Warren's Collaborative throwing a party

Non-profit arts center celebrates one year this weekend

By Ted Hayes
Posted 3/24/17

The past 12 months have been good to friends Uriah Donnelly, Jeff Danielian and Adam Tracy, who opened The Collaborative arts center at 498 Main St. last March. This weekend, they’re throwing a …

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Warren's Collaborative throwing a party

Non-profit arts center celebrates one year this weekend

Posted

The past 12 months have been good to friends Uriah Donnelly, Jeff Danielian and Adam Tracy, who opened The Collaborative arts center at 498 Main St. last March. This weekend, they’re throwing a party to celebrate it all and raise funds to keep it all going another year.

Over the past year their non-profit arts center has hosted the works of dozens of local painters, sculptors, photographers, poets and other artists. They’ve founded a magazine open to submissions by anyone who wants to contribute, started the state’s only poetry reading night (at Water Street’s Fort Foreclosure) and welcomed some of the area’s best musicians to their tiny space just down from Delekta’s. They even managed to squeeze a “Second Annual Folks Fest” summer party into the Cutler Mill parking lot space owned by their friend, David Wescott (it was their first-ever fest, actually).

Through it all they were able to keep the lights on, though it wasn’t always easy — “We’re a non-profit!” Mr. Danielian said Friday night.

Every little bit of help helps, and this weekend’s three-day party is also a fund-raiser to help pay rent and other costs, as well as expand the Collaborative’s reach this coming year.

Has Warren improved for the collaborators’ efforts?

“I think Warren was already better,” Mr. Danielian said. “It’s such a great vibrant town.”

“But we’re filling a space and we’re providing art to the community, and establishing connections. We want to provide the arts to Warren and celebrate it in a way that brings people here. Plus, we’ve had some damned good parties.”

This weekend’s free celebration looks to be another one.

It kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday with a live show by Josh Grabert and The Vamps. On Saturday, The Collaborative opens at 1 p.m. for an open house and fund-raising event. Then on Sunday the artists will open their Student Art Exhibit at 1 p.m.

Apart from student pieces, works by Janet Moscarello, Sandy MacDonald, William Schaff, Nate Shaw, Adam Tracy, Jennifer Daltry, Jennifer Hrabota Lesser, Nathan Murell, Lelia Byron, Dennis Kelly, Christopher Roe, Sweet Trade, Art of the Gem, Faye Silvia and Elwood Donnelly will also be shown.

Mr. Danielian said he’s excited for the party, as it’s a chance to look back at a year that was more successful than the three friends had dared to hope.

“We started off with overwhelming support and people really were excited,” he said. “We want that to continue.”

The founders have big plans for 2017. They’re putting together adult night classes in printmaking, leather smithing, watercolor, sculpting and other mediums. They hope to establish a one to two-week art class in conjunction with the Warren Recreation Department and have applied for a grant to help pay for the instructors. And they want to expand out of their tiny space:

“We’re hoping people come out and recognize that the summer festival and the winter festival (held at Cutler Mills) carried us through,” Mr. Danielian said. “We’d love to get a bigger place and expand. We’re not claustrophobic but it’s getting there.”

“We’ve got a lot of plans.”

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