Art and architecture have always been allied fields, given that the act of planning requires the twin processes of designing and drawing. The forms of architectural designs have nonetheless changed radically as advances in technology, as well as shifts in economics and client demands, have continued to evolve over time.

Architecture is special in that it is an art form that must be built by many hands, and is often as much an expression of its time and place as it is of the architect who gives it form. The architect’s true art thus lies in the ability to create a vision and to elaborate that vision in a way that enables others to give it the form and substance that he or she imagined for it. This is the realm of architectural drawing and representation.

This exhibition exemplified the many ways that architects and designers use art to envision and create architecture, and also the ways in which architecture continues to inspire artists and craftsmen. The works selected here ranged across media and periods, from historic pieces loaned by Newport institutions to designs hot off the drawing boards (and computers) of architects working in Newport today.

This exhibition was a collaboration between The Newport Architectural Forum and The Redwood Library and Athenaeum.

The lighting in this gallery was provided by a generous gift from Cornelius C. Bond and Ann E. Blackwell, and an in-kind donation from Sandra Liotus Lighting LLC.

Tiles from the Newport Casino, 1880 (Sponsored by The Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame). Salvador Diez of Manyses (Valencia, Spain).