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 ...
I didn’t know what to expect from Trinity’s world premiere of Katie Pearl’s play Arnie Louis and Bob. I knew it was based on her uncles and that three audience favorites were in it. Armed with that knowledge, I assumed I would enjoy it. And because I like to see this in print, I’ll put […]
Since its inception 22 years ago, the Great International Beer Festival has been staple of the craft beer scene in Rhode Island. Before I even began writing for Motif, I was already a regular face at the fest, and it had a tangible role in helping bring good craft beer to the attention of the […]
At first glance Rhode Island may not seem like the ideal place for a young and hungry indie artist to flourish. After all, we are the smallest state and we also have no major record labels or agencies to give indie artists the push needed to achieve fame and glory. As a result, artists based […]
One sector of the cannabis market that is expanding rapidly is topicals, or products applied to the skin. Cannabis topicals are offered in many forms and strengths, and are becoming highly popular with seasoned cannabis users and canna skeptics alike. How Are They Made? Cannabis topicals are made primarily with either CO2 oil or infused […]
A common problem among RI brewers is that they can never seem to brew enough beer to satisfy the crowds flooding their tasting rooms every week. One member of the Rhode Island brewing family that experiences this problem is the Tilted Barn Brewery in Exeter, founded by Matthew and Kara Richardson. The newly renovated barn is tucked […]
Do you want to get to know the people who make your beer ’round here? We sent queries to local pros — and they answered them! Meet our panel of owner/brewmasters (except where noted): Nate Broomfield of Bucket Brewery; Armando DeDona of Long Live Beerworks; Josh Dunlap and Wes Staschke (co-founders/brewers) and Chris Smith (brewer) […]
For one steamy night, porn is making a resurgence at the Columbus Theatre. On Saturday, April 30, the venue is hosting Dan Savage’s Hump Film Festival – a screening of dirty homemade movies created by regular folks with an affinity for nudity and unconventional kink. Surrounded by friends and strangers seated in the former vaudeville […]
Rhode Island is seeing a boom in microbreweries like never before, and not far behind is another growing trend as the state produces more local and artisan ingredients. This year there will be three hop farms spread across the state. Ascending Hops New England in Johnston and the Tilted Barn Brewery in Exeter are still […]
Over 10 years in the making, Providence Roller Derby has continued to grow and inspire women of all ages not only to feel empowered, but step out of their everyday lives and try something fun and competitive. Full-time mothers, students, nurses, lawyers, teachers, soldiers, and many others from all different backgrounds have joined both home and […]
Aries: What you value and what the folks in your life value may not be in sync. You’re figuring out how — or if — you can integrate these disparate values. In the meantime, life keeps throwing you curve balls. Some folks find your unusual behavior attractive, sending you into a social whirl. You like being […]
