At the end of Bob Gasoi Memorial Art Alley, at 290 Commercial St. in Provincetown, as you descend the stairs to Coastline Tattoo’s small, underground shop, you enter an otherworld […]
Arts & Minds
Celebrating the creative and sometimes quirky culture of the Outer Cape.
Browse all Arts & Minds stories below or dive into a topic:
ARTISTS
Jane Lincoln Has Had ‘Enough’ of Gun Violence
Her paper creations are powerful and visceral
“Enough is enough, and it’s time for us to take action,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse after the March 22 shooting at the King Soopers grocery in Boulder, Colo. At […]
INDIE PLAYLIST
Songs for a Spring Awakening
Musical picks from Independent staff and contributors
For this spring edition of the Indie Playlist, contributors chose songs traversing the genres of country, rap, disco, funk, blues, and rock. Many of them, though undeniably feel-good, express something […]
ART EDUCATION
For Illustrator Neal Nichols Jr., Drawing Is Like Breathing
He travels the world, teaching people the secrets of his art
On an early spring day, Neal Nichols Jr. stands on Hamblen Island in Wellfleet, overlooking Duck Creek and Wellfleet Harbor. “I have a photographic memory,” he says, tracing the view […]
BOOK REVIEW
Finding Order in the Chaos of Fractals
Oliver Linton’s book is not for the number-phobic
I don’t know what I was expecting when I requested a reviewer’s copy of Oliver Linton’s Fractals: On the Edge of Chaos. The pocket-sized book, published in February, appeared to […]
INDIE SCREEN
When Personal and Political Spheres Explode
Two Oscar nominees and a dazzling documentary
The testimony of Christine Blasey Ford during Congressional hearings for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 was devastating. She was as believable as a victim of […]
APPRECIATION
Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions
Happy 100th, Al Jaffee
On March 13, 2021, the irreverent Mad magazine artist , a part-time Provincetown resident, turned 100 years old. Jaffee is best known for his “fold-in” comic illustrations, which transformed one […]
CROSSWORD #19
Cape Cod Cinema
Need some answers? Just ask and we’ll send them.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Wellfleet’s Susan Wilson Tells of Shooting Stars
A show of her work honors women musicians
If you were to walk down Tremont Street in Boston, you’d come upon a digital show of photographs of women musicians on the marquee of the Boch Center. They’re by […]
AUTHORS
Revealing the Intimacy of Sex With Strangers
Michael Lowenthal explores the nexus of love, loneliness, and desire
“Intimacy is about the experience of saying to another person — not necessarily in words — ‘This is who truly I am and what I want. Who are you? What […]
OUTER CAPE PORTRAIT
Wired for Stories
TONY KAHN / STORYTELLER / TRURO Tony Kahn worked in public TV and radio for more than 40 years. He hosted a news program, pioneered podcasts, and told stories of […]
BOOK REVIEW
Once Behind Bars, Forever Barred Entry
Reuben Jonathan Miller reckons with America’s ‘carceral system’
Michelle Alexander changed conversations about race-based discrimination in 2010 when she published The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Alexander explained that four in five Black […]
ARTISTS
For John Choly, Art Has to Have Heart
With deceptively simple paintings, he sends a message of love
“I paint like a child,” says John Choly with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. “And I own that.” In his Provincetown studio, he is surrounded by shelves […]
TV OR NOT TV
Binge-Watching: the Pandemic Addiction Continues
The picks of Independent staff and contributors
It’s a Sin Streaming on HBO Max (miniseries; 5 episodes) The British television import It’s a Sin follows a group of friends — four gay boys and a girl, Jill, […]
BOOK REVIEW
The Talented but Deplorable Patricia Highsmith
A new biography depicts a deeply flawed human being
In most biographies, the subject begins as a larger-than-life figure. Then, after we learn about imperfect relationships and personal quirks, he or she becomes more human. That’s not the case […]
