If you walked the Civic Center lawn Sunday evening, you saw folding chairs, a summer concert underway, and a banner announcing something the city has never run before: an actual, citywide Art Week. The concert ran from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and marked the opening of Newport Beach's first Art Week, a run that continues through Saturday, August 15.
The city's schedule includes two events at the Civic Center, with additional programming organized by local groups.
City-Organized Events
Newport Beach's Cultural Arts division built this week around two fixed points. Sunday's opening concert was one. The other is Saturday's closing event, the 59th Annual Newport Beach Art Exhibition, a juried competition where artists show and sell original work in a single-day exhibit at the Civic Center. Both bookends sit at the same address, 100 Civic Center Drive, and both are run directly by the city.
The city’s schedule sits alongside programming supported by local arts organizations.
The Newport Beach Arts Foundation is supporting Art Week with a Pacific Symphony concert, the 59th Annual Art Exhibition, and a rotating installation at Civic Center Park called Sculpture Exhibition Phase X, part of a slate of cultural events planned for residents and guests of all ages. The foundation's usual annual event, Art in the Park, is not being offered separately this year; it has been included in Art Week.
Local Events Fill the Middle of the Week
The city's own Art Week page describes an open invitation: local businesses, organizations, galleries, and cultural institutions in Newport Beach were welcome to host their own events during the week. There was a form, and a deadline, April 30, 2026, and even then the city was upfront that submitting it didn't guarantee a spot on the Cultural Arts webpage.
Monday-through-Friday programming is organized by participating galleries and institutions following the city's invitation to host events during Art Week.
Two of the results are worth your time. Sherman Library & Gardens is hosting a movement workshop this week called Dance of the Birds, led by professional dancers from Backhausdance and built around the hummingbirds and other birds that live in the gardens. It's open to all ages and abilities, no dance background required, and it happens on the outdoor stage.
Down at Marina Park, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd., the nonprofit Wildlife Jewels is running a free collaborative painting event on Friday, August 14, from 5 to 7 p.m., inviting residents to help finish two large canvases inspired by Newport Bay's marine life. The event is supported in part through the city's Cultural Arts Grant Program and is organized by Wildlife Jewels.
Here's the week as it currently stands:
| Date | Event | Location | Who Runs It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Aug 9 | Opening summer concert, 6-7:30 p.m. | Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive | City Arts Commission |
| Fri, Aug 14 | Wildlife Jewels collaborative painting, 5-7 p.m., registration required | Marina Park, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd. | Wildlife Jewels (city grant-funded) |
| Sat, Aug 15 | 59th Annual Newport Beach Art Exhibition, one-day juried art sale | Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive | City Arts Commission |
The Sherman Library workshop is confirmed for this week but doesn't have a locked date published yet, so check with the gardens directly if you want to plan around it.
An Additional Art Option in Costa Mesa
For another art option this week, visit the museum formerly known as the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, one exit up the highway.
In June 2025, OCMA and UC Irvine signed a nonbinding letter of intent to bring the museum under university control. The acquisition closed in September 2025, and in February 2026 Kathryn Kanjo was named the inaugural director of the newly formed UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, which now sits on the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus. The most significant change for anyone nearby: admission is now free.
Three exhibitions overlap with this week. Jon Serl: As One, As Many runs from February 20 through September 13, 2026. Staging California in Early Hollywood opened June 26 and continues through January 3, 2027. Raymond Saunders: Flowers from a Black Garden runs June 26 through October 18, 2026.
Saturday's closing event at the Civic Center is a one-day opportunity to see and buy work from local artists. In Costa Mesa, three exhibitions are on view for longer periods, and admission is free. They overlap with Newport Beach's first Art Week and continue after it ends. The museum is a fifteen-minute drive from most of Newport Beach.
How This Actually Fits Into a Normal Week
None of this requires clearing your calendar. It requires noticing what's already near your errands.
- If you're already heading toward Corona del Mar this week, check whether Sherman Library & Gardens has locked in a date for the bird-themed movement workshop before you go.
- Friday evening at Marina Park works well as a replacement for a normal walk if you register ahead for the Wildlife Jewels session. It's free and family-friendly, and the bay is right there either way.
- Saturday's art exhibition at the Civic Center is a one-day opportunity to see regional artists' work.
- The Costa Mesa museum shows don't expire when Art Week does. Jon Serl runs through mid-September, Saunders through mid-October, and the Hollywood exhibition into January. There's no reason to rush this one.
Newport Beach's first Art Week combines city-organized events with programs hosted by local organizations. Events include the opening concert and closing exhibition at the Civic Center, the Wildlife Jewels painting event at Marina Park, and a workshop at Sherman Library & Gardens. The Costa Mesa museum offers additional exhibitions during the week and beyond.
If you've lived in Newport Beach long enough to have thoughts about this first Art Week, or you're weighing what a home in this market looks like right now, Matt Whitcomb can walk you through it. Request a free home valuation and get a straight answer, no rearranging your week required.
