Arts & Culture

By Ms. Lucie M. Raposo, Director of Public Information for WSBE Rhode Island PBS In a year defined by “war” against a global pandemic, and with social movements calling for justice in the same cadence of prior generations, today’s headlines are not unlike the ones that we, as a nation, have seen before. Unmistakable parallels […]

The Newport String Project has recently launched a new series, Hidden Newport, showcasing some of Newport’s most beautiful and unusual locations through virtual chamber music concerts. Their first performance, premiering on January 17th at 2 pm on YouTube, was filmed at Fort Adams and features music by Haydn, Komitas, and Walker.  Hidden Newport aims to make the music-making […]

The DC Extended Universe has been more of a mixed bag than its Marvel counterpart, but Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman in 2017 was a major bright spot. It helped inspire Warner Bros. to shift their tactics, moving away from a multi-film arc of Zack Snyder’s vision to handing individual projects to filmmakers with interesting voices. […]

Tulasi Srinivas, Emerson College If ever there was a year to toast drawing to an end, it’s 2020. Over the festive period, people around the world will be raising a glass to better times ahead. Accompanying sighs of relief will likely be the subtle tinkling of ice. In researching a book on the social, medical […]

It’s never easy to pick the best music of the year, particularly when there are so many worthy releases in numerous genres. Below are ten of my personal favorites from 2020 in Americana – that elusive spot where folk, roots, rock, and county collide.    Drive-By Truckers – The Unraveling. One of the great rock […]

As we wrap up 2020, we’ll usher in 2021 musically at home and online. We’ve put together this list of streaming concerts for you to consider over the next few days. Happy New Year! Dec. 30: Patti Smith is celebrating her birthday with a live performance at 9PM from London. Details here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z9G8BdnFGs Dec. 30: […]

It wasn’t easy to hear live music this year. As concert venues closed in March due to COVID-19, musicians were forced to get creative. Outdoor pop-up shows and drive-in concerts partially filled the void. What’sUpNewp Concert Photographer Rick Farrell was there to cover what he could. Here’s hoping for the return of live music in […]

As we get ready for the New Year, we also wanted to look back at the annus horribilis of 2020 and try to find the silver linings. It was a year that we’ll always remember for the founding of our Newport bookstore… and hopefully forget everything else. But before we indulge in collective amnesia, we’re […]

As January 1st approaches, it’s customary for critics to publish a list of their top films of the year— even if, like me, you don’t get screeners or attend festivals and haven’t seen everything on offer yet. I did manage to catch 80-odd movies that released wide in 2020, but it’s still worth mentioning that […]

Frank Dobson, Vanderbilt University On Dec. 26, millions throughout the world’s African community will start weeklong celebrations of Kwanzaa. There will be daily ceremonies with food, decorations and other cultural objects, such as the kinara, which holds seven candles. At many Kwanzaa ceremonies, there is also African drumming and dancing. It is a time of […]

It’s been a year mostly devoid of magic, but a few cultural organizers are hoping that’ll change on December 27. Pitch & Prose​, a new record label and recording studio based in Rhode Island, has joined forces with the Harry Potter Alliance, Wizards in Space Literary Magazine, and Yes All Witches to announce the ​16th […]