Newport Arts Festival to Benefit Looking Upwards This Weekend

Artists, acclaimed musicians, local chefs, and the Aquidneck Island community again set their sails to the Newport Yachting Center this weekend for family fun and to raise money for Middletown's Looking Upwards, Inc.

Now in its fourth year and featuring the work of more than 65 national and regional artists, the Newport Arts Festival will showcase area artists' painting, ceramics, jewelry, fiber, glasswork, photography, woodwork, metalwork, sculpture and mixed media. The festival also will feature children's entertainment and activities to spark young imaginations, and an abundance of café foods the whole family can enjoy.

"The event features the work of more than 60 select national artists, two days of acclaimed musical performances, entertainment and activities to inspire young imaginations," said Denise Lussier, Director of Communications for Looking Upwards.

The Middletown-based nonprofit agency Looking Upwards produces the festival annually as a cornerstone to its fundraising efforts to help support its programs and services. Founded in 1978, Looking Upwards is a private, nonprofit agency offering that serves more than 500 adults with developmental disabilities and children with special healthcare needs.

Looking Upwards programs strive to support people in leading rich and satisfying lives by first partnering with the individual and family members to develop a personalized plan, and then utilizing a dedicated team of professionals to assist the person in achieving goals at school, gratifying work, in relationships and participation in the wider community. Team members include direct support workers, nurses, physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavioral consultants, family and individual therapists, service coordinators and support staff. 

This weekend's line-up is sure to offer fun the whole family can enjoy: Browse a colorful marketplace of fine and functional art on Newport's scenic waterfront; View the work of select regional and national artists, including wearable art, wood and glasswork, paintings, photography, pottery and more; And enjoy acclaimed live music from bluegrass to jazz, plus children's entertainment and activities to spark young imaginations.

Of course, one can't speak of the Newport Arts festival without getting into the music.

"Our intent for the festival music stage is to bring to the waterfront great performers and up-and-coming independent musicians in an exciting and diverse line-up," said festival director, Nichole Smith. "This year the festival has hit its stride with an amazing array of talent."  

Check out this year's highlights:

The Delta Generators play Saturday, Aug. 28, 6:30-8pm, at Festival After Hours. Formed in 2008, the blues powerhouse combines the urgency of delta blues with the energy of early rock & roll, throwing in a little Memphis soul and Louisiana funk. Acclaimed for their fresh sound and powerful live performances, The Delta Generators were among the top 10 finalists in the International Blues Challenge 2009 in Memphis and were named Boston's Best Blues Band in 2008. They've shared the stage with acts such as Robert Cray, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Three Dog Night and Tommy Castro and earlier this year, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and Johnny A. came out to sit in with the band.

Debo Band, an Ethiopian groove collective, demonstrates unique instrumentation – including horns, strings, and accordion. Formed in 2006 by Danny Mekonnen, an Ethiopian-American jazz saxophonist and a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at Harvard University, the group has garnered awards such as The 2010 Boston Phoenix's Best World Music Act and in 2009, The Boston Music Awards' Best International Act. Recently the band performed at the 8th Ethiopian Music Festival and opened for legendary Ethiopian greats, Tilahun Gessesse and Getatchew Mekuria.

Hey Mama plays the Sunday daytime line-up. Known for pumping limitless quantities of energy into every performance, Hey Mama delivers a washboard rock n' roll experience that inspires a trail of rave reviews. Young, fresh and on a mission to repair the world through their music, Hey Mama has been described by The Boston Globe as "Sexy roots swagger with populist fire." Rock n' Roll Report says they're "…absolutely spell-binding to listen to." Gritty, frenetic, powerful, immaculately crafted, the list goes on, but maybe NHPR says it best, "See them in concert. They're gonna move you. I know they're gonna move you."

On Sunday, at 3:30 pm, David Maxwell, a veteran blues pianist, offers low-down, funky, blues. Maxwell has toured with many of the greats, including Freddie King, Bonnie Raitt, James Cotton, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, to name a few. Praise for David Maxwell comes from heavy-weights such as Bonnie Raitt, ("…one of the most amazing piano players I've ever heard.") and John Lee Hooker ("I don't think anybody could be tighter playing the blues on the piano than David Maxwell…"). In the past ten years, Maxwell received over a half-dozen WC Handy and Grammy nominations and a Grammy Award for recorded work, as well as Handy nominations for instrumental performance. Most recently, Maxwell won the 2010 Blues Music Awards Acoustic Album of the Year Award for "YOU GOT TO MOVE" with Louisiana Red. 

Families should look for Keith Munslow, who has entertained thousands of children with his funky piano playing, soulful singing, hilarious stories and lightening fast cartooning. Munslow is a long-time presence in the RI arts community, through AS220, Perishable Theatre's Shows for Young Audiences and Big Nazo, an award-winning mask and puppet touring company.

There's more. For some fierce pickin', Della Mae, out of Boston, is a nouveau bluegrass band that happens to be all women. Their vocals and harmonies are tight. Newport musician, Mac Chrupcala, who was inducted into the Newport Jazz Hall of Fame, has been a favorite at the festival every year and will return again with The Mac Chrupcala Group. Joanne Lurgio, from Warwick RI, sings about everyday life and acoustic folk rock duo, Tall Heights brings to the stage harmony-driven original tunes accompanied by guitar and cello.

New for 2010, the festival has reserved a spot for emerging artists. Knuf Said is a jazzy, funky band made up of four teenagers coming from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Three of the four musicians are just out of high school and the fourth is currently studying performance jazz at Northwestern in Chicago. The group grabbed first place in the jazz category in the 2009 RI's Got Talent contest and have been playing throughout RI and southern MA. Suspecting that enough has yet to be said about knuf said, the Newport Arts Festival is proud to bring this young group to the stage.

And for the record, knuf is funk spelled backwards.  

Sat., Aug. 28, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Sun., Aug. 29, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

$3 and children under 12 free.

For the Saturday evening After-Hours Music & Awards from 6:30 - 8pm, the suggested donation is $5.

Saturday

11:00 – 12:00, knuf said.

12:30 – 1:30, Debo Band

2:00 – 3:00, Keith Munslow

3:30 – 4:30, Della Mae

5:00 – 6:00, Tall Heights

Saturday After-Hours

6:30 – 8pm Delta Generators

Sunday

11:00 – 12:00, Joanne Lurgio

11:00 – 12:00, Mac Chrupcala Group

2:00 – 3:00, Hey Mama

3:30 – 4:30, David Maxwell

For more information about Looking Upwards call 401-847-0960 or visit the organization's website www.lookingupwards.org.