The Newport Art Museum and Newport Public Art (NPA) will unveil a mural project by artist and designer Shaday Viruet on the facade of the Museum’s School, housed in the Minnie and Jimmy Coleman Center for Creative Studies.
Viruet was selected from over 50 artists who submitted mural proposals. Submissions were juried by a group of artists and community members along with Art Museum staff and NPA volunteers. An Opening Reception will take place Friday, October 1 from 5:00-6:30 pm.
This event is outdoors and free to the public. Light refreshments will be available. To RSVP, please visit newportartmuseum.org/events/mural-art-opening.Viruet graduated from Rhode Island College in 2020 with a concentration in Graphic Design. Her primary artistic focus is on creating illustrations and package design and her style is influenced by anime and manga.
“For traditional mediums I love to use gouache, markers, colored pen, and ink wash,” said Viruet in a statement included in a press release. “For digital mediums I primarily use Procreate and Adobe Illustrator. I always experiment with a limited color palette and line quality. I love drawing figures and participating in art challenges.”
NPA’s goal is to create accessible art for the community and provide opportunities for local emerging artists to elevate their skills and exposure. Artist and NPA co-founder Sue McNally provides design, technical, and installation guidance to the artists. The overarching goal is to teach an artist how to successfully approach and complete an art project that may be beyond the scope of their current experience.
“Working with Shaday was a wonderful experience,” said McNally. “Shaday was able to translate her work to a large scale with ease. She is a great listener and took any guidance and applied it to her own style. Shaday has never painted anything this big, and she took on the task with a professional’s eye. The design and execution is all her own. Shaday is a natural!”
“I was very impressed with Shaday’s dedication to the mural and her willingness to learn and experiment throughout the process,” said Norah Diedrich, Executive Director, Newport Art Museum. “This project perfectly aligns with the Newport Art Museum’s mission to share a diversity of art and experiences that spark reflection, inspiration, discovery and connection within our Newport community and beyond.”
In addition to financial support from the Newport Art Museum, NPA would like to recognize the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County for acting as their fiscal sponsor, and Bruno Painting, LLC for a donation of time and materials.
Newport Art Museum, Newport Public Art to unveil a new outdoor mural
