Rachael Warren as Diana. Photo by Mark Turek. The Next to Normal audience is exposed to waves of raw emotions drowning your soul and dampening your eyes. You may wish you had premedicated with any of...
Blaq Sav. Photos by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word 2026 Ashley Hosa Sending out a big congrats to Ashley Hosa, who came to the Spoken Awards with a multitude of wonderful supporters (shoutout to Ryan!)....
The founder of the long-standing hipster-ish West Side restaurant Julians hadn’t been involved directly with the restaurant in quite some time. But his legacy persisted. A larger-than-life personality, you never knew at what event Julian...
Renowned supporter of local music and arts Lisa Gourley (Sometimes Lisa Gourleyx) passed away on June 15. Reading reactions on social media, you can’t help but notice how often the words “nice,” “kind,” and “photography”...
This beautiful Solstice moment, June 21, 2026 brings the winds of change into our lives. The pivotal points among the planetary movers and shakers of the Zodiac find Gemini, with Uranus and Ceres, reaching across...
By Olivia Lunger By Lillian MK Photography ...
Favorite Color Tattoo Evan Olin, Powerline Tattoo Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray Ryan Dowden, Dark Ritual Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray with Color Steven McDonough, Secret Safe Tattoo Runner-up: Rachel WS, Rachel WS Fine Art...
By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger ...
Photo by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word Ashley HosaRunner-up: Jeff Daniellian Favorite Social Justice Spoken Word Erik AndradeRunner-up: Mx Asher Favorite Youth Poet Angel CruzRunner-up: (by one vote) Josselyn Wolf Favorite Poetry Event Apothica's Monthly Poetry NightRunner-up: Afroverse Favorite...
Congratulations, you survived the record-breaking Blizzard of 2026. With the anticipated arrival of clear skies and warm temps, how will you be spending your well-earned, much-needed downtime this summer? If you’re adventurous, you could explore some of...
Artwork by Bob Eggleton. Godzilla has been a cinematic icon for over 70 years. However, there are important themes around the monster that have gotten lost with international audiences. There is no gigantic monster that has had...
Tie-dye by Spun Laundry. BEACHES Atlantic Beach Park: Family beach, amusements, kiddy rides, snack bars, antique 1915 carousel, batting cages, bumper boats, go-carts, mini golf, game room, waterslides, gift shop, beachware and an ocean-view cocktail lounge. 321...
Photos by Lillian Karboski. Every time you listen to a song, there is always something more than the words or catchy melody. On Friday, May 1, right in the heart of downtown Providence, an extraordinary group...
Okee dokee folks… Rising costs of everything is what’s on my mind this month. It really should be on everyone’s mind. The main things I will talk about here are gasoline and concert tickets. One...
Photo: Christopher Mongeau. Ravi Shavi, a band that has been around since 2011 and started as a moniker for Rafay Rashid’s music project, has evolved and become more rooted in its creative approach and performance, as...
“Can I go to X?” is the question 2 Feet 2 Bucks has answered with “Yes” dozens of times, where X = place worth going out of your way to, to take a walk, short...
We sat down a few months ago with one of the organizers of RI’s Deportation Defense Line. The Defense Line’s origins are organic and multifaceted. No one person is in charge of it. No one...
Artist of the Year: Favorite Song: Favorite Music Video: NOVA ONE; "chlorine" by NOVA ONE; "chlorine" - NOVA ONE (Dir. Frankie Ferrari) nova one: “nova won!” Providence’s own nova one won (!!) four 2026 Motif Music Awards: “artist...
Photo by Matthew Murphy. The North American tour of Disney’s The Lion King last played the Providence Performing Arts Center in 2017. After nearly ten years, The Lion King is back astounding Providence for a limited...
“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). This is the core theme behind William Shakespeare's darkest comedy, Measure for Measure, one of Shakespeare’s most exciting, underperformed and underappreciated plays, currently presented by Burbage...
Smithfield, RI: A town known for its forests, trails, ponds, and well, wealth. An unlikely location for a potential AI-Data Center, one may think. Yet, this rural community, despite data center construction being illegal under...
This is the story of visiting Providence’s newest Rotisserie and Bistro, Thermia, and being so intrigued by its menu and feeling so welcomed by the staff, that I went twice in one week! To give...
