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...
JARheads Phillipe and Jorge are a bit late to the party concerning the Sinclair Broadcasting/Channel 10 debacle over shilling for President Pussy Grabber, but we’ve never been averse to putting the boot in once a man is down. To be brief, Sinclair, which is owner of WJAR-Channel 10 and nearly 200 other local stations in the […]
April 21 is Record Store Day (RSD), a celebration of the nearly 1,400 independently owned record stores in the US, and thousands more internationally. Since 2007, RSD’s exclusive releases have spurred music nerds everywhere to get out there and spend their hard-earned green on the black circle, and this year will be no different. RSD’s popularity […]
It’s a known fact that a worm lacks a footprint. Someone else, somewhere in a warehouse in Olneyville, is attempting to follow this diminutive invertebrate’s example — Frank Mastrobuono, co-owner of Earthly. Frank is an exuberant and intelligent individual with a mission to change how you look at worms, soil and sustainability. According to their […]
Blueberry Headband There is more than one version of this hybrid strain on the market. This strain was bred by Emerald Triangle seeds and is known for its lineage and the history of its phenotypes. The scent of blueberries is sure strong with this one! Lineage: Blueberry, emerald OG, Pre-98 Bubba Kush Look: Dark, purple, frosty Mood: Calming, happy, […]
Greetings, Motifians! We missed y’all in the Spring Alcohol Issue, but we had to pass on the intoxicating fun and assume the role of designated driver after our attempts to get a virtual roundtable discussion with the state’s brewers failed to ferment (see what we did there?). But we’re bellying up to the bar this […]
Since April is both Earth Month and National Poetry Month, I thought it would be fitting to write a piece on environmental activism and poetry. In the civil disobedience of Pawtucket resident Tim DeChristoper against the West Roxbury Lateral Pipeline, I have seen poetry and activism converge in a profound way. Together they illuminated the […]
Festival Ballet Providence brings a New England Premiere for its final performance of the 2017-2018 season, Little Mermaid. The ballet was originally created for Charlotte Ballet in 2008. In 2016 choreographer Mark Diamond reimagined the production, bringing to it more color, more scenery and more whimsical costumes. “This is an all-new version with elaborate […]
Recreational marijuana and medical marijuana (MM) are the same plant, but when it comes to application there is a great divide. Most people don’t really understand how medical marijuana works – unless you are on a MM program yourself, to get the real story you need to talk to someone who is. There’s a wide […]
The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has a long history. Marijuana tea was prescribed in ancient China as early as 2700BC and the plant’s use for medicinal purposes spread throughout Asia, the Middle East and East Africa. Before its prohibition, cannabis extracts were sold in pharmacies in Europe and the United States. But what […]
Welcome to Motif’s new complaint department. We are past the age when letters to the editor were numerous and needed sorting and selection. Motif gets four or five “letters to the editor” a year. What we get instead is the modern version – phone calls (some of those belong on “SNL”), texts, Facebook messages and […]
