FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND: PORSCHIA DENNING BRINGS ART, MUSIC AND A STORY OF COMMUNITY TO THE MONTAUK LIBRARY
COASTAL STORIES: THE ART OF PORSCHIA DENNING
Where: Montauk Library
Exhibition: September 2026
Opening Reception: Sunday, September 6, 2026 | 2–5 p.m.
Live Music: 4 p.m.
Artist: Porschia Denning
This September, the Montauk Library will present Coastal Stories: The Art of Porschia Denning, a month-long exhibition of original paintings and sculpture inspired by coastal landscapes, community and the feeling of home.The exhibition opens with a reception on Sunday, September 6, 2026, from2–5 p.m. Guests are invited to meet Denning, enjoy coffee, tea and refreshments, view the collection, and hear a live performance of her original music at 4 p.m. The artwork will remain on display throughout September.A professional multidisciplinary artist and musician with approximately 25years of experience, Denning brings people together through painting,sculpture, murals, live event painting, Paint & amp; Sip experiences and music. Her creative journey has taken her through coastal communities in the Caribbean,California and New York, where water, landscape, wildlife and community have become recurring sources of inspiration.One of the most meaningful chapters in that recent journey began on St.John. In 2023, Friends and members of the island community repeatedly encouraged Denning to enter a Royal Caribbean art competition. She eventually entered, came close, but did not win. Now in 2026, Royal Caribbean invited her to compete again amongst artists from the Caribbean,Central America and Mexico. This time, she won the opportunity to create alarge-scale original mural for their newest cruise ship, Legend of the Seas.The largest sea vessel in the world features Porschia’s mural of Caribbean birds surrounded by lush tropical foliage.For Denning, the achievement represents more than an international commission. It is a story about persistence and the power of community encouragement. “St. John is a community built on resilience. 
The people are independent, strong and fiercely supportive of one another. When I was afraid to risk another disappointment, they reminded me that I had what it took and they encouraged me to try again” Denning recalls thinking when friends first encouraged her to enter.That experience continues to shape the way she thinks about her art. Having grown up in a military family and moved frequently, Denning developed a sensitivity to what makes a place feel like home. Her years on St. John and her summers in Montauk have given her two very different island communities through which to explore that idea.Coastal Stories brings that journey home to Montauk. The exhibition includes paintings of the Montauk landscape and community, from the lighthouse and harbor to village celebrations and familiar local gathering places and people.The collection also includes World Map, a work that speaks to the larger journey behind the exhibition.Denning’s approach is impressionistic and atmospheric, using luminous color and expressive brushwork to capture not simply what a place looks like, but what it feels like to be there.Painting, sculpture, live painting, teaching and music are different expressions of the same impulse for Denning: to create connection and invite people into the creative experience.“I didn’t get here on my own,” Denning says. “There were people who encouraged me, people who believed in me, and communities that gave me places to grow.”Visitors may inquire about purchasing original artwork, live wedding painting,Paint & Sip experiences, music, murals or commissioned work.For artwork, commissions and additional information: ArtByPorschia.com Social media: @ArtbyPorschia