Ira Cohen, a bookseller and art model who kept a literary spirit alive in a tough New England seaport, died this January at 70 years old after a brief illness. Cohen was the focus of what turned out to be the last show UMass Dartmouth exhibited at its gallery in downtown New Bedford before the university abruptly closes its campus there at the end of the month. For this week’s Artscape, South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke interviewed more than a dozen people who knew Cohen. The result is a collection of stories, memories and impressions that form another lasting portrait of Cohen.

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UMass-Dartmouth will be closing its arts school at the Star Store in downtown New Bedford, and relocating all classes and studios to the state university’s main campus in Dartmouth. The school's chancellor, Mark Fuller, announced the closure in an email to faculty on Monday, less than two weeks before the start of the school year.

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A new art exhibit at Brown University’s Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice explores a landscape of spiritual and physical freedom through the lens of history.

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The Kingston Chamber Music Festival marks its 35th season this year with seven concerts of music from across the centuries. The final three concerts are this weekend. Artscape producer James Baumgartner talked with composer Tina Davidson, whose work “I Hear the Mermaids Singing” will be featured on Sunday.

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Originally built in 1929, the Providence National Bank Building was demolished in 2005 to make way for a residential tower that was never built. All that's left now is an empty facade – one brick wall on Weybosset Street propped up by steel struts. Instead of windows, the facade has five panels that feature a new mural every year. This year’s mural, "Parade" was painted by Michelle Perez. It features giant bright orange koi fish, held aloft by people riding bicycles and skateboards on a cool blue background. For Artscape this week, we hear from Michelle as she's putting the finishing touches on her painting. She says she was inspired by summertime in Providence.

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Edie Fake was first known for his work in comics and zines. Then in the mid-aughts he started creating architectural drawings of real and imagined LGBTQ spaces in Chicago featuring bright colors, crisp lines and geometric designs. Now you can see Fake’s “On The Wall,” an all-encompassing room at Providence College. Artscape Producer James Baumgartner talked with the exhibit’s curator, Jamilee Lacy.

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The 2023 Providence Biennial for Contemporary Art opens Thursday, July 13, at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence. It’s a combination of two exhibits with nearly 50 artists, almost all from the Providence area. Artscape producer James Baumgartner has this preview.

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The Newport Classical Music Festival opened its 54th season earlier this week, and there are several concerts this weekend. Artscape producer James Baumgartner talked with festival director Gillian Friedman Fox for a preview of a few of the concerts.

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“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” It’s a saying many of us heard as kids. But a project by local photographer Gershon Stark turns the phrase on its head. In this week’s episode of Artscape, Morning Host Luis Hernandez talks with Stark about two exhibits at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts that highlight the power of words.

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