The Collaborative, an all-volunteer nonprofit arts organization, will be holding free art classes for middle and high school students during the month of March. The classes will be held at the Mary V. Quirk School, 790 Main St., Warren in coordination with the Warren Parks & Recreation Department and funded by grants from Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) and the TACO White Family Foundation.

The classes will be presented in two sections and students can pick one class from each section. Section One runs on consecutive Sundays: March 4 through 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. and offers classes in functional sculpture and nontraditional & experimental techniques. Section Two will take place on Friday March 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. and then on Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. These classes will be in printmaking and filmmaking. Four talented local arts educators will teach the classes: Juliette Casselman, Lauren Enjeti, Adam Tracy and Tommy Whalen.

Since its inception, The Collaborative has always envisioned being less a gallery and more of an educational organization, bringing together art and education for people of all ages. That’s why Executive Director of The Collaborative, Uriah Donnelly, is very excited about this particular event. “This program really follows our philosophy of using the arts to educate,” said Donnelly.

At the conclusion of the classes, there will be showcases of the students’ work throughout the month of April at The Collaborative space, 498 Main Street Warren.

These classes are free but are capped at ten and students must register through The Collaborative website: thecollaborative02885.org/art-academy. For more information, email info@thecollaborative02885.org.