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...
It is the golf, of course, that has been the draw for the better part of the past two decades. Big-name professional golfers from the PGA, the LPGA and the Champions Tour converge on the picturesque Rhode Island Country Club every June. Just as the name has changed since it began in 1999 — it […]
Rant-some Notes Phillipe and Jorge are furious about President Pussy’s recent Twitter outburst against MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, calling the former, essentially, a stupid, lunatic, facially altered twat, and the latter a psychopath. What has us seeing red is that we haven’t been the target of one of the Orange Orangutan’s immature attacks, […]
You can now vote on the 2017 Motif Theater Awards. Thank you for participating and supporting our theater community. For now, please vote and pass this link on to your friends! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/38CWVBS Here’s a list of all the nominees – but you can’t vote below — go to the survey!! For a key to the […]
2nd Story Theatre 2nd Story Academy Players Academy Arctic Playhouse Arctic Attleboro Community Theater ACT Bristol Theater Company Bristol Burbage Theatre Co Burbage Colonial Theater Colonial The Community Players of Pawtucket Community Players Contemporary Theater Company CTC Counter-Productions Theatre Company CPTC Epic Theatre Company Epic Festival Ballet Providence Festival Footlights Repertory Company (Swansea) Footlights The […]
The United Folk Festival, a modern day representation of the folk music scene with a signature RI twist, runs all day on Saturday, July 1, in Wilcox Park in Westerly. This latest addition to the South Shore music circuit promises a day full of traditional and contemporary folk stylings while providing a variety of activities to […]
THU 29 Sing: Enjoy food trucks and the comedy film outdoors at Rocky Point. 5:30pm, Rocky Point Avenue, Warwick. trumba.com/calendars/warwickevents FRI 30 – MON 3 Blackbird Farm Dinners: Enjoy a tour of picturesque Blackbird Farm and a dinner prepared by local chefs. Friday it’s chef Ashley Vanasse of Easy Entertaining; Saturday is chefs Eli Dunn […]
Perhaps the most serious madcap farce ever written, playwright Dario Fo made continuing revisions to his 1970 Accidental Death of an Anarchist to keep up with current events in the real case that inspired it. Italy from the late 1960s to the early 1980s was approaching internal civil war with both the far-right and the […]
When a nuclear bomb explodes, the damage it inflicts does not occur solely at the point of impact. Even more insidious are the shock waves and emanating fallout, which seep, cancer-like, into the surrounding soil and air, gradually poisoning and eroding the earth and sky for miles past the smoking crater. In Washington, DC, we […]
It all started with a little friendly competition. Bobby Bradford and Tyrone Steans were friends who competed over cooking the best fried chicken. “We’d show up to the same family or friend’s events, like cookouts, and try to see who everyone liked better,” says Bobby, now co-owner and chef of SoulFull, a food truck that serves […]
Sixty years ago, a little show called The Music Man opened on Broadway, charming audiences with its wholesome comedy and folksy feel. It was not a show that offered much in the way of profound social commentary or that challenged the form of the Broadway musical; it was just a classic, feel-good show celebrating the […]
