Art as protest, Black Violin, Ally the Piper, and more | Weekend 401: What’s happening in Rhode Island

Heavy metal on bagpipes, art as activism and hip-hop strings? Yes, please.

Wil Baptise and Kev Marcus of Black Violin.
Wil Baptise and Kev Marcus of Black Violin.
Mark Clennon
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Wil Baptise and Kev Marcus of Black Violin.
Wil Baptise and Kev Marcus of Black Violin.
Mark Clennon
Art as protest, Black Violin, Ally the Piper, and more | Weekend 401: What’s happening in Rhode Island
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Looking for some tips on what to do this weekend and beyond? We’ve got you covered. Here are a few recommendations from Ocean State Media afternoon host Mareva Lindo.

Provided

Bagpipes like you’ve never heard them: Ally the Piper

Maybe you’ve seen her viral TikTok videos. Maybe you heard her on Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! If you haven’t: You’re in for a night of classic rock and heavy metal covers on the Scottish bagpipes. Surprisingly fitting!

  • Where: Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River

Art as protest in the Trump era: ‘When in the Course of Human Events…’

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., this national juried exhibition features a wide range of visual art that reflects on the personal, political, and cultural moments that shape our collective story as a country – from painting to printmaking to photography, and beyond. There’s work from 65 artists from across the U.S., with a spotlight on Rhode Island artist Susan Hardy-Twaddell. The exhibit will be on view for several weeks, but Sunday’s opening reception is your opportunity to meet some of the artists.

Classical meets hip-hop: Black Violin

Wil Baptise and Kev Marcus of Black Violin.
Wil Baptise and Kev Marcus of Black Violin.
Mark Clennon

This Grammy-nominated violin duo challenges expectations of what defines classical and hip-hop music. The two high school friends, Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus, have been bringing their music to thousands of BIPOC youth for years, through their Black Violin Foundation. We talked with the group back in 2024.

Lunch & Learn: The Revolutionary Resistance in the Stealing of America

This is part of the Tomaquag Museum’s Lunch & Learn Series, on the theme of “Revolution: Asserting Sovereignty” in recognition of the United States’ Semiquincentennial. It’s a free virtual presentation on Indigenous history and culture, this time featuring Linford D. Fisher, who will talk about this upcoming book “Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in the US.”

A Celebration of Lunar New Year & Women’s History Month: ‘The Spirit of the Place and the People’

"Old & Rusty Tricycle" by Hongbing Tang
“Old & Rusty Tricycle” by Hongbing Tang

An exhibit of paintings by Chinese-born artist Hongbing Tang, a teaching professor of landscape architecture at URI. She describes her watercolors as acts of remembrance, attempting to preserve cherished memories, scenes and loved ones,

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At Trinity Repertory Company, two women at life’s crossroads — played by Kortney Adams and Jackie Davis — discover connection, identity and unexpected spark in a sharply observed two-hander directed by Curt Columbus
Heavy metal on bagpipes, art as activism and hip-hop strings? Yes, please.
Three decades after being elected to Congress, Rhode Island’s senior U.S. senator is running again, in part to oppose President Trump
With a March 17 deadline looming, officials say the town cannot absorb what amounts to nearly 10% of its annual budget
Gunfire at a Pawtucket high school hockey game forces a painful reckoning about violence, division and responsibility
The shooter had a flareup of domestic disputes with their family in 2020, but investigators say they are still searching for a ‘trigger event’ closer to the shooting six years later