Artscape

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.

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On this week’s show: A profile of artist Ian Cozzens.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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