Michael Ryan

Brewing up a Tribute: Friartown pays homage to local basketball legacy

Union Station is one of those bars/breweries you can always count on to have multiple screens showing the most local possible mainstream sports. So it’s not a huge surprise that the brewpub developed what may be RI’s first home-grown sports-team themed beer. Friartown, released in 2023, is an homage to the Providence College teams, particularly […]

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2023 Inaugural Spoken Awards – Nominees

Spoken words have power – to spread ideas, create new thoughts, spin up ideas, or even just amuse or entertain. They are the OG medium of communication, artistic expression and journalism.To recognize the practitioners of art forms such as spoken word, storytelling and stand-up comedy, Motif is embarking on a new kind of awards show […]

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Tender Cargo: How can garments speak a person’s pain?

“What does it mean to wear one’s pain?” asks a new exhibit by textile artist Taleen Batalian at the WaterFire Arts Center though November 20. Inspired by her parent’s memories of the Armenian genocide that claimed her grandparents, Batalian developed a set of prints on fabric and some fabric designs that read almost like statues […]

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ComicCon recap: RI ComicCon 2022 provides a feast for the popculturally curious and true believers

  There’s no way to do a comprehensive overview of an event as big as RI ComicCon, so here’s a sampler of impressions from some of the Motif team. Overall, the Con was full and robust. Merchants we talked to reported mostly positive experiences and sales. Friday is the day to go if you’re crowd-averse, […]

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George Marshall, Founder of Flickers and RI International Film Festival, passes: George conveyed his love of cinema to generations of viewers and makers

The spectacle of the big screen, the joy of a story well told and heartstrings left barely intact: George Marshall loved all these things, and that was reflected throughout his life’s prominent work. Marshall was the founder and, for 40 years, the director of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. He taught film – be […]

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