Category: Events

Art by the River

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Saturday, August 8, 2026

9-11am at Middlebridge Preserve, 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett, RI 02882

All are welcome to this free event.

On Saturday morning, August 8, 2026, Narrow River Preservation Association welcomes artists of all ages and skill levels joined us to create art along Narrow River.

  • “Plein air” (open air) painters will demonstrate their techniques and others will give instruction in drawing and painting scenes of the Middlebridge area.
  • Bring your own easel or sketch pad.  Sketch your version of an expansive landscape view or crouch down and capture a still life view of oysters on the fringe of the salt marsh.
  • NRPA will provide other guided activities including paper and supplies needed to make seaweed art and fish prints. We encourage you to bring blank T-shirts and/or pillowcases so you can make a fish print onto those, too!

FREE and open to all ages!  The gathering area is a field with grass and dirt surfaces. Wheelchairs are welcome.

If you would like to volunteer to support this event, then please VISIT THIS LINK to share your areas of interest with us.

Click here to read an article in The Independent about Art on the River 2023 featuring photos by Michael Derr.

Thanks to everyone who joined us on Saturday, August 6, 2022 for Art on the River

We had a wonderful time creating seaweed art, making fish prints, learning to play hubbub from Silvermoon LaRose of the Tomaquag Museum and then each decorating our own hubbub game to keep!

Hannah (left) and Silvermoon look on as Veronica shows them how to make seaweed prints.
Silvermoon (right) taught guests how to play hubbub, an Indigenous bowl game, then invited each attendee to decorate their own game pieces to keep.
Plein air painting along the river
Fish prints
Making art with seaweed
Seaweed Art
Fish prints
Experienced artist and NRPA Board President Richard Grant shows others how to draw perspective.

What Lives in the River

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Come explore what lives in Narrow River! Photos by John McNamara

Join us Saturday, September 19, 2026 9-11am

at 95 Middlebridge Road in Narragansett, RI.

This popular family science and exploration event is held annually on a Saturday morning in June and a Saturday morning in September at 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett.

About What Lives in the River:

All ages are invited to join Narrow River Preservation Association for this hands-on exploration of fish, shellfish, crabs and other inhabitants of Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River. We will use nets large and small to catch river creatures and examine them in touch tanks and under microscopes. Experts and guide books will be on hand.

FREE and open to the public- FUN for all ages!  Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.  All young children and youth should be supervised closely at all times.

Participants are welcome to get into the water, please dress appropriately.  Because this is a natural environment, there are sharp objects in the water. Boots, sandals or shoes that can get wet are recommended.  The gathering area is a field with grass and dirt surfaces. Wheelchairs are welcome.

Clinging jellies have been found in Narrow River. Click here to learn more about clinging jellyfish.

Thanks to all who joined up in June 2023 for What Lives in the River.

Here is a list of what was discovered living in the Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River at our event!

Organisms visible to the unaided eye:

  • Quahog
  • Baby American eel
  • Horse Mussel
  • Glass shrimp
  • Sand shrimp
  • Hermit crabs
  • Green crab
  • Blue Crab
  • Stickleback
  • Sea cucumber
  • Ctenophore (comb jellyfish)
  • Oyster
  • Egg cases
  • Flounder
  • Mummichog
  • Silverside
  • Crepidula fornicate (boat shell)
  • Tunicked
  • Whelk
  • Periwinkle
  • Unidentified small yellow crab with black shield

Organisms visible with microscopes:

  • Zoo plankton
  • Larval oyster
  • Very small whitish worm
  • Very very small snail