Check out extensive listings for every show we could find this season. But some are bigger or just fundamentally represent summer in our eclectic, hyperactive, tiny-yet-overachieving state. Here’s a selection of special events to keep...
“Industry wants us to believe the sky will fall if there’s reform," said Council President Rachel Miller. "But for working families, the sky is already falling..." Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13) “In front of you is...
The eggplant piece featured on the cover of Motif is the first completed work in Chenlu Hou’s Garden series, making it a perfect fit for this issue’s theme of Summer. A low-fire terracotta sculpture, airbrushed and...
[See prior update: motifri.com/iran-war-update-01] The Iran war cannot continue as it is for much longer, and this is a result of simple math. Time is running out for energy and food supply US Consumer Price Index for All...
Voting is now closed -- Join us to see who was selected Wednesday, May 276 – 10pmMyrtle, East Providence Join us for the 4th annual Motif Spoken Awards! We are excited to be returning to Myrtle to celebrate RI’s spoken word...
Ann Morrison and Marcus Phillips in the National Tour of KIMBERLY AKIMBO. Photo by Joan Marcus KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a musical with a lot of heart, a lot of wit, and a lot of rave reviews...
Processed with VSCO with 6 preset When Steve DelMonico (vocals/guitar) approached John Faraone (drums) with an impossibly unique band name, there was no way of knowing that 10 years later they’d be sitting at Nolan’s with...
Photo: Dave Rezendes. John Faraone: a man of many bands, many instruments, and one poetic voice. While John wouldn’t call himself a poet, I certainly believe that his lyrics are simply stanzas waiting to be printed....
When art succeeds it inspires. It asks questions. It holds mirrors. Curating Commemoration: Poiesis / Remedy, on display at the WaterFire Arts Center, features the works of 45 area artists. Curated by Melaine Ferdinand-King and Joel Rosario Tapia, two rising curators selected for a curatorial mentorship initiative of the Providence Biennial for Contemporary Art, Curating […]
Paralleling this year’s events at Newport Folk Fest is a show called “ALL FEMALE FRONT: A Newport to Nashville Festival Night,” produced by Spring Street Productions at Newport Playhouse. Normally, you would only associate a playhouse with the typical plays and theater productions, but Newport’s one-and-only houses much more than just that! On Friday, July […]
Two years ago Rob Pena began work as a community organizer for a marijuana justice campaign within Reclaim Rhode Island. He was campaigning to help craft the future of Rhode Island’s cannabis industry, doing the work to ensure the Rhode Island Cannabis Act included social equity provisions and record expungement. In 2022, when the bill […]
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” “None at all. Isn’t it great?” – Overheard at the Bartenders’ Ball This year’s award ceremony took place just above the go-kart track at R1 Indoor Karting in Lincoln. Go-karts whizzed around the racetrack and the room’s high ceilings and the purple and blue lights emanating from […]
The most delicious school project ever conceived in the Ocean State is coming to a school near you this fall. Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)’s Menu for Success Student Food Truck Initiative, originally announced in December 2022 with a roughly $1.6 million investment from the School Building Authority Capital Fund, has empowered 13 school […]
With 48 hours of jam-packed production time, from casting to editing, small groups of filmmakers came together early this summer to build 7-minute stories. The rules were simple: include a character (either Edward or Elizabeth Vanterbus, Marine Life Scientist), a prop (a cone) and a line (“Read the sign. What does it say?”) but each […]
This summer has been unruly, with days swinging from blisteringly hot to torrentially rainy. During the second week of August, when everyone else is asking themselves, Will the weather hold so I can make it to the beach?, put something fun and interesting on the calendar instead — catch dozens of new films, including several […]
The Black Ships have been a staple festival in Newport for as long as most can remember. This year, they’re celebrating both a proper return from COVID and their 40th anniversary by changing things up a bit. The traditional recreated, historically accurate black ships will still be landing in Newport, but the shadows of their […]
Yes, it’s an alarming headline. Let’s get right to the bullet points, because our attention is very short. Instagram? Twitter? Threads… Oooh, is that a cat video? We squid are thrilled with the changes you bipeds are inflicting on the planet! Just take the recent deluge rainstorms and subsequent flooding. In early July, we got […]
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a new album of sea shanties from Sharks Come Cruisin’ but that all changes this fall! The band will release their third full-length album with the lead single, “Pay Me My Money Down,” coming out on August 1. The single will be available for download via Bandcamp and […]
