Ohanga Opens Newport Art Gallery
Buzz / Ohanga Opens Newport Gallery
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND USA—May 15, 2021—Ohanga™ Inc. has expanded beyond the internet sphere with the opening of its storefront and gallery in Newport, RI
Online to In-Person Shopping
Ohanga was born during the COVID-19 pandemic with the hope of providing an outlet of support and patronage to the hard-hit artist and artisan industry, a community that was widely overlooked during this tumultuous time. Its goal is to facilitate a connection between creatives and consumers, democratize access to art, and show appreciation for the story behind every artist and their work.
The company has had a busy first year launching not only their online creative market but also a gallery in Newport, which allows customers to see many of the artworks and artisanal products from the online store in-person. Ohanga is fostering an environment where local artists can grow and focus on creating without having to worry about promoting themselves or the business-side of art.
An Artistic Return to Live Events
The Ohanga store, located at 225 Goddard Row, celebrated its grand opening on Saturday with an event that was truly reflective of the progress made this year toward the return to normal. The company partnered with Times are Tough Gallery, another local small business, to celebrate the opening.
The grand opening was centered around small businesses supporting other small businesses, which was evident with the wide variety of local artists and vendors present to show support. There was live music, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, food and drink from local artisans, tables for local artists to showcase their work outside the store, and many of the artists whose work is on display in the new storefront were on hand to talk about their art and promote their work with other attendees.
Lisa Raiola, the founder of Hope & Main, gave an opening speech that highlighted the importance of not only communities supporting small businesses, but also small businesses supporting each other. Raiola said that the “pioneers of today” are people who look inwards towards their own communities because if we want to improve, we need to start local and grow from there.
Local Supporting Local
Hope & Maine is another Rhode Island-based small business that focuses on empowering a community of local entrepreneurs with an emphasis on food producers, farmers, and fishermen. Since 2014, Hope & Main has helped over 300 Rhode Island-based food and beverage vendors jumpstart their businesses.
Ohanga recently partnered with Hope & Main to supply products for the Artisan Monthly box, a convenient and affordable lifestyle subscription box. Artisan Monthly delivers small-batch, locally sourced consumables straight to your door and provides customers with a no-hassle oppurtunity to support their local economy.
Verified Local, Sustainable, Fair Trade
Ohanga is committed to supporting and promoting artisanal small businesses, a mission that is clearly seen at the new storefront with the company’s three pillars— “Verified Local, Sustainable, Fair Trade”—on display in large letters on the wall of the store.
Located in Brick Market Place, Ohanga Newport hopes to be more than just a store for local artisans; it is an art gallery, a classroom, a host for live events, and a general space to celebrate art and the coming together of a community.
The store will be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from noon to 8 p.m. For more information call the store phone at (401) 433-0018 or email us at info@ohanga.com.
Author: Francesca Giangiulio
We envision a world in which creatives can grow and share their passions unburdened from the complexity of business management; a world where a community can easily access art for sale as well as celebrate and engage with their local artists.
For more Rhode Island art news, read Etch as an online magazine.
Find us at our Newport art store, Ohanga Newport.