Stars With Shirley: December 2023
Look to the Stars with Motif‘s Shirley Prisco, bringing you your astrological horoscope for December 2023. Video filmed & edited by Eric Barao (@EricBarao).
Steadfast Heartbreak: A Conversation with MorganEve Swain of The Huntress and Holder of Hands
Babylon cover art; band photo; image credits: The Huntress and Holder of Hands At a recent record-release concert in Providence, Rhode Island, MorganEve Swain teased a nearly full house that her band The Huntress and Holder...
THE GREAT GATSBY BRINGS JAZZ AGE GLAMOUR TO PROVIDENCE NEXT WEEK
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. The party doesn't have to end after Halloween weekend. Keep the festivities going with a trip back to the Roaring Twenties when the North American tour of The Great Gatsby...
2026 Food Truck Award Voting
The 2026 Food Truck Awards are coming up soon – November 10, the day before Veteran’s Day. We’re excited to make it a true industry night – no food trucks will have to serve anything......
Where the Two Oceans Meet: Synergy Brings Art and Science Together at URI
Artwork: AMOC by Ewa Romaszewicz in collaboration with Ambarish Karmalkar, PhD. For many of us, our most common run-ins with the scientific disciplines happen in two places: the classroom or a news headline. I think it’s...
Screech: Platforming the Arts
What does it feel like to be in a room beaming with creative thinkers and artists? What does it look like when a group of motivational, dedicated, hard-working artists comes together? What creative forces can...
Grounds for Celebration: A conversation with Rik Kleinfeldt of New Harvest Coffee Roasters
(New Harvest “It’s Party Time” poster; poster design: Britta Gustafson / New Harvest; photo credit: Sean Carlson) Photos by Ampersand Creative Co. From one former industrial site to another, New Harvest Coffee Roasters has expanded from humble...
Learn How To Homebrew: The Rhode Island Brewing Society
L-R: President Patrick Canary and Secretary Chris Meringolo. Photo by Scott Barnett. Have you ever wanted to homebrew? Yes? I have great news! The RI Brewing Society is holding a “Learn to Homebrew Day.” The American...
Space Cowboy Newt is Turning Heartbreak Into Harp-Pop
When I sat down on a comfy couch at Big Nice Studio in Carrington, RI, for an interview with Space Cowboy Newt, one of the first things they told me was that they’re a rambler....
Proving Day 2026!: Recording Studio Celebrates Talent and Builds Connection
A new chapter for digital recording studio, The Proving Ground, has begun and owner and producer, Dylan Titus, is ready to celebrate two-and-a-half years of operation by putting together an event showcasing artists who have...
Roots Report
Okee dokee folks… Soon we should know whether this country is going to completely fall into fascism, erupt into civil war, or maintain democracy, as it should. A few weeks ago, Tom Morello presented the Power...
Rhode Island Haunts
Swan Point Cemetery. Some of the eeriest places in RI are ready for you to check out, if you dare. As the first crisp, damp breaths of autumn begin to catch at the lungs and the trees...
Open & Closed
Open: Rollers: A new sports bar has arrived in Providence as of June 12. Rollers hosts watch parties, serves a variety of diner-style food and drinks, and offers both private and semi-private party events. The spot...
What else is on the Ballot?: On November 3, Rhode Islanders will have the chance to vote on five bond measures. Here’s a quick guide.
1. Higher Education Facilities Bond Measure -- $275 million This bond would use $165 million to create an integrated health building at the URI campus, open to the public, which would also be used for labs...
ON THE COVER: Mishki Thompson
For cover artist Mishki Thompson of Hopkinton, love helped her conquer a disability and embark on a journey of learning and practicing the art of beadworking, and passing on her Indigenous traditions to the next...
Simsalabim Sabrina: How a ’90s US-sitcom Totally Bewitched Kids in Germany & Austria
It’s 2003, Thursday afternoon, in a quiet little town called Eberndorf, in the deep south of Austria, surrounded by fields, trees, and medieval churches; 10-year-old me is in my parents’ living room, glued to the...
Smuggling in Social Commentary: One actor takes on 12 characters and issues of immigration
Photo by Cat Laine. The logistics, physical, and emotional demands of the production are mind-boggling – one actor spending 80 minutes morphing among 12 characters with unique accents and mannerisms while delivering lines almost non-stop and,...
SAME DIFFERENCE: Finding Survival-Driven Solidarity In A Fractured Society
Henry Nwaru in SAME DIFFERENCE at Wilbury Theatre Group. Photo by Erin X. Smithers. It’s 1993 in Providence. A gang leader from Harlem lands at his ex-girlfriend's apartment in the middle of the night — wounded,...
