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...
“I make art in the same way you walk, or breathe, or eat a meal,” says illustrator and designer John Gendron of Providence, who created the cover for Motif’s year-end issue. “I try to process the world around me, and communicate it to others.” He gets his inspiration from daily events, along with the jokes […]
Sponsored Content Varicose veins, often dismissed as a cosmetic issue, can cause discomfort and even lead to complications if ignored. Consulting a vein doctor can provide clarity on the causes and guide us toward effective treatment options. In this guide, we’ll explore the underlying causes of varicose veins, available medical treatments, lifestyle adjustments, and self-care […]
Culture is ever changing and can come in many forms from movies to celebrity antics to even internet memes. More recently, it seems each year gets crazier and crazier. Now that 2025 is coming to a close, it’s time to recount all the biggest pop culture moments of the year. With the original movie releasing […]
I chose a list of ten songs to fit our time. Not in any order. I added a bonus track for the holidays, just because. Ten Protest Song for our time Muse – Uprising Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday (Abel Meeropol) Get Up, Stand Up – Bob Marley and Peter Tosh Tear the Fascists Down […]
At Providence, solar aurora may be visible overnight Mon into Tue and, to a lesser extent, Tue into Wed. Aurora is unusual at latitudes this far south, but it typically happens a few times every year. Weather at Providence during the potential aurora will be partly cloudy increasing from 25% cloud cover Mon sunset to […]
The Curmudgeon strikes back! There are few literary characters whose names have become synonymous with transformation as much as Ebenezer Scrooge. Charles Dickens’ miserly protagonist’s cold heart is warmed by three spectral visitors in A Christmas Carol, a holiday staple across stage and screen. However, in Mark Brown’s The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, now playing […]
At Providence, a significant nor’easter Tue is expected to bring almost entirely rain, heavy at times, with perhaps a sighting of the first snowflakes of this winter season but negligible accumulation. Early uncertainty in the forecast has resolved strongly toward an all-rain event, but minor changes to the predicted storm track, slightly northward or southward, […]
Sponsored Content Photo by MART PRODUCTION Have you ever wondered why you’re training hard but not seeing the results you want? Most people think sports nutrition is only for pros with coaches and chefs, but it’s actually for anyone who cares about their performance. So if you’ve ever hit an energy slump, struggled to recover, […]
Part of the Taco and The White Family Foundation Broadway Series “STUNNING AND EMOTIONAL. MANY WONDERS AWAIT AUDIENCES IN THIS GORGEOUSLY IMAGINATIVE BROADWAY MUSICAL.”– The New York Times, Critic’s Pick “SPELLBINDING ENTERTAINMENT.” – Variety “★★★★ DAZZLING AND THRILLING.” – Time Out New York BOOK BY THREE-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE RICK ELICE MUSIC AND LYRICS BY PIGPEN THEATRE CO. BASED […]
Ken Burns made documentaries cool. His early work, spanning back to the ‘70s, inspired generations to engage differently with documentaries. Reenactments, slow-burn pans across historic documents and paintings, and comfortable talking-head interviews with experts and historians – all the techniques Burns is known for to bring history alive – are used to good effect in […]
