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Our weekly look at arts and culture in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts

The Public's Radio


    • Jun 12, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 4m AVG DURATION
    • 352 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Artscape

    Providence artist Jordan Seaberry asks: ‘WTF Can Artists Do During a Fascist Takeover?'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 4:48


    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 in the studio to talk about the inspiration of the comic and his advice for artists. Plus: The latest plays on now at Trinity Rep and the Gamm Theatre.

    12 summer festivals to check out in Rhode Island and the South Coast 

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 2:10


    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 & Branches Festival.

    New documentary tells the emotional story of the people who worked for decades to pass the ADA

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 2:18


    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 accommodations. A new documentary tells the emotional story of the activists that led the determined effort to achieve equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the ADA. It's called Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act, and it's being screened today at the Westerly Library. The project was led by Westerly film producer and director Hilary Steinman

    Loyalists, Patriots and a colossal plaid whale in Newport

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 2:18


    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.

    ‘Food, art, lawmakers, politicians, law breakers': Remembering John Rector and Leo's bar

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 3:47


    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 clientele, late hours, and great food. And the man behind it all was John Rector. John passed away March 6 at the age of 75. When she heard the news, Artscape editor Mareva Lindo started asking around to see who might want to talk with us about John and the bar. And people came out of the woodwork. So many people wanted to share their memories about John, and that time and place. Now we bring you but a slice of what they all had to say about John Rector and Leo's.

    New leader at WaterFire hopes to be a bridge to the future

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 3:47


    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 year they named Mark Allan as the interim Executive Director. We'll talk with him about the future of WaterFire. Plus: ArtWeek SouthCoast runs from May 8th to May 18th and offers more than 50 different experiences all over Bristol County, Massachusetts. We talk with two of the event organizers.

    ‘Brave Men as Ever Fought': Painting depicts the story of Black Revolutionary War soldiers in R.I. 

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 2:16


    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 mostly of Black enlistees. The painting is called “Brave Men as Ever Fought.” It's by historical military artist Don Troiani. Morning host Luis Hernandez talked with Ray Rickman, the co-founder of the non-profit Stages of Freedom, which addresses racial inequities in Rhode Island, and Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore.

    Dissonance, queer culture, and Providence architecture in artist Ian Cozzens' prints

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 3:50


    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 documented the buildings of Providence, using his architectural training to depict a half-demolished mill in Eagle Square and the three smokestacks of a power station on the Providence River. Since then, he moved on to screen prints depicting a single word, including “dissonance” and “QUEERS!” His latest installation at Angell Street Galleries is called “Reality.” Also, Barnaby Evans and Emily Gray from WaterFire Providence remember the life and work of Rhode Island painter Gretchen Dow Simpson. 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 documented the buildings of Providence, using his architectural training to depict a half-demolished mill in Eagle Square and the three smokestacks of a power station on the Providence River. Since then, he moved on to screen prints depicting a single word, including “dissonance” and “QUEERS!” His latest installation at Angell Street Galleries is called “Reality.” Also, Barnaby Evans and Emily Gray from WaterFire Providence remember the life and work of Rhode Island painter Gretchen Dow Simpson.

    Meet Kwame Dawes, Brown University professor and new poet laureate of Jamaica

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 13:54


    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 University in 2024, was recently named the poet laureate for Jamaica. Morning host Luis Hernandez spoke with Dawes about his journey, his poetry, what it means to be a poet laureate, and the current environment on college campuses.

    Most people can't name five women artists. URI art historian wants to change that

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2025 2:10


    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 work as an art historian, researcher and teacher, she aims to raise the profile of women artists. And she was recently appointed to the Committee on Women in the Arts for the College Arts Association.

    Re-envisioning Shakespearean classics: ‘Fat Ham' and ‘La Tempestad'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 2:11


    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 Rep. Artscape producer James Baumgartner spoke with the plays' directors for this week's show.

    ‘Westerly's Gold': New documentary tells the story of soupy sausage

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 3:45


    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: Sweet, Spicy, and Full of Tradition” documents the process and stories of the families who've been making the local delicacy for decades.

    Joyce Kutty's handmade knives are part of her full circle of artistic practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2025 3:48


    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, knifemaker, and North Providence resident Joyce Kutty. Her studio in an old Fall River textile mill has several workbenches filled with neatly arranged tools, a band saw, and a sketchbook. There's a woodblock print on the wall that has three women hammering an anvil. And in one corner, there's a large pot, slowly simmering.

