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....
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...
Polaroid Stories by playwright Naomi Iizuka is a clever attempt to link a modern story of street life with the timeless literature of the ancient world, employing a loose – extremely loose – adaptation of The Metamorphoses by Ovid, but somewhere between 8CE and 1997CE things really changed. The two writers share similar personal histories: […]
When the curtain rises this weekend on Attleboro Community Theatre’s production of Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet, the highlight of the night — as with many productions of the play that have come before it — promises to be the swashbuckling swordfight between the ghost of John Barrymore and a young television star who he […]
On April 23, Motif hosted its first annual tattoo awards event at Alchemy, and it left an indelible memory on the minds of those who attended (especially those who attended the event with a fresh “Hi, Neighbor!” tattoo inked by Richmond Tattoo and sponsored by Narragansett). With a gallery of tattoo art, music by DJ […]
THU 2 WHEM: The long running live radio show. 8pm. Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, PVD. columbustheatre.com FRI 3 Taste of the Towers: Food and South County’s most iconic building. 7pm. The Towers, 35 Ocean Rd, Narragansett. towersri.com Curiosities: An Auction to Support the CSPH: The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health raises funds and spirits […]
Spring means different things to different Rhode Islanders. For some, it means flowers, food trucks and the reopening of Del’s and our public beaches. For anyone down and out, it means they survived another winter. Homelessness remains a visible problem and a public policy failure. For the third year in a row, Senator Josh Miller […]
Using a sharpened deerbone needle, Indigenous tattoo artists of Southern New England create permanent tattoos with ink created from finely crushed hardwood charcoal. Artists rub the skin with bear oil before beginning the process.
Tess Perry, Tess Perry Tattoos, Best Cover Up Pete Fortune, Anchor Steam, Critics Choice: Character Jen Clinch Guertin, Anchor Steam, American Traditional Tara D’Agostino, Iron Lion, Critics Choice: Pirate Emma Hamilton, Richmond Street Tattoo, Critics Choice: Femme Fatale Jay Blackburn, Powerline Tattoo, Critics Choice: Healthy Food Chrystal Santos, Phoenix Tattoo, Critics Choice: Hand of God […]
A couple of Juan Antonio Cortez’s buddies wanted to go ride bikes. There would be music, girls, maybe even some spray paint — everything a teenaged boy could desire. But young Juan could not go because he’d been legally mandated to spend his nights at New Urban Arts. Juan would have to spend another night […]
Sick Pills — Nothing’s Funny Anymore (75orLess Records) — Take 2 Because They Are Good for You As a hockey junky it is really amazing that I get anything done this time of year. I’ve referenced the debut album of The Blood Moons as one of my favorite local albums many times. Before that, there […]
Rhode Island has a vast and storied history as a creative mecca and artist hub, dating back to at least Native American times, running full speed through colonial days and early statehood, and once again reinventing itself in the modern era and heading into the future. However, with the arts trending as a secondary priority […]
