James Baumgartner

Cold War Choir Practice at Trinity Repertory Company – September 4 – October 5. It’s 1987 in Syracuse, New York. Michael Jackson dominates the charts. Ronald Reagan is president. And The Cold War, with its threat of nuclear war, is ever-present in American culture. That’s the setting of the latest play at Trinity Rep, called […]

Morning host Luis Hernandez spoke with two of the performers from the musical “Hairspray” at Theatre by the Sea through August 16, 2025.  Interview highlights: On her character, Tracy Turnblad Niki Metcalf – In a lot of ways I bring so much of myself to Tracy every night just because she feels like me. She […]

The New Bedford City Council voted Thursday night to restore $495,000 in city funds to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. The money had been cut from the city budget during a marathon council meeting in June.

UPDATE: During its July 17, 2025 meeting, the New Bedford City Council voted to restore $495,000 to the Zeiterion Theatre Inc. The Zeiterion Theatre opened in 1923 as the State Theater, a lavish vaudeville and movie house. It hosted the 1956 premier of “Moby Dick” with the movie’s star, Gregory Peck, in attendance.  But by […]

George Kent, founder and longtime music director of the Chorus of Westerly, died June 17 at age 88. Kent also served as organist and choirmaster at Christ Church in Westerly for nearly 60 years, and was a former assistant conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra. Artscape producer James Baumgartner spoke about Kent’s legacy with […]

The rise of Val Lawson as president of the Rhode Island Senate put questions of conflict of interest front and center at the Statehouse this year. That’s because Lawson also serves as president of one of the state’s largest teachers’ unions. Lawson says she’s capable of policing her own potential conflicts, and the Rhode Island Ethics Commission offered an ok for her dual roles as president. But Lawson’s number two is a longtime former labor official and labor remains an influential special interest at the Statehouse. That’s a place where corporate lobbyists significantly outnumber advocates for nonprofit groups. In related news, efforts to modernize the state’s open records law once again ran into a brick wall on Smith Hill this year. So what did this legislative session show us about the outlook for good government in Rhode Island? How can everyday citizens make their voices heard in the corridors of power? And what can be done about the broader problem of political violence in our polarized w

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.

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.

This week on Artscape, producer James Baumgartner and editor Mareva Lindo highlight a few of their favorite festivals coming up this summer, from Providence Porchfest to New Bedford's Roots & Branches Festival.

 Rhode Island College has announced its intention to suspend 20 degree programs as of this fall, including Gender and Women’s Studies, Latin American Studies, and education and masters level degrees in Art, Early Childhood Education and Music. Here to talk more about the potential implications of the cuts is Dr. Leslie Schuster, professor of History […]

On this week’s show: A profile of artist Ian Cozzens. Cozzens moved to Providence in 1999, and quickly started making screen prints for bands, art gallery shows, and community events. He also documented the buildings of Providence, using his architectural training to depict a half-demolished mill in Eagle Square and the three smokestacks of a power station on the Providence River. Since then, he moved on to screen prints depicting a single word, including “dissonance” and “QUEERS!” His latest installation at Angell Street Galleries is called “Reality.” Also, Barnaby Evans and Emily Gray from WaterFire Providence remember the life and work of Rhode Island painter Gretchen Dow Simpson. On this week’s show: A profile of artist Ian Cozzens. Cozzens moved to Providence in 1999, and quickly started making screen prints for bands, art gallery shows, and community events. He also documented the buildings of Providence, using his architectural training to depict a half-demolished mill in Eagle Square a

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.

More than 81,000 Rhode Islanders every month need food. They depend on the more than 140 different agencies across the state that provide food for those in need. That food aid is taking a massive hit as the Trump administration recently made cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency that in part provides […]

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.

President Trump issued an astounding number of executive orders and policy changes in the first two weeks of his second term. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is one of many AGs around the country who have promised to check the president’s power. Also, after Trump froze and later unfroze federal funding this week, some local nonprofits who rely on federal money are anxious about their future. We hear from the CEO of Sojourner House, which provides services to survivors of abuse. Plus, a studio session with emerging shoegaze pop artist Rel. That and more on this week’s show.

For most of us, the days of keeping a stash of folded-up maps in the car glovebox are behind us. So in a world of smartphones and GPS, why go to a store that specializes in maps? That’s the question that Andrew Middleton is trying to answer at the Map Center in Pawtucket.

The Electromagnetic Pinball Museum is home to over 100 pinball machines, from the 1940s to today. Emily Rose and Michael Pare are two of the co-founders who started the museum when they found that they had too many pinball machines to fit in their home. Luis Hernandez visited the museum earlier this week.

This week, we’re looking ahead to the next few months in local arts and culture. Here to share what they’re most excited about for the winter and spring of 2025 are Artscape producer James Baumgartner, and Tracy MacDonald, arts and culture executive producer at Rhode Island PBS.

The Vox Hunters are a duo-turned-trio defined by their affinity for unaccompanied vocal music, a unique mix of folk influences, and the traditional songs and tunes of Rhode Island. If you’re a player or a fan of folk music in Rhode Island, there’s a good chance you’ve been to a Vox Hunters show, or attended one of the many community jams and sings they’ve led over the years. “I would say that our music would fall under the category of social music,” said Ben Gagliardi, one of the two founding members of The Vox Hunters. “It's music that brings people together. It's participatory, no one's really fully in charge. It has something for everyone to experience.” That focus on the participatory element comes from their own entry into the folk world – each were taken under the wing of older tradition-bearers in the region, and welcomed into folk music spaces when they were young. They play traditional music, but in a way that’s welcoming and inclusive to audiences old and young.

Rhode Island voters recently approved $73 million in borrowing to enhance the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies at Rhode Island College. The 60% vote in favor of Question 2 underscores public confidence in the idea that education can help improve the local economy. Voters also approved $87 million for a life sciences center at URI. At Rhode Island College, the man leading the charge is Jack Warner. He is being inaugurated today as RIC’s permanent president after more than two years as interim leader. Warner takes on the role at a time when many Americans wrestle with college-related debt. And with the Trump administration vowing to eliminate the federal Department of Education, Republicans and some other critics believe colleges in America have moved too far to the left. How will these issues affect Rhode Island? Can Rhode Island College really play a bigger role in the state’s economy? And what is Jack Warner’s strategic vision for RIC? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going