John F. Peto Studio Museum

06/03/2026

Led by award-winning children's artist Yosi, this foot-stompin' musical adventure turns science into music and learning into play.

Summer Reading Kickoff With Yosi: Dino Kids Rock!
📅 Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026
🕖 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

John F. Peto Studio Museum
102 Cedar Ave, Island Heights, NJ, 08732

SPONSORED BY THE OCEAN COUNTY LIBRARY FOUNDATION
ISLAND HEIGHTS BRANCH OF THE OCEAN COUNTY LIBRARY
732-270-6266

Sign up for this family program through the Ocean County Library:
https://theoceancountylibrary.libnet.info/ocean-county-library/event/16102481

Learn more and Register → petomuseum.org

Don’t forget to tag your photos: when attending any of our events or exhibitions.

06/02/2026

There is Still Time to Register For Peto’s Art Camp 4 Kids!
Limited space available, Register Now!

CAMP DETAILS
Cost: $150 per session*
Ages: 7 – 12
Location: 102 Cedar Avenue | Island Heights, NJ 08732

Session I
July 13, 2026 - July 17, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Session II
July 13, 2026 - July 17, 2026
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Session III
Aug 10, 2026 - Aug 14, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Session IV
Aug 10, 2026 - Aug 14, 2026
12:30 p.m. to 2:30

*Includes a gallery exhibition of students’ work on the following Saturday

Learn more and Register → petomuseum.org

Students can be registered for and attend more than one session. If you have any questions, please call 732-929-4949 or email [email protected]

Don’t forget to tag your photos: when attending any of our events or exhibitions.

06/01/2026

This Month's Upcoming Events at the Peto!

FREE CONCERT:
UnDisputed
📅 Friday, June 19th, 2026
🕖 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Learn more →
https://petomuseum.org/the-peto-summer-concert-series/?eid=12785

CHILDREN'S EVENTS:
Summer Reading Kickoff With Yosi: Dino Kids Rock!
📅 Tuesday, June 23, 2026
🕖 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Learn more →
https://petomuseum.org/events-exhibitions/?eid=13092

PETO PRESENTS:
ÀNI Panel Discussion - Inspirations as Continuum
📅 Thursday, June 25, 2026
🕖 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Learn more →
https://petomuseum.org/events-exhibitions/?eid=12776

Attending an event at the Peto? Don’t forget to tag your photo or on social media!

05/29/2026

The John F. Peto Studio Museum is proud to present our Peto Cup Fundraiser for 2026.

📅 Friday, August 7, 2026
🕖 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

The Peto Cup is our largest and most important fundraiser of the year, and your support of this annual event continues to keep our museum operating. It also helps us to continue to develop the many programs the John F. Peto Museum is able to offer throughout the year to our community.

Come and join the fun Friday, August 7th, for food, cocktails, live music, an incredible A-Cat Regatta, and our fundraising auctions.

All Are Welcome, Adults Only.

Advance Admission: $85 per person.
After July 27th, 2026: $100 per person.
Door Price: $100

Learn more → petomuseum.org/peto-cup

Toms River Online

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

Afternoon Sailing is one of John Frederick Peto’s rare landscapes; he is better known for still lifes. Its bright sand, sea, and sky contrast with his darker, crowded object studies. Still, scholars note that Peto approached landscapes with a still-life sensibility, giving them the intimacy of an arranged interior.

Probably painted around 1890 after Peto moved from Philadelphia to Island Heights, New Jersey, the scene likely shows nearby Toms River. While it reflects some influence from Thomas Eakins’s seascapes, the quiet setting and single sailboat also suggest Peto’s retreat from the wider art world.
--
Afternoon Sailing
ca. 1890
Oil on canvas
30.5 x 50.9 cm
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

05/26/2026

We can't wait to host the Pat Roddy Band this Thursday in the Peto Garden!

Please bring a chair and refreshments, and get ready to enjoy an evening of music in the garden!

FREE CONCERT: Pat Roddy Band
📅 Thursday, May 28th, 2026
🕖 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Photo Credit: Alex Rogachenko

Don't forget cash for the 50/50 raffle!
Donations gratefully accepted.

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.

Learn more → petomuseum.org

Attending a concert at the Peto? Don’t forget to tag your photo or on social media

05/26/2026

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.

Tours Available:
Saturday and Sunday: 1:00 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Current Exhibition:
“Inspirations: A Global Cascade of Influence — From Old Souvenirs to New Voices”
📅 On View April 19, 2026 – August 30, 2026

Learn more and get tickets → https://petomuseum.org/
Private or group tours are available.

Planning a visit to the museum? Tag your photo or on social media!