Weekend Picks: Newport Edition

If you're looking for things to do this weekend, Newport is the place to be  (and I'm not just saying that because one of my favorite Rhode Islanders lives there and happens to own a Vespa.)

To kick things off on Friday, NewportFILM is screening Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present as part of their May Mini-Fest.  The film follows the performance artist and contemporary art world star as she prepared for her 2010 critically-acclaimed retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art, in which Abramovic held court in the museum's atrium for three months.  The night includes a 6PM wine reception with food by Pasta Beach, film starting at 7, and a post-screening Q&A with the film's producer Marcus Ricci.  Tickets, $12 for the film, $20 including the reception, are available online.    

Saturday is going to be gorgeous, and I can think of no better place to celebrate the start of summer than Flo's Clam Shack.  If its your first time, you need to try the whole-belly fried clams and the stuffies!  Grab a 'Gansett, head to the top deck, and take in the sun and gorgeous views of First Beach and Cliffwalk.  And of course don't forget to snap a picture on your way out.

Here's where it get tricky - Saturday night you have two great options to choose from:
NewportFILM's mini-fest continues, screening Under African Skies.  This year's South by Southwest Film Festival Audience Award Winner, Joe Berlinger's documentary captures Paul Simon's return to South Africa 25 years after recording Graceland (one of my all-time favorite albums).  The night includes a 6:30PM wine reception with food by Pasta Beach, film starting at 7:30.  Tickets, $12 for the film, $20 including the reception, are available online.  
 
Saturday night also marks the return of Newport Art Museum's Artists' Ball!   Celebrating the museum's centennial year, the 1920s themed evening will include performances by burlesque dancers Kristen Minksy & the TropiGals, and art installations by Peter Diepenbrock and Jerold Ehrlich. "Alter egos, costumes and bold attire" are being encouraged, so if you're looking for an opportunity to wear your best avant garde apparel, this is your night!  You might even meet your own Ocean State Gatsby. The Artists' Ball runs from 8pm to midnight at the Museum's John N. A. Griswold House, 76 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI. Tickets are available online, and cost $60 in advance and $80 at the door.