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...
Heat Advisory in effect from August 6, 11:00 AM EDT until August 7, 08:00 PM EDT At Providence, a Heat Advisory is effective Thu, Aug 6, 11am, to Fri, Aug 7, 8pm. Afternoon temperatures/heat indices are...
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...
The NecronomiCon is a biennial celebration of the works of HP Lovecraft and beyond, and throughout the genre of “weird fiction.” Centered in downtown Providence, it boasts four days of literary panels, readings from various...
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...
There was a swarm of interest this week buzzing about the ManhattANT, a little black and red ant unexpectedly showing across New York City. There is awe and intrigue in the discovery of anything new, and all the more when the spectacle is so accessible right beneath our feet, on the branches outside our windows, […]
Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins recently issued an executive order granting immediate authority to the Cranston Police Department to enter and clear the encampments of unhoused people. This comes less than a week after the Cranston City Council Ordinance Committee declined to pass his ordinance that would have granted the police such powers. Under the executive […]
When I’m sad, I get up and go around the world — Tomaž Šalamun Why should I feel lonely? — Henry David Thoreau The streets are covered in shadows. The orange cat of sun slinks through the city, crawling between the crevices and alleyways as though she is filling up the empty spaces between buildings […]
Politically speaking, Rhode Island has always been a difficult place to pin down. Founded by Roger Williams, a radical Christian who was thrown out of the more respectable colony of Massachuttes, RI welcomed and all but rewarded the waspish elite. This is just one of the many contradictions that populate the state’s character. In May, […]
Fall in New England is an incredible season, full of beauty and wonder. Even the most mundane highways become scenic routes due to the gorgeous foliage patterns each tree presents. The weather is cool enough for a hoodie, but there is no need to layer up the clothing. It’s also an incredible time for sports, […]
APPLE PICKING 1. Barden Family Orchard 56 Elmdale Road, North Scituate 401-934-1413 2. Jaswell’s Farm 50 Swan Road, Smithfield 401-231-9043 3. Leach Farm and Orchard 147 Austin Avenue, Greenville 401-862-5156 4. Narrow Lane Orchard 213 Narrow Lane North Kingstown 401-294-3584 5. Steere Orchard 150 Austin Avenue, Greenville 401-949-1456 6. Rocky Brook Orchard 997 Wapping Road, […]
The parking lot was hot. As hot as hell, or as hot as a parking lot in the middle of Rhode Island at 12pm on a summer afternoon can be – the two are synonymous. A few lost clouds scuttled over a dark-cloaked couple walking across the asphalt. The black-painted fingernails of their conjoined hands […]
FAVORITE CUSTOMER- BOBBY/ROBBY THE PAINTER Bobby/Robby, if you see this, reach out to us. We’d love to know more about you. This was a write-in, folks! We’ve not had a “favorite customer” award before, but several people wrote this one in, from several different bars spread across Providence. So cheers to you, Bobby or Robby. […]
OVERALL FAVORITE BREWERY, FAVORITE DRINK NAME (“SUMMER WHEAT MAKES ME FEEL FINE”), FAVORITE CAN ART (“FLOCK TOGETHER”) – LOPS BREWING The story behind Lops Brewing goes a little like this … Sean Lopolito, brewer and one of the founders, was having a conversation about what he wanted in a job. This led to the opening […]
This year’s food truck awards were as filled with drama and close races as ever. These truck races concluded at a race track – R1 Indoor Karting hosted the unveiling of the winners at Motif’s 20th anniversary bash on August 11, at our biggest celebration to date. Over 2000 people voted for their favorite food-on-wheels, […]
