By Lillian MK Photo. RI Battle of the Bands had a smooth run this year, every performance dodging the monsoons that have plagued past iterations. The year started out with 16 highly accomplished, but not necessarily...
Okee dokee folks… I mentioned this in my column a few months ago and now it is coming close to being (IS) a major issue. GASOLINE. Before the mango moron started his war of distraction...
We all know that women were the first to make beer, right? It was discovered by accident when grains were used to make other foods digestible. Dried grain was stored and used to make bread....
Haunted Attractions 1. Factory of Terror Terror experience for all ages, including a variety of imaginative themes and thorough design. 120 Pearl Street, Fall River, MA 774-415-0153 factoryofterror.com 2. Scary Acres Fall festivities with the main attraction - a three-part terror experience...
Cover artist Nilton Cárdenas of Cranston refuses to stand still. “I am constantly moving, and creating art,” he says in an interview at Sharks Peruvian Cuisine on Broad Street in Central Falls. And when he’s not...
Photos by the author. Magda León is more than a multidisciplinary artist; she is an immigrant woman who uses art to explore her identity, her roots, and her connection to community. When I asked her how...
Photo by Scott Lapham. For the Rhode Island artist, educator and muralist, creativity has become a way to open doors, strengthen community and help others discover possibilities within themselves. For Nilton Cárdenas, giving back does not begin...
Every Hispanic Heritage Month, we are given an opportunity to look back.We celebrate the pioneers who came before us, the traditions they preserved, the institutions they built, and the sacrifices they made so generations that...
Photo by Dave Cantelli. Ever rummaged through your spouse’s sweater drawer expecting to find argyles, yet instead stumbling across a secret fetish so utterly demented that it immediately sent you bolting toward a new life? Deftly...
Rachael Warren as Clare. Photo by Mark Turek. If there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, The Getaway Driver at Trinity Repertory Company is it. The world premiere of the two-person play...
Photo by Jesse Dufault. Hark, spectators of the realm! If thy soul doth hunger for a "reverent irreverence" turning a 77-seat black box into a roaring arena of wretched romance, get thee to the Burbage Theatre...
RI Music Hall of Fame plaque honoring Rudy Cheeks/The Fabulous Motels/The Young Adults. (Photo: Michael Bilow) Much has already been written on the passing Sep 18 at age 76 of Bruce McCrae, who used the stage name...
Crook Point Brewing Company, 65 Massasoit Ave., East Providence; photo credit: Sean Carlson Over the past year, The Grind has gleamed as one of Rhode Island’s coffee gems. Set up at Crook Point Brewing Company (65...
Natasha Hodgson in the Broadway Company of Operation Mincemeat. Photo by Matt Crockett. The Tony Award® and Olivier Award®-winning musical launches the North American leg of its world tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center September...
Hunter Brown, Allie Seibold, and Seth Eliser in You've Still Got a Friend, playing at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea from August 20 - September 13, 2026. Photo by Michael Derr Okee dokee folks… Tonight, at Theatre By The...
Photo by Steve Ahlquist. The unionized workers of the Community Libraries of Providence have been without a contract for two years now. Their patience, which had been wearing thin, was stretched to the breaking point by...
Photo: L-R: Pénélope Rose, Manya Glassman, Emeline Easton, and K. Elisa Garcia. by Mike Ryan. The Rhode Island International Film Festival, also known as Flickers, took place August 4 through August 9, bringing filmmakers, actors, industry...
I think museums and the culture around them have historically gotten a bad rap. When you think of museums, you might associate them with classism, inaccessibility, and wealthy donors and patrons. There’s also the issue...
As the leaves change to amber hues, so do fall beers. Our local brewers are excited about the opportunity to offer these loved styles of craft beer. If you are looking forward to cozy sweaters...
Illustration by Sadie Levine. 1. Adams Farm (pumpkins, hay rides, corn mazes) Plus: Variety fall farm stand 158 Burnt Swamp Road, Cumberland 401-714-4425 2. Appleland Orchard (apples) Plus: Cider, wine, and donuts 135 Smith Avenue, Greenville 401-949-3690 3. Barden Family Orchard (apples, pumpkins) Plus: Farmers...
Okee dokee folks… I just realized that I have been attending concerts for 50 years now. In that span of time I have seen countless shows. I honestly have no idea how many I have...
