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...
As we were preparing our annual education issue, shots rang out and 15-year-old William Parsons became the victim of gun violence in the shadow of a Providence school. For weeks, we’d prepared stories on innovative education concepts, higher ed trends and places to find the all-important late-night slice, but none of these concepts in modern […]
The year of the skater shakeup is coming to a close in Providence Roller Derby. Many of the veterans of the Mob Squad, the Old Money Honeys and the Sakonnet River Roller Rats swapped colors and and embraced former rivals as new teammates. Add to the mix a group of new and impressive skaters, and […]
Sons of Liberty (SoL) is one of the major local stars of spirits and craft beer. They originally produced only whiskey, but have since moved on to rye, gin, vodka, cocktails in cans and of course, craft beer. These proud sons have deserved far more attention than I’ve been able to give, which I deeply regret since […]
CCRI’s theater program offers students the opportunity to explore the theatrical arts academically, professionally and in performance. “I had a very profound experience helping people discover themselves as actors or lovers of theater,” said Ted Clement, CCRI theater program coordinator. CCRI’s Associate in Fine Arts degree in theater offers two tracks: performance and technical. Both […]
Algiers The sophomore album by Algiers, The Underside of Power, is a stirring statement of our times. Algiers remind me a lot of TV on The Radio, but better. The title track is an upbeat march to redemption. Algiers, at times, fuses gospel and hip-hop with the urgency of Gang of Four, which isn’t easy […]
When you picture high school, generally a barrage of John Hughes movies come flooding in: cheerleading, football games, debate club, prom, pep rallies. And when I made the switch from teaching middle school to high school, those events were the ones I expected to see. So imagine my surprise when during the second week of school we […]
Colleges and universities often donate infrastructure to the towns in which they reside as a way to contribute to their community and offset their tax exempt status. Providence recently created a new position, filled by Jenn Steinfeld, director of strategic partnerships and economic advancement, who will work with colleges and universities and hospitals to ensure that all […]
Many of us are familiar with the nightmare that is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a form used by the federal government to determine a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid to help pay for college. Depending on your circumstance, you may or may not have paid any special attention to […]
If you walk into any high school during the first few days of a school year, you’ll probably encounter some form of professional development. Often, it’s representative of the newest, flashiest thing in education, and the program only gets fancier once you upgrade to the premium version. The Rhode Island Writing Project’s (RIWP) professional development trainings […]
In our digital age and “post-truth” era, media literacy — the expansion of the definition and skills of literacy to include the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create and communicate messages in all forms of media — is taking on a sense of urgency, and RI is among the states trying to lead the way in […]
