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. The post Finding a ‘third space’ through weaving at the Mount Pleasant Community Library appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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. The...
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 post Breaking down the ballot: What’s in the $10 million arts and culture bond appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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. The post The unique Brazilian jazz of wo...
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 t...
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 […] The post New Community MusicWorks Center is more than a space for making music appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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.” The post ‘Water Brother’ film tells the story of New England surfing and skateboarding legend Sid Abbruzzi appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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. The post Studio Session: The Leland Baker Trio’s ‘sacred language’ of jazz and ...
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. The post ‘Scandalous Conduct’: Telling the queer history behind the Newport Navy sex scandal of 1919 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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? The post Live/work: How the housing shortage threatens Providen...
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? The post Live/work: How old mill buildings shaped Providence’s 90s art renaissance appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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. The post Studio Session: The whimsical three-part harmonies of The Whelks’ ‘Reverse Mermaid’ appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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. The post El Patio de Comidas: Summer-long celebration of Central American cuisine provides a launch pad for local businesses appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio...
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 h...
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 […] The post New documentary highlights how North Providence Summer Basketball League transcended racial, class divides appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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 Baumgartner talked with Tate about how he incorporates Chickasaw music with classical traditions. The post Kingston Chamber Music Festival will feature world premiere of Jerod Tate’s ‘Woodland Songs’ appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
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 playing and teaching Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music here for decades, bringing back what they’ve learned from master musicians in Louisiana. They’re two members of the Cajun band Magnolia, which has been playing together throughout New England since 1989. For this week’s episode of Artscape, they joine...
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 he published his life story in a local newspaper – a unique document that not only gave an account of his experience under enslavement, but also named his enslavers, criticized America’s founding documents, and called out the American citizens who allowed slavery to persist. A new book shares his ma...
The New Bedford Whaling Museum’s scrimshaw collection, which includes hundreds of whalebone clocks, pie crimpers, musical instruments, canes and umbrellas, is advertised as the largest of its kind in the world. Naomi Slipp, the museum’s chief curator, said these items weren’t considered fine art when the museum’s founders began collecting them from locals in 1903, […] The post Not your grandfather’s scrimshaw: Duke Riley engraves pollution scenes on ocean plastic appeared first on TPR: The Publi...
This week’s episode of Artscape features an interview and studio session with Providence-based “hot jazz” band Paper Moon. Morning Edition host Luis Hernandez talked with guitarists John Birt and Dylan Harley, who describe the band’s music as a kind of time travel back to the sounds of early jazz and artists like Django Reinhardt. The post Studio Session: Providence hot jazz collective Paper Moon (encore) appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
With a background in literature and classical music, Providence musician Olivia Dolphin writes piano driven pop songs about relationships and self-reflection. The Providence singer-songwriter’s latest single, “Ghost Story,” is a cautionary tale about heartbreak and the perils of modern dating. The post Studio Session: Olivia Dolphin’s piano-driven ‘witch-pop’ appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Where does an agnostic find hope in the face of the injustice of the world? And what happens when that agnostic starts hearing the voice of god in the rain? These are just a few of the themes of the radio play “God Talks to an Agnostic.” Written and directed by Don Mays the play explores the complicated role of the Black church in the life of a person struggling with their spirituality. The third season of “God Talks to an Agnostic” airs this weekend. Artscape producer James Baumgartner talked w...
The recently-retired URI professor was honored this week with the Rhode Island Pell Award for excellence in the arts. Artscape producer James Baumgartner visited Dilworth in his studio in Providence for this profile. Bob Dilworth has been drawing and painting since he was a child growing up in Lawrenceville, Virginia in the 1950s and 60s. The art teacher at a local HBCU encouraged Dilworth to apply to the Rhode Island School of Design, and after studying painting there, he went on to teach a few...
The Newport Historical Society’s latest exhibit is called “A Name, A Voice, A Life: The Black Newporters of the 17th-19th Centuries." Morning Edition host Luis Hernandez talked with Rebecca Bertrand, the museum’s executive director and Kaela Bleho, the digital access manager of the museum and co-curator for this exhibit. The post ‘A Name, a Voice, a Life’: New exhibit centers the history and experiences of Black Newporters appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Providence musician J. Mamana has a new album coming out this summer called “For Every Set of Eyes.” It draws on influences that range from Neil Young to Mahler and Schumann. Mamana lost two of his closest friends in recent years, and through making the album, he found a way to process his grief. The post Studio Session: J. Mamana looks inward with hope and grief on ‘For Every Set of Eyes’ appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
The cold, austere exterior of the Greek temple-like building is a contrast to the warm, sunny interior of this private library that dates back to 1836. For this week’s Artscape, Morning Edition host Luis Hernandez gets a tour of the Athenaeum’s rare collections of art, books and a few oddities. The post ‘Cabinet of curiosities’: A tour of the rare books, art and oddities at the Providence Athenaeum appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
A Pawtucket-based company has built a device that makes it easy for anyone to make stop-motion animations. This modern update on the glue-stick and construction paper art project brings students’ ideas to life and unlocks their creativity. The post In Pawtucket, Gif-O-Graf helps students explore creativity with animation appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
The RISD Black Biennial features the work of 68 artists who are either connected to RISD or the greater Providence area and are from the African diaspora. The show’s theme is “Sonder,” a relatively new word meaning “the realization that everyone, including strangers, has a life as complex as one's own.” The post Student-curated Black Biennial breaks down walls between RISD and the community appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Whether you know it or not, you've probably seen Keith Haring's art. After making a name for himself as a graffiti artist in New York in the early 1980s, these days his signature pop art can be found on everything from murals to fashion to stamps. Though he died at just 31 years old, Haring's work left a lasting impact on the art world and American culture. For Artscape this week we talk with author Brad Gooch, who explores the artist's life and work in his new biography, “Radiant: The Life and ...
This week on Artscape: a studio session with Gian Carlo Buscaglia. The Pawtucket-based singer and guitarist got his start performing Latin American ballads and songs of social justice in the streets of Harvard Square in the 1980s. "Very bohemian, a lot of jugglers, clowns, different musicians," Buscaglia said of that time. "Tracy Chapman was around that time playing in the streets of Harvard Square. So it was a very magical time." The post Studio session: Gian Carlo Buscaglia sings songs of roma...
