Photo by Sindayiganza Photography. The FIFA World Cup tournament was full of thrills, drama, chaos, unity, and live television shots of devastated children in tears after their team lost a heartbreaking match. The final whistle brought...
Matthew Provençal as Thomas Andrews in ‘Titanic: The Broadway Musical’ at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea July 23 – August 15, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. The challenge to staging a production of “Titanic: The...
The Tattoo Awards featured a gallery wall populated by local artists. Here is a selection of the artwork on display! By Brianne Elizabeth @foxhallowart By Victori Leo Riel Grab Your Heart & Go by Allie Boyer @peaceflowercreations MONSTROELIZASUE by...
Photo by Jess Lee Images. I met Lily Spencer in an acting class taught by Eric Lutes, whom many television fans will remember from the 1990s sitcom “Caroline in the City.” Eric, who now lives in...
Rachel WS. Favorite Animal/ Favorite Floral Tara D’Agostino – Iron Lion Tattoo By the numbers, Tara D’Agostino got her first tattoo at the age of 15, picked up her own tattoo machine at the age of 19, opened...
Photo by Jillian Clark. There’s no feeling quite like finally being able to fully step into your own, to truly embrace your whole self and carry yourself through the world with that mentality. Not an identity...
Kai Nanfelt. Okee dokee folks… Last weekend I went on a ten-hour, each way, road trip to play a show. The drive wasn’t so bad, but the music was horrible. As I have mentioned before, I...
Photo by Isaac Laliberte Wards 2, 9 and 12 all report the same. Mendez wins in each! It appeared that Providence was perfectly poised to usher-in its first female mayor in history. The polls were closed and...
“You’re late, Brother,” she said, hovering outside the weathered cottage near a pebbly beach, indistinguishable from the shadows cast by moonlight that hit the thick hydrangeas. It was late in the evening of a seawind-chilled...
The NecronomiCon is a biennial celebration of the works of HP Lovecraft and beyond, and throughout the genre of “weird fiction.” Centered in downtown Providence, it boasts four days of literary panels, readings from various...
It’s almost Cthulhu – pardon my hiccup, I meant, “election” – season again. And if the tactics of these times don’t make your head swim and your bowls ache, as if you were being eviscerated...
When cover artist Bob Eggleton of Warwick first got interested in art and started sketching nightmarish creatures, he recalls, an aunt asked him, “What’s drawing a monster gonna get you in life?” He’s spent the last...
Skyler Shields (Kenickie) and the cast of the Theatre By The Sea (Wakefield, RI) production of “Grease” running thru July 18, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop! A-wop-bam-boom!” BY ALISON O’DONNELL ON JUNE 27, 2026 Grease is the...
Isham, Sheila. Teth (#8 Creation Series). 1972. Acrylic spray on canvas. Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI. (Image courtesy of the Newport Art Museum.) Quite some time ago, I read a quip that the art of diplomacy...
As an international student a year into Rhode Island, yet still only a breath into America, I finally found a question that I might be able to answer – this is my continued exploration of: What...
Tucked inside the historic Harrison Steam Complex in Providence's Olneyville neighborhood, Siren Spirits is redefining what a visit to a distillery can be. Equal parts neighborhood gathering place, cocktail destination, and craft spirits experience, this...
Music makes beer taste better? In 2016, Vrije University in Brussels, Belgium, conducted a study that showed scientific evidence that music has an impact on our taste of beer. This study concluded that lower audible...
Cold Chocolate. Okee dokee folks… Well, summer is here and for me, summer is HELL! A few years back I wrote a song about my disdain of Summer for the Empire Revue’s “Cool” show. Here are...
America, the focus of this issue, runs on wealth. So here’s how to get yourself some. It’s the perfect opportunity to launch a new column aimed at helping non-one-percenters with financial matters. Feel free to...
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“Foreigner.” I find it a harsh word that I hate seeing applied to others. Yet applied to myself, it’s the only word that half conveys how baffling I find this country at times. I’d like...
