Natasha Hodgson in the Broadway Company of Operation Mincemeat. Photo by Matt Crockett. The Tony Award® and Olivier Award®-winning musical launches the North American leg of its world tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center September...
Hunter Brown, Allie Seibold, and Seth Eliser in You've Still Got a Friend, playing at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea from August 20 - September 13, 2026. Photo by Michael Derr Okee dokee folks… Tonight, at Theatre By The...
Photo by Steve Ahlquist. The unionized workers of the Community Libraries of Providence have been without a contract for two years now. Their patience, which had been wearing thin, was stretched to the breaking point by...
Photo: L-R: Pénélope Rose, Manya Glassman, Emeline Easton, and K. Elisa Garcia. by Mike Ryan. The Rhode Island International Film Festival, also known as Flickers, took place August 4 through August 9, bringing filmmakers, actors, industry...
I think museums and the culture around them have historically gotten a bad rap. When you think of museums, you might associate them with classism, inaccessibility, and wealthy donors and patrons. There’s also the issue...
As the leaves change to amber hues, so do fall beers. Our local brewers are excited about the opportunity to offer these loved styles of craft beer. If you are looking forward to cozy sweaters...
Illustration by Sadie Levine. 1. Adams Farm (pumpkins, hay rides, corn mazes) Plus: Variety fall farm stand 158 Burnt Swamp Road, Cumberland 401-714-4425 2. Appleland Orchard (apples) Plus: Cider, wine, and donuts 135 Smith Avenue, Greenville 401-949-3690 3. Barden Family Orchard (apples, pumpkins) Plus: Farmers...
Okee dokee folks… I just realized that I have been attending concerts for 50 years now. In that span of time I have seen countless shows. I honestly have no idea how many I have...
Moon Leone didn’t set out to make your run-of-the-mill pop songs. They build whole worlds, embodying different characters and using visuals to tell stories that ultimately help people heal from trauma. Performing as YourFriendM00n, they...
On August 12, Motif cohosted a forum on the Arts in Providence featuring Democratic Primary Mayoral candidates Brett Smiley and David Morales. In Providence, the real election typically happens in the primary. The winner will go...
Every election cycle, Motif brings you the candidates in their own words so you can try to compare apples to apples. It’s our way of contributing to the political process while not having the fact-checking...
Environmental Organizations Endorse Foulkes for Governor PROVIDENCE — The Providence Streets Coalition, a grassroots activist organization devoted to increasing funding, safety, and reliability in the state’s transit network, announced July 21 that it is backing former...
For the cover of Motif’s Fall Guide, painter and muralist Nicholas “Niko” Tolentino of Cranston drew inspiration from his childhood days, he relates in an interview at White Electric Coffee Co-Op in Providence. Roger Williams Park...
Centerville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket hosted its first live music event in August. It started big with the Island Roads Fest, featuring popular reggae/ rock bands including Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, Action Bronson, DENM, Bumpin...
Stepping into a tattoo convention without a tattoo or an array of piercings can be intimidating, like stepping into a gallery show without reading the title first. Aside from a pair of basic ear studs,...
August 12, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Southside Cultural Center - 393 Broad Street, Providence What do the candidates for Mayor of Providence have in mind for the future of arts engagement in the “Creative Capital”? Find...
Can art by Joey Visco Dogs and drafts? Is there any better way to celebrate yappy hour? If you are an animal and craft beer lover, this is an event you do not want to miss!...
Photo by Sindayiganza Photography. The FIFA World Cup tournament was full of thrills, drama, chaos, unity, and live television shots of devastated children in tears after their team lost a heartbreaking match. The final whistle brought...
Matthew Provençal as Thomas Andrews in ‘Titanic: The Broadway Musical’ at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea July 23 – August 15, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. The challenge to staging a production of “Titanic: The...
The Tattoo Awards featured a gallery wall populated by local artists. Here is a selection of the artwork on display! By Brianne Elizabeth @foxhallowart By Victori Leo Riel Grab Your Heart & Go by Allie Boyer @peaceflowercreations MONSTROELIZASUE by...
Photo by Jess Lee Images. I met Lily Spencer in an acting class taught by Eric Lutes, whom many television fans will remember from the 1990s sitcom “Caroline in the City.” Eric, who now lives in...
Rachel WS. Favorite Animal/ Favorite Floral Tara D’Agostino – Iron Lion Tattoo By the numbers, Tara D’Agostino got her first tattoo at the age of 15, picked up her own tattoo machine at the age of 19, opened...
