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...
If my many years grappling with the long-departed founding father Samuel Adams has taught me anything, besides how to properly use a proton pack (do NOT cross the streams,) it’s that the Boston Beer Company that has co-opted his name for their beer brand always finds new ways to surprise me. Cynical though I am, […]
The Good News A few articles in the Friday, March 9, New York Times gave Phillipe & Jorge reason to believe that the patriarchal culture in a number of countries may be crumbling. International Women’s Day (March 8) gave rise to feminist groups in Spain urging women to spend no money on that day and and also […]
THU 15 Public Hearing: No Utility Rate Hikes: Open forum for the public to let National Grid and the Public Utilities Commission get public feedback on the new rate hikes. 6pm, Public Utilities Commission – Hearing Room A, 89 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick. georgewileycenter.org SAT 17 Arcade Asylum Author Series: Hosting the latest talent in horror, […]
Head Trick Theatre, under the helm of artistic director Rebecca Maxfield, is making quite a name for themselves by staging some of the more controversial, challenging and politically fueled scripts on the local scene. What makes this fact doubly intriguing is that most of these scripts that are written by and about marginalized and repressed […]
One of my regrets upon leaving Vietnam last year was that I never tried a Vietnamese coffee. I heard a rumor the night before we caught our flight that Vietnamese coffee was an artistic creation of strong brewed coffee with a layer of condensed milk that was more of an experience than a coffee. […]
In the 1950s, the death penalty was still widely legal across the country — though falling out of fashion — and only men served on juries in many states. This is the world in which Reginald Rose wrote the teleplay 12 Angry Men. Throughout the past half century, the story has received multiple adaptations on […]
Fast-talking, pop-culture obsessed, stylish, leggy and lean. An apt description for both playwright Kevin Broccoli and his latest new play, Marshall, a crafty two-hander with a clever hook now seeing its world premiere at Epic Theatre Company until March 24. As anyone who has followed this prolific playwright’s career knows, Broccoli is no stranger to coming […]
A death cafe may sound like an Agatha Christie novel or a long-lost Edgar Allen Poe poem, but it is something real and can be found right here in Rhode Island. I was brought to my first one by a dear friend, and she said it would be right up my alley. Nothing could prepare me for […]
While many in the local theater scene have earned the moniker of “hardest working man (or woman) in local theater,” hands down, David & Beth Jepson deserve a huge hat tip for their years of dedication to Westerly’s historic Granite Theater. Under the artistic leadership of the couple’s Renaissance City Theatre Company, the venue is […]
Some people have been passionately training at a craft all their lives, never realizing that it could one day open the doors to a possible career path. Claudia Fratiello had a love for cooking and baking since she was 5. She would spend hours watching her mother and grandmothers cook desserts or holiday treats. Her […]
