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.

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.

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.”

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.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination in areas such as employment, education, and public accommodations. A new documentary tells the emotional story of the activists that led the determined effort to achieve equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the ADA. It’s called Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act, and it’s being screened today at the Westerly Library. The project was led by Westerly film producer and director Hilary Steinman

This week, we’re highlighting two exhibits in Newport: “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea” at the Newport Art Museum, and “Newport 1775: Whose Side Are You On?” at the Newport Historical Society.

Back in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s in Providence, Leo’s bar and restaurant was an institution and a pioneer in the city’s Jewelry District, known for its support of local artists, and its eclectic clientele, late hours, and great food. And the man behind it all was John Rector. John passed away March 6 at the age of 75. When she heard the news, Artscape editor Mareva Lindo started asking around to see who might want to talk with us about John and the bar. And people came out of the woodwork. So many people wanted to share their memories about John, and that time and place. Now we bring you but a slice of what they all had to say about John Rector and Leo’s.

As we move closer to summer, we edge closer to the first WaterFire lighting ceremony of the year. It will take place at the end of the month. WaterFire Providence is going through some changes. This year they named Mark Allan as the interim Executive Director. We'll talk with him about the future of WaterFire. Plus: ArtWeek SouthCoast runs from May 8th to May 18th and offers more than 50 different experiences all over Bristol County, Massachusetts. We talk with two of the event organizers.

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.