Michael J. Schiavone (1982-2022), fondly referred to as Mike or Mikey, passed away unexpectedly on February 28, 2022. The obituary written for his funeral services describes music as “his world,” a point reflected in his ever-present and positive impact on the music community in RI. The first band he belonged to was called Demon Spawn. […]
I recently read an article online that posed the question, “Can’t Broadway just be for fun?” The article stepped into the debate on perhaps the biggest existential question at the heart of theatre: should theatre be a means of escapism or an instrument for social change? The Prom is a show that demonstrates it does […]
The Gem of the Ocean was a slave ship, but the gem of Trinity Repertory Company is the searing emotion conjured as part of a riveting retelling of August Wilson’s play by the same name. Chronologically, Gem of the Ocean is the first in Wilson’s Century Cycle plays relaying the 20th-century Black experience. It is […]
As the weather gets warmer, people will be making their way to the great hiking trails that RI has to offer. According to Alltrails.com, there are 386 to choose from in our state, and they vary in both the style of terrain and the activities they support. Here are just a few: With over 14,000 […]
With hopes that March melts February’s freeze and April’s showers again bring May flowers, Motif’s Sean Carlson interviewed Connor Burbridge of Nuts & Bolts Nursery (374 Farnum Pike, Smithfield), a cooperative housed at the permaculture nonprofit Revive the Roots. Opened in 2021 as a worker-owned nursery specializing in edible perennial plants, Nuts & Bolts is […]
At Zero Waste PVD, volunteers collaborate to reduce excess waste by focusing on activism, policy development, and legislative work. They host reusable bag giveaways, and recruit handy volunteers to sew reusable bags, and advocated for PVD’s plastic bag ban. Deborah Schimberg, chairperson of the organization, explained that the group strives to minimize the problems of […]
Shortly after graduating college, I got an invite from an old roommate to visit a piece of land he and some friends had acquired to begin working on an agricultural venture, which he called Revive the Roots. After driving up the dirt road to an old farmhouse, I met a handful of people brimming with […]
“The Great Resignation” is a phrase coined by Texas A+M professor Anthony Klotz in the spring of 2021 to describe the higher-than-normal quit rate in the American workforce. This has sent a ripple effect through the economy, dividing Americans over whether citizens have become empowered or lazy. Motif talked to some RIers on both sides […]
Whether it’s the approved sale of Narragansett Electric/National Grid to PPL or the disallowed merger of Lifespan/Care New England (Spanker), corporate acquisition is in the news. Our research-bots found a few other changes on the horizon… · The Rhode Island General Assembly was for sale, but was taken off the market. The asking price per […]
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cancellation of St. Patrick’s Day parades statewide saddened locals and visitors alike. Except for our friends who avoid “amatuer night,” most folks look forward to this raucous day of revelry, which celebrates the spirit of Ireland and marks the coming of warmer days ahead. Luckily, the jubilant […]