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...
In this season of gift-giving, it is important to note that, while PVD is known as an arts mecca, there is no shortage of shopping sanctuaries nestled among the cliches of capitalist consumerism. Hidden in plain sight are unique retail experiences in this urban oasis of urbane artists and free thinkers. Some bear a local […]
Las celebraciones navideñas en América Latina son un vibrante mosaico de tradiciones que han evolucionado a lo largo de los siglos, fusionando las influencias de las culturas indígenas, las tradiciones europeas traídas por los conquistadores y las costumbres africanas introducidas por los esclavos. Estas festividades no solo celebran el nacimiento de Jesucristo, sino que también […]
While there were plenty of surprises on the national front, election results in Rhode Island held little drama or surprise. To the extent there are unanticipated results, they are in the margin – although Trump lost, he made a better showing than expected. Patricia Morgan, arguably the most cogent Republican to run for anything in […]
When Claudia De la Cruz spoke at the Southside Cultural Center a few weeks ago, she made the case that no matter which candidate wins, we will be marching in the streets and continuing to fight for collective liberation, just as much the day after the election as we have been leading up to it. […]
Mamma Mia! The tone was set at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Tuesday when the Mighty Wurlitzer rose stage right to treat early arrivals to a mini concert even before the anticipated Abba tunes filled the air. The 25th anniversary tour of the Broadway musical “Mamma Mia!” followed, bringing a light-hearted love story crafted […]
Such lavish pomposity and tomfoolery abound throughout Amadeus that any preconceptions of a stuffy 17th-century Classical music scene are dashed in shards of champagne-tinged crystal. Peter Shaffer’s creation, on stage at Gamm Theatre, is almost three hours of fast-paced wackiness as prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart comes of age in the brutally competitive Austrian emperor’s court, […]
“I saw a dead body today.” You’re trying to fit two fingers into the plastic mouth of a bottle. At the bottom, crusted with orange sugar, the last of the Vitamin-C gummy chews. You need those two gummies like Catholics need forgiveness. It’s dark all the time and work lets out later and later now […]
Selah rides in an attollos – an elevator – with her colleague. After the recent murder of her father, she inherited the role of Imperial Historian to Sargassa, a speculative version of the Roman Empire divided over human enslavement. Almost 800 years after The Great Quiet, twenty-two-year-old Selah hopes to shift society with education reform […]
In October, I had the honor of being a guest guide for Gallery Night. Guest guide is a pretty posh gig. Basically, you ride around and chat about art – and local restaurants, which somehow always come up – while your expert primary guide explains the shows and guides the ship. I was delighted to […]
Just when The Providence Performing Arts Center was grappling with final arrangements for its 2024-25 season – kicking off with back-to-back premiers of two national stage tours (A Beautiful Noise, Shucked) – President and CEO J.L. “Lynn” Singleton received an interesting email from Trinity Repertory and its executive director, Kate Liberman. A grand stage inspired […]
