The Collaborative, Warren’s all-volunteer, nonprofit arts organization, announces its two-year anniversary fundraising event scheduled for Saturday, April 7 from 4 to 10 p.m. at the gallery space, 498 Main Street in Warren. The day will include art from current and new collaborators, live music, and a showcase of work form the Warren Art Academy.

The Collaborative has been closed for the winter to complete what Collaborative Executive Director, Uriah Donnelly, calls “some long overdue renovations.” They’ve been operating out of the small space next to Delekta’s Pharmacy since taking over the Dub’s Deep Pop-up shop in January of 2016. “We never really took the time to redo the space,” said Donnelly. “Instead we focused on getting artists and the funding to simply open the doors. The shop needed a bit of polishing and so we took a few months off to do it.”

Since forming in 2016, The Collaborative has seen success in multiple areas including the launching of a monthly poetry night, Words at the Fort, and a self-published booklet of various types of submissions called The Warren Zine. They are also the group responsible for The Warren Folks' Festival, a free one-day event of music and art, which was nominated for a 2017 & 2018 Motif Music Award for "Best Americana Festival". The organization has also delivered arts education programs in the form of various one-off classes and workshops and, most recently, a free Art Academy for middle and high school students (funded in part by grants from RISCA and the TACO White Family Foundation).

“We all have other jobs,” said Donnelly, noting that The Collaborative is an all-volunteer endeavor. “We do what we can. But we couldn’t do any of this without the generosity and support of the community….So come early, stay late, and give if you can.”

Featured at the Grand Re-Opening Event will be many member artists who have been with The Collaborative since the beginning including: Janet Moscarello of Janet Moscarello Photography, Sandy MacDonald of Sandy MacDonald Studios, William Schaff, Adam Tracy, of Dubs Deep, Faye Silvia of Recedentian and Christopher Roe. Joining this roster of Artists are Charity Enos, Deb Hickey, Madison Demuro, Little Outdoor Giants, and others. Also, there will be a live musical performance from Warren’s own Kate Mick.

The Collaborative will also be a showcase of some of the work created at the Warren Art Academy this evening and at a special reception on Sunday April 8 starting at 1pm. “We really want to do more outreach within the community moving forward,” said Donnelly. “Especially supporting young, aspiring artists.”

All events are free and open to the public. Proceeds and donations will help fund The Collaborative’s continued mission to “provide an environment for creatives that supports, encourages and celebrates the diverse talents within Rhode Island, giving artists an opportunity to network, create, exhibit and sell their work.”

If you would like more information about this event, please contact The Collaborative by email at uriah@thecollaborative02885.org or visit their website at thecollaborative02885.org.