards. Dr. Frank is Senior Curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Director Emeritus of the Kendall Whaling Museum and founder/director of the Scrimshaw Forensics Laboratory®.

"Both types of artwork were given as gifts to lovers and close relations," Jeffrey Egan, an exhibit curator, explained in one recent interview. "They were sentimental objects that allowed people to stay emotionally connected during periods of physical separation."

Also Saturday morning, beginning at 9:30 am, Design New England Magazine will host a Design Seminar lecture on designing with and caring for antiques. Mally Skok, of Mally Skok Design, will discuss mixing and matching old with new, while Dan Paquette, of Woodmeister Master Builders, will speak to the latest technologies available now to protect valuable antique investments.

New to the Newport Antiques Show program this year are the series of "booth talks" to take place throughout the weekend at different dealer booths and on various collector topics.

Diana Bittel manages the Newport Antiques Show this year, with William Vareika Fine Arts of Newport as the presenting sponsor. Anne Hamilton, of Newport and Philadelphia, is the 2010 event chair. Honorary Chairs include Samuel M.V. Hamilton, Robert H. Charles and John R. Donnell.

The Newport Antiques Show will be held at St. George's School, 372 Purgatory Road, Middletown, RI 02842. General admission tickets cost $12 per person and allow admission for one day. The show's Preview Party Reception will be held Friday, August 13, 2010 from 6 pm to 9 pm. Tickets range from $100-$500, include unlimited weekend show access, and portions of the ticket price are tax deductible. Proceeds benefit The Newport Historical Society and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County.

For more information, please call (401) 846-2669.

Participating dealers at the 2010 Newport Antiques Show include:

Antique American Wicker
Diana H. Bittel
Priscilla Boyd Antiques
Alfred Bullard, Inc.
Carlson & Stevenson
Dawn Hill Antiques
Douglas Constant Inc.
Cooley Gallery Inc.
Cunha-St. John Antiques
Essex Antiquarians
Roberto Freitas American Antiques
James Gallagher
Georgian Manor Antiques
Jerry Hayes Fine Majolica
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc.
Imperial Books
Roger King
King-Thomasson Antiques, Inc.
Kelly Kinzle
James M. Labaugh Antiques
Leatherwood Antiques
Danielle Ann Millican, Inc.
Mongenas Antiques
Hilary and Paulette Nolan
Oriental Rugs, Ltd.
Elinor Penna
Charles Edwin Puckett
Quester Gallery
Sallea Antiques
Rick Scott
Thomas Schwenke
Silver Plus
Philip Suval, Inc.
Three Golden Apples
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge
William Vareika Fine Arts, Ltd.
Village Briader
Walker-Cunningham Fine Art
Washington Square Gallery, Ltd.
Taylor B. Williams Antiques
Williams & Solliday