Photo by Jillian Clark. There’s no feeling quite like finally being able to fully step into your own, to truly embrace your whole self and carry yourself through the world with that mentality. Not an identity...
Kai Nanfelt. Okee dokee folks… Last weekend I went on a ten-hour, each way, road trip to play a show. The drive wasn’t so bad, but the music was horrible. As I have mentioned before, I...
Photo by Isaac Laliberte Wards 2, 9 and 12 all report the same. Mendez wins in each! It appeared that Providence was perfectly poised to usher-in its first female mayor in history. The polls were closed and...
“You’re late, Brother,” she said, hovering outside the weathered cottage near a pebbly beach, indistinguishable from the shadows cast by moonlight that hit the thick hydrangeas. It was late in the evening of a seawind-chilled...
It’s almost Cthulhu – pardon my hiccup, I meant, “election” – season again. And if the tactics of these times don’t make your head swim and your bowls ache, as if you were being eviscerated...
When cover artist Bob Eggleton of Warwick first got interested in art and started sketching nightmarish creatures, he recalls, an aunt asked him, “What’s drawing a monster gonna get you in life?” He’s spent the last...
Skyler Shields (Kenickie) and the cast of the Theatre By The Sea (Wakefield, RI) production of “Grease” running thru July 18, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop! A-wop-bam-boom!” BY ALISON O’DONNELL ON JUNE 27, 2026 Grease is the...
Isham, Sheila. Teth (#8 Creation Series). 1972. Acrylic spray on canvas. Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI. (Image courtesy of the Newport Art Museum.) Quite some time ago, I read a quip that the art of diplomacy...
A loud buzz filled the Thirsty Beaver for the RIFC official watch party. The place was full of yellow and blue shirts, showing support for the team’s first-ever playoff game in Indianapolis, against Indy Eleven. The bartenders strategically worked their way to serve the eager crowd. There was a wait for drinks and food, but […]
Ah yes, the sun has finally retired. The slight anxiety of longer days can finally be put to rest. The air is cold, all your windows are shut, and you light a candle – It’s 5pm and you have nothing to do. So what do you do? Turn off the TV, put down the phone, […]
RI ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS BRACE FOR IMPACT OF TRUMP ELECTION PROVIDENCE – Efforts to combat climate change took a blow when former president Donald Trump was elected to a second term. With Republicans also commanding majorities in Congress, the president-elect is expected to be far more hostile toward climate priorities than he was in his first […]
There’s nothing hidden about the gem that is Colt State Park – or is there? Thousands enjoy spectacular vistas through their windshields, attend picnics, fly kites, fish, or just relax overlooking the Bay. Formerly the wellgroomed private estate of Samuel P. Colt, nephew of the firearms Colt, a financier with a sideline in bootlegging, Colt […]
Most of us have made the choice to cut back on drinking for the New Year or not drink the month of January (“dry January”) at some point in our lives. If you are planning on this, I am here to help you decide how to end 2024 making your last delicious decisions. Are you […]
The growing movement of sobriety in both Millennials and Gen-Z raises the question: what do you have to offer to your sober companions this holiday season? Most holiday celebrations center around signature cocktails or wine with soda or juice – often intended for children – as the only alternative. However, if all we offer is […]
Who doesn’t love the classic hot toddy cocktail? First introduced so long ago that its origins are shared at bars like ghost stories around a campfire, the hot toddy now sits comfortably in our hands on cold days or after enduring the ever-changing New England weather. This Indian-inspired take on the toddy offers a new […]
We’ve all got our favorite Christmas songs, least favorites, and everything in between. The only issue is we seem to be force-fed the same 20 or so songs every holiday season, limiting one’s potential for discovering new music. Hopefully at least one of these new picks will be able to expand your Christmas music taste […]
There’s a little something for everyone to be found in this year’s releases from local RI artists. From dancing in your kitchen, to moshing in your basement, to driving down 95 at a very comfortable pace, our playlist of new, local releases should have you covered to match any situation you may find yourself in. […]
Okee dokee folks … I wrote the previous issue’s column before the United States had its recent IQ test. Well, we failed. The dumbing down of America is complete. Ignorant, racist, bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, and gullible people have once again hired the most unqualified, vile, criminal, racist, sexually predatory, narcissistic, sociopathic, traitorous “person” to […]
