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Peto Cup Tickets are Available
The Peto Cup is the Museum’s major annual fundraiser, and we rely on your support and generosity to keep the Museum functioning as an important part of our community.
Your contributions are essential to keeping the Museum’s doors open!
Your participation allows us to continue offering art exhibitions, outdoor band concerts in our beautiful garden, art and history education programs to diverse populations, and our celebrated children’s art summer camp.
The event kicks off at 5:15 p.m. with the start of the regatta, where the majestic Barnegat Bay A-Cat fleet will compete for the coveted Peto Cup. Guests will then mingle and enjoy an American BBQ. Luxurious items will be auctioned, including sailboat cruises and an original watercolor painting of your home. And don’t forget to purchase your 50/50 raffle tickets.
Last year’s prize was over $3,000!
Once again, the Peto Cup will be held at the Toms River Yacht Club. Don’t wait—order your Peto Cup tickets now! The discounted ticket price of $85 will increase on Monday, July
27th. We are grateful for your support, and we hope to count on you again. We look forward to seeing you on August 7th!
Toms River Yacht Club
1464 Riviera Ave. | Toms River, NJ 08753 Friday, August 7, 2026 | 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Reserve A Table
Enjoy a special evening by renting a table and chairs in the beautiful Peto Garden during the concert! To reserve your table and six chairs, simply register online or mail a check for
$100 made out to:
The John F. Peto Studio Museum
PO Box 1022
Island Heights, NJ 08732
Be sure to include a note letting us know which concert you’d like to attend, along with your name, cell phone number, and email address, so we can reach you if needed. Tables are limited and fill up fast, so reserve yours soon!
Inspirations: A Global Cascade of Influence
April 19th – August 30th, 2026
Inspirations: A Global Cascade of Influence — From Old Souvenirs to New Voices, is a landmark collaboration with the ÀNI Art Academies. This international exhibition unites works from ÀNI artists across five countries, each created as a personal reflection on what inspires them to create.
The John F. Peto Studio Museum is proud to present Inspirations: A Global Cascade of Influence — From Old Souvenirs to New Voices, a landmark collaboration with the ÀNI Art Academies. This international exhibition unites works from ÀNI artists across five countries, each created as a personal reflection on what inspires them to create.
“Inspirations” is a curated exhibition featuring select works by artists of the ÀNI Art Academies, created in celebration of the enduring impact of artistic influence. Showcasing a wide range of perspectives, subjects, and styles, each piece in the exhibition reflects the artist’s personal dialogue with the vision, techniques, and philosophies of those who came before them. Through homage, reinterpretation, and thematic exploration, the works honor the masters of the past while embracing contemporary approaches. Together, they highlight the rich interplay between tradition and innovation, and the timeless thread that connects generations of artists. Inspirations invites viewers to witness how legacy becomes a living force, shaping new voices and creative journeys across time.
John F. Peto Studio Museum
102 Cedar Ave. | Island Heights, NJ 08732 Z
Sunday, April 19, 2026 – Sunday, August 30, 2026
Another Peto Painting Comes Home
Pipe, Mug and Music
John F. Peto painted Pipe, Mug and Music while living at his home in Island Heights.
The painting remained in the Peto home in Island Heights until about 1976, when Peto’s daughter, Helen Peto Smiley, sold the painting to Meredith Long, a patron of the arts from Houston Texas. The painting changed hands over the years, selling at Christies and ultimately as part of the Peale Family collection auctioned at Doyle Galleries in New York City.
The oil on panel painting is only 4 1/8 by 6 ½ and includes Peto’s treasured mug and
pipe with embers. At first glance, it appears that there is a folded newspaper in the painting. With closer examination, one realizes it is a music sheet, and not his customary newspaper.
In April 2026, Bob and Linda Baxter, together with David Shipman, secured the painting at auction with the desire to have the painting returned to the John F. Peto Studio Museum in Island Heights.
Over the decades, the painting has crisscrossed the country a few times and was part of at least two important collections.
Following 50 years away from Island Heights, the painting has returned home to where its journey began some 130 years ago.
Frank Parisi is named to Museum’s Advisory Board
The Board of Trustees of the Museum are pleased to announce that Frank Parisi has been named to the Museum’s Advisory Board.
Frank served on the Board of Trustees from 2019 until 2025, serving as the President of the Board from 2022 until 2025.
During his tenure, Frank played a key role in planning and executing on the major capital expansion project to add new exhibit space and improve accessibility. Frank has been a key contact for the museum with the Mayor and Council, the various
organizations in Island Heights, and a number of our long-time members and donors. Frank has also been called on countless times at the museum for his expertise as a photographer. In addition to his role in the governance of the organization, Frank has also been actively involved in the Peto Cup for many years and could often be seen in the Peto Gardens helping to set-up for the many events we hold in the garden each year.
We thank Frank for his willingness to join the Advisory Board and for his tireless efforts over the years to help make the Museum the successful organization that it is today.
UPCOMING EVENTS
PETO PRESENTS
ÀNI Panel Discussion Inspiration as Continuum
Thursday, June 25, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
To extend the spirit of the current exhibition, the John F. Peto Studio Museum and ÀNI Art Academies will present:
ÀNI Panel Discussion: Inspiration as Continuum A moderated conversation among ÀNI educators examining how influence can be nurtured without imitation, and how structured training can empower individuality rather than constrain it.
This program embodies one important aspect of ÀNI’s educational mission: the pursuit of mastery is most meaningful when it serves the pursuit of one’s own inspiration.
Summer Concert Series
Pat Roddy
Thursday, May 28, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
(Rain date: Tues., June 2, 2026)
UnDisputed
Friday, June 19, 2026 2026 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
(Rain date: Tues., June 23, 2026)
The Kootz
Friday, July 17, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
(Rain date: Tues., Aug. 11, 2026)
Click the icon below to find more information about Museum accessibility.
The John F. Peto Studio Museum received funding this year from a grant administered by the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission from funds granted by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
The John F. Peto Studio Museum is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charity that relies on the generous philanthropic support of its members, donors, and partners. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.