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...
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....
Photo by James Brooks. Okee dokee folks… I have referenced the Jethro Tull song, “Too Old to Rock & Roll, Too Young to Die,” A few times in my 22 years of writing for Motif, and...
(Photo credit: Keith J.G. McCurdy, from the cover art of Vudu Sister’s Adynata; photograph of the art installation LO SGUARDO - Humanitas - Physis by sculptor Igor Mitoraj at the Neopolis Archaeological Park of Siracusa...
Mount Pleasant. Elmhurst. The Valley Arts District. These are all neighborhoods whose offerings I thought I knew well, having worked in and around Providence over the last few years. But you can certainly miss a...
Buddy Mott. Once upon a time, if you wanted a tattoo, one of the things you could do was traipse to Newport from any of the four corners of the world and get yourself a tattoo...
The actual declaration of Independence was first proclaimed to the people of Newport from this building in July 1776. (Photo by Maureen O'Gorman) It doesn't take long for a person new to Rhode Island to find...
The RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced a major initiative to repair potholes caused by a harsh winter. A new Pothole Service Requests Dashboard site on the web – https://www.dot.ri.gov/travel/potholes.php – allows the public to...
Dear C, There’s a guy I am really attracted to in my political science class. Sometimes I think that he’s interested in me too, but it’s hard to tell since I only see him in class. I’d really like to find out, but it isn’t as simple as approaching him at a party or casually […]
Like the nuclear disaster that inspired it, The Children is a simmering, explosive morality play and eco-drama that festers in its audience’s belly until a final blinding burst fades to black after a whirlwind 90 minutes. On stage now at the Gamm Theatre, British playwright Lucy Kirkwood’s Tony-nominated piece gives a jarring look at a […]
When it comes to love, local musician Chance Emerson gets real on his latest album Ginkgo, released on May 5. Ginkgo, chronicles the cyclical nature of young love. The album’s release coincided with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Emerson was excited to share his labor of love while celebrating his heritage. On the […]
Gina Lerman, the cover artist for this year’s April Cannabis Issue and Motif’s Creative Director, has had an interesting journey into art. When we asked her what got her into drawing initially, it was a stumper. “It’s hard to answer,” Lerman said, “I’ve always drawn.”The first thing she remembers drawing is Eevee, one of the […]
Cover artist Joey Moreira is now a two-time winner of Favorite overall tattoo artist and co-owns Cloud 9 Studios in Burrillville. In creating our cover, he chose a non-tattoo approach, using colored pencils and challenging himself with a different style of illustration. “I wanted to take on something that’s been weighing heavily on my mind […]
Look to the Stars with Motif‘s Shirley Prisco, bringing you your astrological horoscope for May 2023.
Bobbing green strobe lights and eerie music playing as the audience fills seats are a harbinger of the off-beat adventure ahead, but nothing can truly prepare viewers for the inanity of a character self-described as “Ghost Zombie Jesus.” Welcome to Beetlejuice! The musical adaptation – truly, only the first act was adapted; the second offers […]
Imagine you’re sitting in a black box theater in the dark, eagerly awaiting the beginning of a play starring a real-life soap opera actor from your childhood, when suddenly, familiar music emerges (the opening song from “Cañaveral de Pasiones”) and you’re transported to a time where you actually watched soap operas with your mom, and […]
This will be a mostly spoiler-free review. I say mostly because you might connect some dots. Don’t worry about it, some twists you’ll see coming a mile away anyway. We’ll get to that. The Dungeons and Dragons franchise hasn’t always had the greatest success in adaptation for television or film. Anyone who remembers the bad […]
It seems crazy that it has been twenty-two years since the Midnight Creeps first came out from the punk rock gutters, influenced by the likes of The Cramps, The Plasmatics, and The Stooges, to put on some of the most electric shows seen here or anywhere. The Creeps toured the country multiple times, performed at […]
