On the Cover: Jules Kang Sharpe
Jules Kang Sharpe is reading off their open tabs to me from their iphone on a sunny Friday morning in November. Lots of gluten-free recipes. Eels, which Sharpe mentions people […]
Stuff to Do
Holiday Small Works
November 4 - December 31A Christmas Carol
November 9 @ 10:00 am - December 31 @ 1:00 pm
Get Out of the House!: What’s worth leaving home for this time of year
Winter – when the sun is down by 4:30pm and most things, including my motivation, start to shrivel. Last year, after a bad bout of seasonal affective disorder, I came […]
Pics & Poets 2023
Motif put out an open call for visual artists and poets to submit work for an experimental new event: Pics & Poets. Artists and poets were randomly paired. Each participant […]
Other Side of the Holidays
It’s that time of year again where mall Santas are out and Mariah Carey is slowly driving us all to the point of madness. Credit cards are being maxed out […]
Getting Through the Holidays
If Gremlins has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t know much about other people’s experiences and circumstances that have shaped their current belief system (and we’ve also learned about […]
Spoon + Board: Wood never looked so good
Juan Ferrer runs a blossoming new woodshop called Spoon + Board, featuring tree-to-table goods. Himself a lifelong chef, his love of crafting wooden kitchen products comes from a love and […]
OPINION | Against Normalcy
“The more normal something appears to be, the more ideological it is.” – Angela Davis quoting Wahneema Lubiano in the Black Women Radicals, “Black Feminist Writers and Palestine” webinar (via […]
ecoRI News Roundup
HOUSE COMMISSION TO STUDY FEASIBILITY OF SOLAR ARRAYS ON HIGHWAY MEDIANS PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island could be sitting on hundreds of acres of unused land for new solar installations, and […]
Holiday Gift Guide for the Craft Beer Lover
Fresh hops roasting on an open fire. The smell of malt is nipping at your nose. Holiday cheers like a song by a choir with friends dressed up with beer […]
Brew News
Opening soon – Crook Point Brewing! Owner Ernie Watson has been patiently waiting for the grand opening that was originally anticipated in July. Equipment shipment delays are a major reason […]
This Porridge is Too Good
Every winter, our mammalian kin pack on the blubber and slow down the pace of life so as not to expend valuable calories on wasted efforts. Winter is the season […]
Roots Report: December 1 to 15, 2023
Okee dokee folks…I know a lot has already been said about The Beatles’ new song, “Now and Then” but I want to chime in. First of all, there will never […]
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, THE MUSICAL: Quite the fan, I am
I can’t stand the Bard’s pentameter verse Though Gilbert & Sullivan bothers me worseBut the one writing style for which I’ve no useIs the preening rhymed scheming of one Dr. Seuss […]
Rabbit is Rich
There is a new piece of public art a couple of blocks from my house, in the playground across the street from the Peace Dale Library. It is a fourteen […]
A Divine Showing of the Heart of Providence
Bert Crenca has been one of those larger-than-life personalities who has helped define the texture, flavor, and personality of the creative capital for as long as most Rhode Islanders can […]
Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing
On a frigid night in November, there is nothing better to shake off the cold than a night of music with some of Rhode Island’s hardest working bands for nearly […]
Obituary: Megan Marie “Megz” Serafine, “tireless advocate for the creative arts”
Megan Marie “Megz” Serafine, a member of the Motif staff a few years ago, unexpectedly passed away due to a medical event in her sleep on Nov 7, a few […]
Obituary: Honoring Bill Whitehead Junior, “powerhouse stage actor”
Bill Whitehead Jr, singer, director, producer and well known powerhouse stage actor, with a booming voice and command of the stage in evidence at local shows for the past 40+ […]
Obituary: Honoring Julio Amaro, “a constant source of encouragement”
Julio Amaro Rhode Island lost widely beloved musician Julio Amaro on Nov 4. Originally from Venezuela, Julio had graced past Motif events with his music – both playing with others […]