James Baumgartner

Two years ago the city of Providence approved a $10 million reparations fund in order to narrow the city’s racial wealth gap. This week, some of that money was awarded to 15 different nonprofit groups. We’ll discuss how that money is being used. Also, we’ll introduce you to our new community engagement reporter, Paul C. Kelly Campos, and talk about how you can help inform our elections coverage this year. And it was 50 years ago when Newport played host to one of the largest outdoor art installations in the world. Back then, the art world didn’t really notice. Today, it’s seen as a pivotal moment for outdoor art. Plus: we bid a fond farewell to CEO and General Manager Torey Malatia. That and more on this week’s show.

Back in the 1990s, Providence was home to a thriving community of artists. One of the things that made it possible was the ample affordable live/work spaces artists found in the old mill buildings of the city’s industrial past. With many of those buildings gone and little affordable housing to spare, can Providence hold onto its reputation as a cultural capital?

The old mill buildings of the Olneyville and Valley neighborhoods in Providence were once the home to hundreds of artists. Back in the 1990s, space was cheap in the old mills and many artists were happy to live and work in these run-down post-industrial spaces. But starting in the early aughts, artists faced evictions as many of those buildings were torn down or converted to luxury loft apartments or condos. So what’s available now?

A new musical documentary by Jason Tranchida and Matthew Lawrence features transcriptions of the Navy’s 1919 investigation into homosexual activity by sailors in Newport, along with music from a vaudeville drag show that was going on right down the street.

What would it mean if Hasbro left Rhode Island? News broke this week that the company is considering moving their headquarters to the Boston area. Political Reporter Ian Donnis talks about what’s at stake. Also, Westerly's town solicitor is facing scrutiny over work related to the Watch Hill Lighthouse, which was transferred in January to a private nonprofit amidst public outcry. Our South County Bureau reporter Alex Nunes gives us an update. And we talk to the co-creators of “Scandalous Conduct: A Fairy Extravaganza,” a musical documentary inspired by the Newport Navy sex scandal of 1919. That and more coming on this week’s show.

Saxophonist, composer and music educator Leland Baker studied jazz in New Orleans and New York before coming back home to Rhode Island. Since then he’s established a residency at the Courtland Club in Providence, performed at the Newport Jazz Festival – and he hopes to use his position as music education manager with the Newport Festivals Foundation to build musical mentorships like those he experienced in Louisiana.

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

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.

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.

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.