Providence Street Art Festival 2018
The Providence Street Art Festival was held at the downtown skating rink on Oct 20, 2018. Photos by Cristina Berrios […]
MEOWS, MALTS, DOGS AND DRAFTS: Have a pint to rescue a paw
Can art by Joey Visco Dogs and drafts? Is there any better way to celebrate yappy hour? If you are an animal and craft beer lover, this is an event you do not want to miss!...
NOW IT’S OUR TURN: Local team seeks to keep up positive momentum from World Cup
Photo by Sindayiganza Photography. The FIFA World Cup tournament was full of thrills, drama, chaos, unity, and live television shots of devastated children in tears after their team lost a heartbreaking match. The final whistle brought...
Boatload of music: Titanic drama
Matthew Provençal as Thomas Andrews in ‘Titanic: The Broadway Musical’ at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea July 23 – August 15, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. The challenge to staging a production of “Titanic: The...
2026 Tattoo Awards Gallery Wall
The Tattoo Awards featured a gallery wall populated by local artists. Here is a selection of the artwork on display! By Brianne Elizabeth @foxhallowart By Victori Leo Riel Grab Your Heart & Go by Allie Boyer @peaceflowercreations MONSTROELIZASUE by...
BTS with DMK: Lily Spencer
Photo by Jess Lee Images. I met Lily Spencer in an acting class taught by Eric Lutes, whom many television fans will remember from the 1990s sitcom “Caroline in the City.” Eric, who now lives in...
2026 Tattoo Award Winners
Rachel WS. Favorite Animal/ Favorite Floral Tara D’Agostino – Iron Lion Tattoo By the numbers, Tara D’Agostino got her first tattoo at the age of 15, picked up her own tattoo machine at the age of 19, opened...
The Long Game: River Shook Arrives Home
Photo by Jillian Clark. There’s no feeling quite like finally being able to fully step into your own, to truly embrace your whole self and carry yourself through the world with that mentality. Not an identity...
Roots Report
Kai Nanfelt. Okee dokee folks… Last weekend I went on a ten-hour, each way, road trip to play a show. The drive wasn’t so bad, but the music was horrible. As I have mentioned before, I...
The Butterfly’s Shadow
Photo by Isaac Laliberte Wards 2, 9 and 12 all report the same. Mendez wins in each! It appeared that Providence was perfectly poised to usher-in its first female mayor in history. The polls were closed and...
A Flicker of Flame
“You’re late, Brother,” she said, hovering outside the weathered cottage near a pebbly beach, indistinguishable from the shadows cast by moonlight that hit the thick hydrangeas. It was late in the evening of a seawind-chilled...
NecronomiCon Comes to Providence
The NecronomiCon is a biennial celebration of the works of HP Lovecraft and beyond, and throughout the genre of “weird fiction.” Centered in downtown Providence, it boasts four days of literary panels, readings from various...
American Caesar Salad
It’s almost Cthulhu – pardon my hiccup, I meant, “election” – season again. And if the tactics of these times don’t make your head swim and your bowls ache, as if you were being eviscerated...
ON THE COVER: Bob Eggleton
When cover artist Bob Eggleton of Warwick first got interested in art and started sketching nightmarish creatures, he recalls, an aunt asked him, “What’s drawing a monster gonna get you in life?” He’s spent the last...
GREASE
Skyler Shields (Kenickie) and the cast of the Theatre By The Sea (Wakefield, RI) production of “Grease” running thru July 18, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop! A-wop-bam-boom!” BY ALISON O’DONNELL ON JUNE 27, 2026 Grease is the...
Between Worlds with Sheila Isham: Resurrecting the American abstract expressionist at the Newport Art Museum
Isham, Sheila. Teth (#8 Creation Series). 1972. Acrylic spray on canvas. Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI. (Image courtesy of the Newport Art Museum.) Quite some time ago, I read a quip that the art of diplomacy...
Rhode's Clothes: Part 3 - A Strut Down Memory Lane
As an international student a year into Rhode Island, yet still only a breath into America, I finally found a question that I might be able to answer – this is my continued exploration of: What...
Discover Providence's Hidden Gem: Siren Spirits in Olneyville
Tucked inside the historic Harrison Steam Complex in Providence's Olneyville neighborhood, Siren Spirits is redefining what a visit to a distillery can be. Equal parts neighborhood gathering place, cocktail destination, and craft spirits experience, this...
Crank Up The Music -- It Makes Me Hoppy
Music makes beer taste better? In 2016, Vrije University in Brussels, Belgium, conducted a study that showed scientific evidence that music has an impact on our taste of beer. This study concluded that lower audible...
