experiences
Art Adventures
Art Adventures & Experiences
Art is a pivotal part of the Ocean House experience. Museum-worthy exhibits, an art exploration for kids, lecture series, seasonal events and more together create a cohesive curated portfolio. Our hotel art experiences have been enjoyed by countless guests and community members throughout the years. We invite you to join in.
Education & Events
NEW! Self-Guided Audio Tours: Guests can now enjoy our new museum quality self-guided audio tour of the Ocean House artcollection, providing background information about major pieces, how they were acquired and background on the artists. The audio sets for this self-guided tour can be check out at the Ocean House front desk.
For Children: Self-guided “Mortimer Mouse Scavenger Hunt;” children receive a special “prize” for completing the hunt and finding all items.
Private Art Watercolor Lessons: Available one-on-one or small groups for a three-hour session. All art materials are provided; no art experience required. $300/person plus tax & gratuity (must be arranged in advance). Please note: watercolor lessons are designed for adults 18 years of age and older; we kindly ask that children do not join.
Cork & Canvas Events: Special hotel art experience for groups in collaboration with the OH Wine Director and Sommelier where guests are provided with small canvases, brushes and paints to create art while sampling local wine & cheeses.
Galleries & Collections
Galleries: Seasonal exhibitions in the hotel lobby, Members Club Room, Bistro, Harbor Room and Ocean & Harvest Spa. Now on view: art from the J. Russell Jinishian collection of marine art.
The hotel hosts exhibitions of paintings for sale by leading contemporary artists from major galleries in the region, including the Lily Pad Gallery, the Cooley Gallery of Lyme, Jessie Edwards Studio of Block Island, and the J. Russell Jinishian collection of marine art. Paintings in the gallery shows are available for purchase. Please check with reception for pricing and more information.
View the Current Exhibits – Art Available for Purchase
Permanent Collection: Rhode Island art enthusiasts and amateurs alike will be captivated by almost 250 works from the 19th century through the 1990’s adorning the walls. Originals include the French artist SEM, also known as George Goursat (1863-1934), who, in the years before World War I, created caricatures satirizing the beau monde of French high society at the beach resorts, racetracks and grand hotels of Deauville, Monte Carlo, and Paris. Among other masterworks on view are pieces by renowned artist Ludwig Bemelmans, including his series Goodbye to the Ritz, which commemorated the closing of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, murals from his La Colombe restaurant in Paris, and original illustrations from Bemelmans’ famous Madeline children’s book series.
- Josephine Maynard, The Story of Susan
- Ludwig Bemelmans, Goodbye to the Ritz series, Madeline series, La Columbe murals
- Oscar Fabres, Café Society
- Adolf Dehn, for Vanity Fair
- Self-portraits of well-known artists and writers collected by Burt Britton in the Club Room
- Society Ladies (original 19th century watercolors depicting fashion of the time)
- Jessie Gillespie, Art of the Elegant Silhouette
- George Goursat (SEM), a series of caricatures satirizing the beau monde
- James Montgomery Flagg, famous poster and magazine illustrator
- Garrett Price, original New Yorker covers
- Konstantin Rudakov and the nightlife in St. Petersburg
- Lanazin French portraits from 1883 featuring artists, writers and statesmen of the period
- Howard Chandler Christy
- John Rea Neill
- William Wallace Denslow
- George Edwards
- China Trade Fish Series
ARTISANS AT OCEAN HOUSE
Weekend Artists at Ocean House Summer Series: Award-winning artists from participating art galleries are invited to paint on the OH grounds during select weekends to share their art with guests. Artists discuss how they create their work and display paintings/works for sale at the reception. Past artists have included Harley Bartlett, Neil Hughes, and Susan Stephenson.
About Stephen S. Lash,
Chairman Emeritus of Christie’s Americas, is Advisor on the Arts for Ocean House
In his position with Ocean House, he will be leading an art lecture series called, “In Conversation with Steven Lash,” where he will feature a collection of thought-provoking guests.
Lash has served more 40 years at Christies, including his tenure as Chairman, at which time he has been involved with virtually every major historic and record-setting auction at the firm. Mr. Lash serves as acting President and Trustee of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and as a Trustee of the Museum of the City of New York and the New York Landmarks Conservancy, where he was Chair for several years. He is current co-Chair of the American Friends of the Israel Museum, for which he served as President for six years. He is on the Board of Stanhope Capital in London, and has served on the Board of the Preservation League of New York State, and the Board of Overseers for and co-Chair of the Maritime Visiting Committee at the Peabody Essex Museum. An avid collector of transatlantic passenger steamship memorabilia, Mr. Lash was the Founder and First President of the Ocean Liner Museum, now part of the South Street Seaport. He holds a B.A. from Yale College, and is a former President of the Association of Yale Alumni of Metropolitan New York. He received an M.B.A. in International Business from Columbia Business School.
About Lisa Szaro,
Resident Curator & Director of Art Education
Lisa Szaro joined the Ocean House team in January 2019 as Resident Curator and Director of Art Education. She has a background in fine art gallery exhibitions, installation, and art sales. Prior to Ocean House, she has been on committee and Judge for the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, Owner/Director Flip Flop Canvas Art Parties, Artistic volunteer for Westerly/Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce including “Fusion”, “The Whale Trail”, and “Westerly is Rocking”, was a 10 year member of the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, Owner/Operator of “Above Elite Art Studios”, and set designer and sign painter for “Mystic Pizza” movie. A lifelong artist and Oil Painter, she holds a Bachelor degree from the College of Arts and Sciences at University of Rhode Island, attended Rhode Island School of Design, and received private art instruction from her grandfather, renowned portrait artist Robert Brackman.