    New series explores French cultural influence in Rhode Island

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 2:10


    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 museum is mounting a celebration of the Ocean State's ties with French Canadian culture. It's called “La Francophonie”. In this week's Artscape segment, reporter David Wright sat down with Anne Conway, Director of the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket.

    UMass Dartmouth's $660 million problem: preserving its Brutalist campus

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 8:08


    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 Washington, President Trump has re-issued an executive order deploring Brutalism. And in southeastern Massachusetts, our reporter Ben Berke brings us this story about a Brutalist college campus designed by a celebrated architect whose buildings are disappearing across the country.

    Track 15 food hall will transform Union Station with 7 new restaurants

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 2:07


    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 just a few weeks, it'll be home to Track 15: a food hall and plaza that will feature local chefs offering everything from Indian plates to Mexican fare. Morning host Luis Hernandez met with developer Chris Marsella in January at the construction site behind the building which currently houses our studio and the Rhode Island Foundation. It will soon be the home of Track 15.

    Posters display creativity, culture and resistance in ‘Graphic Voices of Latin America’

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2025 2:11


    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 roughly 100 posters from across Latin America, spanning more than 70 years. Morning host Luis Hernandez spoke with the curators of the exhibit, Jose Menendez Lopez and Tatiana Goméz Gaggero.

    Writer and director Dave Solomon on filmmaking and the art of auditioning

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025 8:14


    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 to take risks and pursue new projects, while also providing creative and educational programming to the surrounding community. The latest artist-in-residence is Dave Solomon. He's an award-winning, New York-based writer and director of film and theater. Morning host Luis Hernandez spoke with him for this week's episode of Artscape.

    Meet LitArts RI's new executive director: Christina Bevilacqua

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025 2:09


     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 recently announced their new executive director, Christina Bevilacqua, who has been a part of the literary world of Rhode Island for a while now at the Providence Athenaeum, Trinity Rep, and the Providence Public Library.

    Studio Session: The earnest shoegaze pop of Rel's ‘Big Try'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2025 3:50


    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 playing music and what got you into music as a performer? Rel: So I started playing guitar when I […]

    The Map Center explores the stories, art and creativity of maps

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2025 2:10


    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 that Andrew Middleton is trying to answer at the Map Center in Pawtucket.

    Electromagnetic Pinball Museum celebrates the game's history and visceral joy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2025 2:18


    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 they had too many pinball machines to fit in their home. Luis Hernandez visited the museum earlier this week.

    ‘Weird Island' podcast spotlights strange stories from the Ocean State

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2025 2:05


    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 of the fearless lighthouse keeper of Lime Rock. It's all the creation of Sara Corben, who started the podcast in 2021. Artscape producer James Baumgartner spoke with her for this week's show.

    What are we looking forward to in Arts & Culture for 2025?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 2:10


    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, and Tracy MacDonald, arts and culture executive producer at Rhode Island PBS.

    Studio Session: The ‘unhindered joy,' community spirit and Ocean State pride of The Vox Hunters

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 3:55


    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 or a fan of folk music in Rhode Island, there's a good chance you've been to a Vox Hunters show, or attended one of the many community jams and sings they've led over the years. “I would say that our music would fall under the category of social music,” said Ben Gagliardi, one of the two founding members of The Vox Hunters. “It's music that brings people together. It's participatory, no one's really fully in charge. It has something for everyone to experience.” That focus on the participatory element comes from their own entry into the folk world – each were taken under the wing of older tradition-bearers in the region, and welcomed into folk music spaces when they were young. They play traditional music, but in a way that's welcoming and inclusive to audiences old and young.

    Bold, complex, and time-intensive ‘painted paper' at the RISD Museum

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2024 0:47


    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 labor-intensive. “The Art of French Wallpaper Design” is the latest exhibit at the RISD Museum, featuring samples of salvaged wallpapers, fragments and drawings of designs from the 18th and 19th centuries. Morning host Luis Hernandez visited the exhibit to talk with Emily Banas, the museum's Associate Curator of Decorative Arts and Design. “The Art of French Wallpaper Design” is on now at the RISD Museum through May 11.

    Author Nate DiMeo's ‘Memory Palace' conjures imaginary space via real stories 

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2024 1:28


    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 from lesser known corners of American history. His new book, “The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past,” features nearly 50 stories, some from the podcast, some new, and accompanied for the first time by illustrations and archival photos. Now based in Los Angeles, he's coming back to Providence on Saturday for a reading at RiffRaff bookstore. DiMeo spoke with morning host Luis Hernandez for this week's episode of Artscape.

