Ocean House Opening Reception Featuring: “New England Contemporary Fine Art”

Join us for a glass of wine and light bites as we celebrate the opening of the newest fine arts exhibition at Ocean House, with work from New England Contemporary Fine Art gallery.

This special show, hung throughout the elegant Ocean House Lobby, highlights visions of beauty found within New England and beyond, from paintings of feathered and furry friends to iconic New England scenes and vistas, these classic compositions of realism also feature a contemporary flair.

About New England Contemporary Art Gallery and its director and co-owners:

New England Contemporary was founded in 2024 in East Greenwich, RI, by co-owners Laura Petican, PhD, and Masood Shaikh. It is a fine art gallery dedicated to the exhibition of work by the most accomplished regional and national artists, specialized in both traditional genre subjects and contemporary motifs. The gallery supports collectors in acquiring works of the highest skill and craft to complement their collections, while fostering an atmosphere of support for the artists it represents. Its brick-and-mortar headquarters, aside from functioning as a commercial gallery space and showroom, also serves as a hub from which temporary exhibitions and special events are planned in collaboration with outside cultural venues and destinations for art enthusiasts.

Laura Petican, PhD, is Director and co-owner of New England Contemporary. She is an art historian, curator, and author. She received her BA and MA in Art History from Western University, Canada; a PhD from Jacobs University, Germany; and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship awarded by the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada. Aside from directing three university galleries over the last decade and curating over 100 exhibitions and cultural events in her roles as Associate Professor and Director of University Galleries at Texas A&M, she has authored monographs and edited volumes of scholarly essays in the fields of contemporary Italian art history and fashion studies. Her research has been presented with the College Art Association, American Association of Italian Studies, the Italian Art Society, the Fashion: Exploring Critical Issues conference in Oxford, United Kingdom; the Center for Italian Modern Art, New York; and the American University of Rome, Italy. Laura’s involvement with artists has extended to her roles as Chair of the Arts and Culture Commission of Corpus Christi, as Collections Committee Member of the Art Museum of South Texas, and as Curatorial Advisor for Blue Light Contemporary.

Masood Shaik is co-owner of New England Contemporary. He is an entrepreneur and executive with over 25 years of experience in the fields of Information Technology and Finance. He was a co-founder of BizAnalytica, a data analytics company; Chief Operating Officer at SoftPak Financial Systems, a fin-tech company; and Vice President of Global Technology Services at State Street Corporation. He is dedicated to servicing, supporting, and building relationships with his clients and is an avid admirer, collector, and supporter of art and artists.