‘69-’96: A Closer Look at a House in Common
Our homes hold our most intimate experiences: love, grief, celebration, disappointment and so much more. These buildings were often inhabited by others before us but how often do we meet? Cooking in the same kitchen, bathing in the same tub, staring out the same windows — who came before us and what did they do? Do you know who lives in your old house? If they changed the wallpaper? Fixed the leaky faucet? Found your hiding spot?
In the first two weekends of March in 2025, ‘69-’96: A Closer Look at a House in Common invited visitors to experience one Newport house as remembered by three different families who lived there between 1969 and 1996: Tom Finn who rented an apartment from the Angiers as a newlywed, Colleen (Moy) Byrne who lived there with her family from the age of 7 to 15, and Jed Hancock-Brainerd whose family purchased the house from the Moys when he was 6 months old.
Not anything particularly fancy or notable, the house on Dresser St holds stories from the era in Newport that spans the opening of the Newport Bridge to the X Games at Ft Adams as remembered by Newporters who each lived totally exceptional, incredibly normal lives.
Created by Jed Hancock-Brainerd and Colleen Byrne (Moy)
With support from Tom Finn, Rebecca Noon, the Hancock-Brainerd and Moy families and everyone who has spent time at 15 Dresser St.
Video created by Carolyn Gennari and Jeremy Radtke
Featuring the voices of: Aram Aghazarian, Steven Lowery, Terrence Moy, Steve Moy, Maryellen Hancock, George Brainerd
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Jed moved to 15 Dresser St in 1982 at 6 months old when his family moved out of Navy housing. Born in the Newport Navy Hospital and the youngest of five, Jed’s dad was a Naval Submarine Commander and his mom was a Project Manager for General Dynamics. Jed got his BFA in Acting from URI and an MFA in Devised Theater from the London International School of Performing Arts. Today, he is a theater-maker, performance educator and support staff member at Bike Newport. He teaches voice and movement at Salve Regina and offers private lessons in the Alexander Technique.
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Colleen is a fourth generation Newporter. The youngest and only daughter of 5 kids. She spent most of her childhood on Dresser Street, in a neighborhood with lots of kids and many adventures. She has a BA in Theater from Rhode Island College, and MA in Expressive Art Therapy from Lesley (College) University. She is married, a mother of 4 and continues to live in Newport, in the same house for 32 years. Colleen has worked with several populations in the Arts but the majority has been with Children and Teenagers. She’s directed musicals, improvisation, and taught Theater. Lately her passion has been in documentaries, learning to make them and soaking up as many stories as she can.
Do you have a House in Common you’d like to share?
This project is made possible in part through a grant from the Rhode Island chapter of the Awesome Foundation