Artscape

The First Works Summer Beats concert series takes place at Roger Williams Park this summer with a variety of acts performing at the Boathouse Lawn every other week. This Friday, you can see The Willia...

Imagine if you could be the greatest in the world at anything, but, it would come at a cost: you’d have to sell your soul to the devil. That’s the story of the show “¡Que Diablos! Fausto,” a bilingua...

This week, we bring you a live performance and interview with Rhode Island psychedelic soul artist Melo Green. It’s part of Ocean State Sessions, a collaboration with our colleagues at Rhode Island PB...

Every year, the James Beard Foundation recognizes exceptional restaurants and chefs throughout the country, one of the highest honors in the culinary field. Earlier this week, they announced this year...

A local artist poses the question “WTF Can Artists Do During a Fascist Takeover?” - that’s the title of a new web comic by Providence-based artist, educator and organizer Jordan Seaberry. He joined me...

This week on Artscape, producer James Baumgartner and editor Mareva Lindo highlight a few of their favorite festivals coming up this summer, from Providence Porchfest to New Bedford's Roots & Bra...

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination in areas such as employment, education, and public accommodatio...

This week, we’re highlighting two exhibits in Newport: “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea” at the Newport Art Museum, and “Newport 1775: Whose Side Are You On?” at the Newport Historical Society....

Back in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s in Providence, Leo’s bar and restaurant was an institution and a pioneer in the city’s Jewelry District, known for its support of local artists, and its eclectic clie...

As we move closer to summer, we edge closer to the first WaterFire lighting ceremony of the year. It will take place at the end of the month. WaterFire Providence is going through some changes. This y...

There’s a painting on display right now in the Rhode Island Statehouse that tells an important tale of American history: It’s the story of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment — a military regiment composed ...

On this week’s show: A profile of artist Ian Cozzens. Cozzens moved to Providence in 1999, and quickly started making screen prints for bands, art gallery shows, and community events. He also documen...

Kwame Dawes is a poet, actor and musician whose work is shaped by a journey that started in Ghana, where he was born, all the way to Jamaica, where he was raised. Dawes, who joined the staff at Brown ...

Can you name five women artists? That’s the question posed by Erin L. McCutcheon, as part of a course she teaches as assistant professor of arts of the Americas at University of Rhode Island. In her w...

There are two plays on now in Providence that start with a work of Shakespeare and then take it in a new direction: “Fat Ham” at the Wilbury Theatre Group, and “La Tempestad — The Tempest” at Trinity ...

Every January, Italian American families in Westerly, Rhode Island gather together to start making soupy, a dry-cured pork sausage that’s specific to the town. A new film called “Westerly’s Gold: Swee...

In a few minutes, we’ll hear about the new documentary “Secret Mall Apartment” that will be screening at the Providence Place Mall. But first, I recently visited the studio of artist, fishmonger, knif...

This is The Public’s Radio, I’m James Baumgartner. At a time when the longstanding friendship between the US and Canada is fraught with a trade war sparked by the Trump administration, a Rhode Island ...

Brutalism had its heyday 60 years ago, but this polarizing style of architecture is back in the spotlight. At the Oscars, Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his performance of a Brutalist architect. In W...

Providence's historic Union Station was once a hub for 14 intercity train tracks, a crucial stop in southern New England that helped the city’s jewelry, textile and machinery industries thrive. In jus...

Artists throughout Latin America have long used graphic posters as a form of storytelling, cultural celebration, political expression, and resistance. A new exhibit at Waterfire Arts Center features r...

A historic cottage situated in Westerly Library’s Wilcox Park is home to an Artist-In-Residence program that attracts creatives from around the country. It offers artists of all levels and disciplines...

 LitArts RI started in 2018 as a shared creative workspace for writers. Since then, the nonprofit has grown to offer events, workshops, and other support to Rhode Island writers and readers.  They rec...

Rel’s debut EP “Big Try” comes out March 7, and they’re performing at a release party at AS220 March 14. You can find out more about Rel’s music at HeyRel.com. Luis Hernandez: When did you start...

For most of us, the days of keeping a stash of folded-up maps in the car glovebox are behind us. So in a world of smartphones and GPS, why go to a store that specializes in maps? That’s the question t...