    Studio Session: Traditional Lithuanian folk songs with Dovas and Vija Lietuvninkas

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 3:02


    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 singing Lithuanian folk songs to us as we were going to sleep, as lullabies as we’re sleeping over at their houses,” Dovas said. “So, literally from the […]

    Finding a ‘third space' through weaving at the Mount Pleasant Community Library

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2024 1:57


    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 been especially popular.

    Heidi Henderson's ‘untitled sad piece' brings contemporary dance to a Rhode Island skating rink

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2024 2:26


    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 five members of her company, Elephant Jane Dance. Untitled sad piece is set to the music of The Carpenters, the 1970s brother-sister duo known for the sweetly sad voice of Karen Carpenter. Elephant Jane Dance will perform the piece tonight (Thursday, 11/7) at United Skates of America in Rumford.

    Breaking down the ballot: What's in the $10 million arts and culture bond

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2024 2:04


    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, we focus on Question 5, which asks voters to approve a $10 million bond for the continuation of the Cultural Arts and Economy Grant Program.

    The unique Brazilian jazz of world-renowned bandolim innovator Hamilton de Holanda

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 1:21


    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 own style of Brazilian jazz, blending a contemporary jazz sound with the regional folk style choro, which centers around the bandolim. De Holanda was a featured performer this past weekend at the University of Rhode Island's annual Guitar and Mandolin Festival.

    ‘Walking Rhode Island': 40 of the best hikes in the Ocean State

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2024 2:10


    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 hiker, and a few years after leaving the Journal he came back to write a column called Walking Rhode Island. Then he published a book by the same name featuring forty of what he calls “the most scenic, natural, and historic trails in the state.” Morning host Luis Hernandez talked with Kostrzewa about the book, and a few of his favorite hikes for the fall.

    New Community MusicWorks Center is more than a space for making music

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 2:21


    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 storefronts that used to hold Community MusicWorks. The youngest children were at the front carrying small drums and mallets. They were followed […]

    ‘Water Brother' film tells the story of New England surfing and skateboarding legend Sid Abbruzzi

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2024 2:05


    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 culture in the Northeast. He's the focus of the new documentary “Water Brother: The Sid Abbruzzi Story.”

    Studio Session: The Leland Baker Trio’s ‘sacred language’ of jazz and blues

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2024 5:33


    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 Providence, performed at the Newport Jazz Festival – and he hopes to use his position as music education manager with the Newport Festivals Foundation to build musical mentorships like those he experienced in Louisiana.

    ‘Scandalous Conduct': Telling the queer history behind the Newport Navy sex scandal of 1919

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2024 2:06


    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 vaudeville drag show that was going on right down the street.

    Live/work: How the housing shortage threatens Providence's identity as the ‘creative capital'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 2:11


    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 happy to live and work in these run-down post-industrial spaces. But starting in the early aughts, artists faced evictions as many of those buildings were torn down or converted to luxury loft apartments or condos. So what's available now?

    Live/work: How old mill buildings shaped Providence's 90s art renaissance

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2024 8:05


    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 the city's industrial past. With many of those buildings gone and little affordable housing to spare, can Providence hold onto its reputation as a cultural capital?

    Studio Session: The whimsical three-part harmonies of The Whelks' ‘Reverse Mermaid'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 8:34


    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, swing, and Rhode Island.

    El Patio de Comidas: Summer-long celebration of Central American cuisine provides a launch pad for local businesses

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2024 2:12


    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 series, which also features music, dancing, and local goods, concludes on Saturday with a grand finale: the Festival Tipico de Guatemala.

    50 years later, revisiting the impact of Newport's ‘Monumenta' on public art

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 1:04


    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 Hepworth. It was an ambitious exhibit that didn't get much attention from the art world at first, but it's now recognized for its influence on large-scale public art. Morning host Luis Hernandez recently spoke with Jim Donahue, Curator of Historic Landscapes and Horticulture at Newport Mansions, which is hosting a symposium on Monumenta this Saturday.

    New documentary highlights how North Providence Summer Basketball League transcended racial, class divides

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2024 7:56


    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 pickup league for local kids in the early 60s and rapidly grew into one of the most popular in the region. A new documentary […]

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