Moon Leone didn’t set out to make your run-of-the-mill pop songs. They build whole worlds, embodying different characters and using visuals to tell stories that ultimately help people heal from trauma. Performing as YourFriendM00n, they...
On August 12, Motif cohosted a forum on the Arts in Providence featuring Democratic Primary Mayoral candidates Brett Smiley and David Morales. In Providence, the real election typically happens in the primary. The winner will go...
Every election cycle, Motif brings you the candidates in their own words so you can try to compare apples to apples. It’s our way of contributing to the political process while not having the fact-checking...
Environmental Organizations Endorse Foulkes for Governor PROVIDENCE — The Providence Streets Coalition, a grassroots activist organization devoted to increasing funding, safety, and reliability in the state’s transit network, announced July 21 that it is backing former...
For the cover of Motif’s Fall Guide, painter and muralist Nicholas “Niko” Tolentino of Cranston drew inspiration from his childhood days, he relates in an interview at White Electric Coffee Co-Op in Providence. Roger Williams Park...
Centerville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket hosted its first live music event in August. It started big with the Island Roads Fest, featuring popular reggae/ rock bands including Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, Action Bronson, DENM, Bumpin...
Stepping into a tattoo convention without a tattoo or an array of piercings can be intimidating, like stepping into a gallery show without reading the title first. Aside from a pair of basic ear studs,...
August 12, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Southside Cultural Center - 393 Broad Street, Providence What do the candidates for Mayor of Providence have in mind for the future of arts engagement in the “Creative Capital”? Find...
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!...
OPENED Rong Chic: Celebrating the authentic flavor of Sichuan cuisine, this place is boasted by one yelper as “up and coming!” Scrolling through their socials provides a tasty glimpse at all their offerings such as their tofu cheesecake or crispy scallion pancakes. I live right next to this place, and it’s always bustling. Join the […]
I can’t think of anything better than ending a 4th-of-July weekend listening to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter while sipping some delicious espresso cocktail samples. On Sunday, July 6, Motif once again sponsored another Mixology Madness competition, this time as a collaboration with Newport Live Events’ Cocktail Wars. The chosen theme was espresso cocktails at the […]
Self-care as a concept and an industry has seen a surge in the last five years. As people become more focused on taking care of themselves and are seeking traditional and non-traditional ways to do so, CBD and THC treatments have become one of those nontraditional methods. Also, several wellness centers have incorporated THC and […]
Whether you are a professional shadowcaster, a die-hard Rocky Horror lover, or a curious individual wondering what all the excitement is about, RKO Army’s Rocky Horror Convention is about to transport you into a time warp like you’ve never experienced before. For its 50th anniversary, this August event is completely new. This is not your […]
Walking between oval mirrors mounted above altars on opposite walls in the entryway of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative gallery in Lorraine Mills, the theme of the mixed-media and immersive In-Between group exhibition became readily apparent. As a sign of welcome, an alabaster hand and an ebony hand reached out from one mirror, while a white […]
Menacing gray clouds were gathering over Providence this past July 8, threatening to put a damper on the opening night celebration of the 2025 48 Hour Film Festival at the historic Avon Cinema. Director of the festival’s RI chapter, Mel Rainsberger, had started sending out emails early to the expected audience, urging caution and warning […]
I met Alan Hassenfeld, former Hasbro chairman and CEO and unrivalled philanthropist, in the early 1990s, when he and H. Philip West Jr. led a coalition to bring badly needed ethical reform to Rhode Island politics. It was ultimately successful. I discovered then what a unique man he was, along with his family, which had […]
The RI International Film Festival (RIIFF) will hold its 43rd annual “Flickers” with screenings at six venues in Providence and one at the Misquamicut Drive-In, beginning with their traditional gala opening night at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) on Aug 5. Information is available from film-festival. org and the detailed schedule (searchable by dates, […]
Whether it is a hot summer night or a freezing winter evening, you find yourself sitting under the stars. Fireflies flicker around or maybe frost clings to the windshield as your eyes lock on that one scene, maybe for the millionth time or the very first, and for a moment, nothing else matters. The scent […]
Unique among all the states, only Rhode Island continues to observe “Victory Day” remembering the end of hostilities during World War II. At one point it was called “V-J Day” to signify the end of the war against the Japanese forces (as opposed to “V-E” day in May 1945 commemorating the fall of Germany). The […]