An All-New, Reimagined “The Bodyguard the Musical” Returns to PPAC October 23 – 25, 2026
A reimagined production of the international, award-winning musical The Bodyguard will arrive at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), October 23 – 25, 2026, as part of the Theatre’s 2026/2027 *Encore Series. Based on the 1992...
Bands Battle Fiercely in Great Weather
All photos by Lillian MK Photo. RI Battle of the Bands had a smooth run this year, every performance dodging the monsoons that have plagued past iterations. The year started out with 16 highly accomplished, but...
Roots Report
Okee dokee folks… I mentioned this in my column a few months ago and now it is coming close to being (IS) a major issue. GASOLINE. Before the mango moron started his war of distraction...
WITCHES BREW AND SPOOKY BEERS
We all know that women were the first to make beer, right? It was discovered by accident when grains were used to make other foods digestible. Dried grain was stored and used to make bread....
Haunted Attractions Map
Haunted Attractions 1. Factory of Terror Terror experience for all ages, including a variety of imaginative themes and thorough design. 120 Pearl Street, Fall River, MA 774-415-0153 factoryofterror.com 2. Scary Acres Fall festivities with the main attraction - a three-part terror experience...
ON THE COVER: Nilton Cárdenas
Cover artist Nilton Cárdenas of Cranston refuses to stand still. “I am constantly moving, and creating art,” he says in an interview at Sharks Peruvian Cuisine on Broad Street in Central Falls. And when he’s not...
Magda León: An Immigrant Woman Full of Fire
Photos by the author. Magda León is more than a multidisciplinary artist; she is an immigrant woman who uses art to explore her identity, her roots, and her connection to community. When I asked her how...
The Art of Giving Back: Nilton Cárdenas Is Creating More Than Art
Photo by Scott Lapham. For the Rhode Island artist, educator and muralist, creativity has become a way to open doors, strengthen community and help others discover possibilities within themselves. For Nilton Cárdenas, giving back does not begin...
OUR HERITAGE. OUR FUTURE.: Guest Editor's Letter
Every Hispanic Heritage Month, we are given an opportunity to look back.We celebrate the pioneers who came before us, the traditions they preserved, the institutions they built, and the sacrifices they made so generations that...
WONDER OF THE WORLD: More Than One Wrong Way To Take The Plunge!
Photo by Dave Cantelli. Ever rummaged through your spouse’s sweater drawer expecting to find argyles, yet instead stumbling across a secret fetish so utterly demented that it immediately sent you bolting toward a new life? Deftly...
Getaway: Drives too slowly, but gets you there
Rachael Warren as Clare. Photo by Mark Turek. If there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, The Getaway Driver at Trinity Repertory Company is it. The world premiere of the two-person play...
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: Or Maybe Malicious Melancholy, Masked Revelry And Tongue Fencing
Photo by Jesse Dufault. Hark, spectators of the realm! If thy soul doth hunger for a "reverent irreverence" turning a 77-seat black box into a roaring arena of wretched romance, get thee to the Burbage Theatre...
Rudy Cheeks — Passing of a True RI Icon: A personal perspective and remembrance
RI Music Hall of Fame plaque honoring Rudy Cheeks/The Fabulous Motels/The Young Adults. (Photo: Michael Bilow) Much has already been written on the passing Sep 18 at age 76 of Bruce McCrae, who used the stage name...
Stuff to Do
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 remember. The founder of internationally renowned art community AS220, Crenca “retired” from the organization shortly before COVID struck, to finally focus on the artwork that […]
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 50 years. It may have been near freezing outside, but at the Park Theater in Cranston, a show featuring several of Rhody’s Music Hall of […]
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 weeks before her 37th birthday. In Providence after relocating from her native St. Petersburg, Florida, she was a tireless advocate for the creative arts ranging […]
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+ years, passed away unexpectedly in November. His kindness will be sorely missed by many in the theater community and beyond, and by the Players at […]
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 and as a one-man band with a surprising range of instruments draped all over his body. He was a constant source of encouragement to countless […]
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 have been really into, due to them being both “cute little grungy animals,” as well as the It Girls of the moment as they head […]
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 to terms with the fact that leaving the house was both a necessary evil and part of the antidote. Despite this, I knew that committing […]
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 had two weeks to create a new piece inspired by their partner’s original submission. Creativity ensued. For one night only, the work was displayed at […]