Good morning, I’m Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing.
Growing up a painting of an old ship used to hang over the woodstove in our living room. The gold leaf frame and cursive-style writing gave it an air of importance.
As a kid, however, it was seemingly just another piece of maritime art. Similar paintings could be seen in the windows of various galleries around Rhode Island. These paintings becoming commonplace, but that is slowly no longer becoming the case.
Instead maritime art appears to be sinking unless Nicholas Raposo can do something about it.
As the executive director of the New York-based non-profit Center for American Marine Art, Raposo is trying to raise awareness of the importance maritime art plays in recording the country’s history.
The Journal’s Tom Mooney recently caught up with Raposo – who has a summer home in Matunuck – ahead of a month-long art exhibit starting Friday at Newport’s Sailing Center to learn more about the need to protect these paintings and why they appear to be falling out of favor.