Roots Report
Cold Chocolate. Okee dokee folks… Well, summer is here and for me, summer is HELL! A few years back I wrote a song about my disdain of Summer for the Empire Revue’s “Cool” show. Here are...
Small Habits That Can Lead to Big Financial Rewards
America, the focus of this issue, runs on wealth. So here’s how to get yourself some. It’s the perfect opportunity to launch a new column aimed at helping non-one-percenters with financial matters. Feel free to...
Liberty Trees Map
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Corralled at the Blood Farm: The rise of the uniquely American plasma industry
“Foreigner.” I find it a harsh word that I hate seeing applied to others. Yet applied to myself, it’s the only word that half conveys how baffling I find this country at times. I’d like...
On the Cover: William Schaff
In his final year at college, cover artist William Schaff truly learned what it was like to work in a studio. “I developed a course of study in general fine arts with one of my...
Next to Normal at Trinity Rep: Intensity shines
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...
Spoken Award Winner Writeups
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!)....
Obituary: Julian Forgue
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...
Obituary: Lisa Gourley
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”...
Summer Solstice
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...
2026 Tattoo Awards Photos
By Olivia Lunger By Lillian MK Photography ...
2026 Tattoo Awards Winners
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...
Stuff to Do
In Their Own Words: We spoke to Providence mayoral candidates about their plans for the city
We asked the following questions of candidates running for Providence mayor in the upcoming November elections. This is part one of a two-part series; part two will ask the same questions of candidates in the gubernatorial and senate races. Respondents in the Providence mayoral race were Jorge Elorza (D), Dianne Witman (I) and Jeffrey Lemire (I). Any […]
AltFacts: Oh, Yeezus! If that’s a smart cookie, we’d hate to see a stupid one
Kanye West: Voice of Reason Forget the sage observations of the Dali Lama and the resolute reassurances of free world leader Angela Merkel. To hell with anything said by Voltaire, bugger Aristotle and put a sock in Buffy Sainte-Marie’s pie hole, for their prattling is mere jibber-jabber and a malicious distraction from the prophetic gift […]
They’re Everywhere: We interviewed prominent Rhode Islanders who now slumber beneath our soil
As the veil between the worlds thins this Halloween night, this time-travelling Irishman stepped into the land beyond the horizon to learn more about Rhode Island’s illustrious departed. Julia Ward Howe, abolitionist, suffragist and poet; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910 Julia Ward Howe was an early and commanding voice of the suffrage movement. Her […]
Social Media Censorship: The right of the right to the right of free speech?
Those of you who read my columns on a regular basis are familiar with my belief in the First Amendment and the value I place in its position as an intrinsic civil liberty. Opinions may differ, but the right to express one’s ideas are tantamount to the country’s notions of democracy, and upholding your right […]
Misogyny is Alive and Well … and in My Own Backyard
I live in East Greenwich and love my picturesque town, but in the past two years I’ve noticed an increase in hostility here, particularly toward women. It started in January 2017, the day of the Women’s March, when E.G. Town Council Vice President Sean Todd tweeted: “Definitely a guy who came up with the idea […]
Pro-Corruption Rules: Mid-Terms
The midterms are approaching and since this is our first election in the public eye, we couldn’t be more excited. Watch the web for reminders on why corruption is here to stay, inevitable and in many cases, good for society, or at least some people. Our first online column (motifri.com/corruptmidterm) will deal with this, while the […]
Got Beer? Taste Test: Foolproof’s Irish Rhode brings all the Irish with none of the cultural appropriation
The next local beer in my infinity-part series of locally made refreshments is Foolproof’s Irish Rhode, which we alerted readers to in our beer issue (motifri.com/XXX). I’ve had my eye on this one for some time now. A buddy of mine who writes web copy for a couple of UK online casinos not on GamStop […]
Yes We Can! NE CANN plants seeds among enthusiasts
This weekend will mark the fourth annual Rhode Island Cannabis Convention, hosted by NE CANN and taking place at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The event will feature educational speakers, networking opportunities and more than a hundred exhibitors for attendees to visit throughout the day. Kicking off the event on Saturday will be keynote speaker Eric […]
Keep On Moving: The Future Is Purple: Prince is leading us into Halloween
I’m still coming down from watching Deer Tick’s John McCauley front Nirvana during the Foo Fighters’ encore at the CalJam Festival last weekend, but with wing and a shot of tequila, hopefully we can get through this. McCauley led surviving members of Nirvana through spot-on versions of “Serve the Servants,” “Scentless Apprentice” and “In Bloom” before […]