Doin’ a Little Doodlin’: Napkin Art from the Sea Gull Cellar Bar

Chuckle at the humor and admire the creativity of the napkin art on display at the Kelley House Museum. During the 1970s-1980s, the Sea Gull Bar & Restaurant was a community hub and the birthplace of Sunday afternoon Napkin Art gatherings. These sessions brought together local illustrators and sketchers, creating a true artists’ colony and producing wonderfully unique pieces centered on different themes. You’ll find over 100 different creations by a dozen artists who utilized pen, ink, paint, collage, quilting, and even rusty nails!

These singular creations will be complemented by prints of James Maxwell’s storybook characters paintings, created for the Sea Gull Cellar Bar. The exhibit also takes a brief look at the history of napkin art from its first wave during the Italian Renaissance to its role as a form of protest art in contemporary times.

Exhibit runs March 9th – May 29th, 2023. Artist credit on poster: Sandra Lindstrom.