In his final year at college, cover artist William Schaff truly learned what it was like to work in a studio. “I developed a course of study in general fine arts with one of my...
Rachael Warren as Diana. Photo by Mark Turek. The Next to Normal audience is exposed to waves of raw emotions drowning your soul and dampening your eyes. You may wish you had premedicated with any of...
Blaq Sav. Photos by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word 2026 Ashley Hosa Sending out a big congrats to Ashley Hosa, who came to the Spoken Awards with a multitude of wonderful supporters (shoutout to Ryan!)....
The founder of the long-standing hipster-ish West Side restaurant Julians hadn’t been involved directly with the restaurant in quite some time. But his legacy persisted. A larger-than-life personality, you never knew at what event Julian...
Renowned supporter of local music and arts Lisa Gourley (Sometimes Lisa Gourleyx) passed away on June 15. Reading reactions on social media, you can’t help but notice how often the words “nice,” “kind,” and “photography”...
This beautiful Solstice moment, June 21, 2026 brings the winds of change into our lives. The pivotal points among the planetary movers and shakers of the Zodiac find Gemini, with Uranus and Ceres, reaching across...
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 ...
For those unfamiliar with the Choose Your Own Adventure book series, DO NOT read the following in order. Start with paragraph 1, then see where it goes. While mostly fiction, the locations here are real and highly recommended! Enjoy! Paragraph 1 You awaken sprawled across the ornate stairs leading up to the sealed-off gates of […]
“Oh, you’re our guide? You weren’t’ who we were expecting,” the participant said, eying me up and down as I introduced myself. It wasn’t the first time I’d received this kind of remark, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. Whether it’s my age – 30 – or my gender – female – I […]
Summer is for slowing down, eating outside, and grazing all afternoon. Whether you’re spreading out a blanket under the trees or parking yourself on a sun-warmed bench with a view, a great picnic starts with what you bring to munch on. Luckily, Rhode Island is home to plenty of spots serving up fresh, flavorful fare […]
On April 10, Jon Stenning set out on what would become the most grueling, yet deeply rewarding, experience of his life — a solo, five-day, 512-mile cycling journey from North Scituate, Rhode Island to Washington, DC. While the main purpose of the ride was to raise funds for the Transgender Law Center and the National […]
There’s a quiet stretch of winter on Block Island where time slows to a gentle crawl — the kind of quiet where you can count the cars passing by in a single afternoon on one hand. It’s in this rare, windswept stillness that Milaina Bell, one of the island’s most committed restaurant professionals, finds balance, […]
Walk down the four steps to the dark door of The Jefferson Speakeasy on Kilvert Street in Warwick. No need to give a secret knock, or say “Louie sent me” like in the movies. Just walk in and step back to the Prohibition Era. Notorious mobster Al Capone won’t be seated at a table in […]
This column marks 20 years at the Motif for me so without further adieu, let’s get through as many things ‘till I hit my word limit and hit send. SUMMER JAMS: Throwing Muses — Moonlight Concessions (Fire Records) RI Music Hall of Fame inductees Throwing Muses are celebrating their 44th year with a new album, […]
Winter is finally gone, and summer is rearing its big and beautiful head. Now, we all know Motif is known for its listings, especially its Summer Guide listings (which, if you don’t know, encompass all three months of the season – see page 43). But we wanted to make it easy for our dutiful readers […]
Illustrator and animator Georgia Darley Oldham of Providence doodled her way onto the cover of Motif’s Summer Guide. When she received the assignment from art director Olivia Lunger, Oldham started doodling and sketching out a bunch of ideas. “I asked myself what images come to mind when I think of summer,” she says, while sipping […]
“You can’t make a wrong turn” is why downtown Warren is so perfect for wandering on foot. Get off the bus in the middle of town. In every direction are narrow streets full of centuries of well-loved houses, gardens, indy shops, galleries, eateries, and a brewery. If a random walk does not bring you to […]
