Artscape

‘Merging Roots’: Combining Cuban, Puerto Rican, and New Orleans jazz at Summer Beats

[https://i0.wp.com/newspack-thepublicsradio.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/07/William-Elio-Main-Image-NEW-600x400-1.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1]The First Works Summer Beats concert series takes place at Roger Williams Park this summer with a variety of acts performing at the Boathouse Lawn every other week. This Friday, you can see The William Cepeda and Elio Villafranca jazz Sextet in a performance called “Merging Roots,” a collaboration exploring the shared African roots between Cuba, Puerto Rico and New Orleans. Morning host Luis Hernandez spoke with them for this week’s show. Programming note: Artscape will be taking a break, so this is the last episode you'll hear for a while. But in the meantime, we’ll still be bringing you stories on arts and culture throughout the week. You can find our coverage at thepublicsradio.org/arts.

Teatro en El Verano explores the ultimate bargain in ‘¡Que Diablos! Fausto,’ a bilingual ‘Doctor Faustus’

[https://i0.wp.com/newspack-thepublicsradio.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/07/teatro-2025-6_sjackson.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=1]Imagine if you could be the greatest in the world at anything, but, it would come at a cost: you’d have to sell your soul to the devil. That’s the story of the show “¡Que Diablos! Fausto,” a bilingual adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s play, “Doctor Faustus.” The show is part of the 10th anniversary production for Teatro en El Verano, a collaboration between Rhode Island Latino Arts and Trinity Repertory Company. The Public’s Radio Morning Host Luis Hernandez talked with Jesús Valles, the playwright who created the adaptation, and Marta Martinez, community program administrator, activist and historian at Rhode Island Latino Arts.

Ocean State Session: The psychedelic soul of Melo Green

[https://i0.wp.com/newspack-thepublicsradio.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/06/Melo-Green-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1]This week, we bring you a live performance and interview with Rhode Island psychedelic soul artist Melo Green. It’s part of Ocean State Sessions, a collaboration with our colleagues at Rhode Island PBS. Artscape editor Mareva Lindo spoke with Melo Green earlier this year at Big Nice Studio in Lincoln, R.I., where he and his band performed three songs from his latest album “Laminar Flow.”

Sky Kim wins ‘Best Chef Northeast’ for her locally-inspired Korean cuisine

Chef Sky Kim dressed in a white chef's smock stands in front of a display of raw shellfish on ice at Gift Horse Raw Bar and Restaurant [https://i0.wp.com/newspack-thepublicsradio.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024/03/IMG_0995.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1]Every year, the James Beard Foundation recognizes exceptional restaurants and chefs throughout the country, one of the highest honors in the culinary field. Earlier this week, they announced this year’s winners. Sky Hanuel Kim, the chef at Gift Horse in Providence, won “Best Chef Northeast.” The win came just a year after Kim was a semifinalist for “best emerging chef.” I visited Sky Kim at her restaurant, Gift Horse, shortly after she was named a semifinalist in 2024.

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

[https://i0.wp.com/newspack-thepublicsradio.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/06/jordan-seaberry-w-WTF-image.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1]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.