The Electromagnetic Pinball Museum is home to over 100 pinball machines, from the 1940s to today. Emily Rose and Michael Pare are two of the co-founders who started the museum when they found that the...

Every month, the “Weird Island” podcast  delivers weird and wonderful stories from Rhode Island, like the origin of the Turk’s Head building, the creation of a gym for women in the 1880s, or the story...

This week, we’re looking ahead to the next few months in local arts and culture. Here to share what they’re most excited about for the winter and spring of 2025 are Artscape producer James Baumgartner...

The Vox Hunters are a duo-turned-trio defined by their affinity for unaccompanied vocal music, a unique mix of folk influences, and the traditional songs and tunes of Rhode Island. If you’re a player...

Hundreds of years ago, wallpaper looked very different than the simple repeating patterns we often see today. Originally done on wood blocks, early designs were extremely decorative, colorful, and lab...

Since 2008, Providence-born writer, podcaster and public radio alum Nate DiMeo has been producing short, narrative essays through his podcast, “The Memory Palace,” featuring real-life stories pulled f...

Lithuanian-American siblings Vija and Dovas Lietuvninkas have been singing traditional Lithuanian folk music since they can remember.  “One of my earliest memories in general is of my grandfather...

The Community Libraries of Providence offer a slew of free arts education programs, including sewing, rug tufting, and how to use 3-D printers. But a weaving class at the Mount Pleasant branch has bee...

Heidi Henderson is a dancer and choreographer who lives in Wakefield. Her latest work is called untitled sad piece and it’s a collection of 10 dances: solos, duets, trios and ensemble pieces with all ...

This election, Rhode Island voters have the opportunity to weigh in on five statewide ballot questions. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, we’ve been covering each of them in depth. This time, w...

Hamilton de Holanda is the world’s foremost player of the Brazilian bandolim, a 10-stringed instrument that he developed by adding an extra two strings to the traditional mandolin. He’s defined his ow...

When long-time journalist John Kostrzewa left the Providence Journal in 2017 after decades on the job, he planned to retire. But he found himself feeling like there was more to do. John is an avid hik...

On a recent Saturday, a group of grade-school aged children wearing red t-shirts lined up on the sidewalk on Westminster Street in the West End of Providence. They were outside of two empty storefront...

If you skateboard or surf in New England, you know the name Sid Abbruzzi. He runs the Water Brothers Surf & Skate Shop in Newport, and played a key role in expanding the skating and surfing cultu...

Saxophonist, composer and music educator Leland Baker studied jazz in New Orleans and New York before coming back home to Rhode Island. Since then he’s established a residency at the Courtland Club in...

A new musical documentary by Jason Tranchida and Matthew Lawrence features transcriptions of the Navy’s 1919 investigation into homosexual activity by sailors in Newport, along with music from a vaude...

The old mill buildings of the Olneyville and Valley neighborhoods in Providence were once the home to hundreds of artists. Back in the 1990s, space was cheap in the old mills and many artists were hap...

Back in the 1990s, Providence was home to a thriving community of artists. One of the things that made it possible was the ample affordable live/work spaces artists found in the old mill buildings of ...

For this week’s episode of Artscape, an interview and studio session with Rhode Island band The Whelks, an acoustic trio defined by their three-part harmonies, and a shared love of early country, swin...

Hundreds gather in New Bedford’s Riverside Park on Saturdays throughout the summer to enjoy Latin American food from local vendors who got their start through the Patio de Comidas initiative. The seri...

This year is the 50th anniversary of Monumenta, a ground-breaking collection of outdoor sculptures by 40 different artists. Some of those names included Willem de Kooning, Christo, and Barbara Hepwort...

TRANSCRIPT: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: It’s been nearly 30 years since the demise of the North Providence Summer Basketball League. It started as a p...

Friday night, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival will host the world premiere of “Woodland Songs” by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, performed by the Dover String Quartet. Artscape producer James Baumg...

The Ocean State is pretty far from Louisiana, but the sound of Cajun country can be found all around Rhode Island – thanks in part to Alan Bradbury and Michelle Kaminsky. They’ve been dedicated to pla...

After fleeing slavery in 1839, abolitionist, miner and sailor John Swanson Jacobs embarked on a journey that would take him to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and ultimately Australia. It was there that ...