It was an even more notable beginning of the new year for the "Made in Warren" artist cooperative located in the Tavares Building on Main Street in town when members opened the doors to the studio on …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
Register to post eventsIf you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here. Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content. |
Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.
It was an even more notable beginning of the new year for the "Made in Warren" artist cooperative located in the Tavares Building on Main Street in town when members opened the doors to the studio on Saturday morning, Jan. 11.
Not only did the 39 members of MIW debut a reimagined look inside their storefront, they did so to start the group's milestone 10th year in operation.
"We always shut down in January for our annual refresh, but this one was huge," Made in Warren original member and potter Megan Douglas explained. "We changed colors, which is very exciting. We resurfaced the floors. And it's the start of our 10 years being open, so it's all super exciting."
Douglas, who formerly served as the MIW executive director, is currently the group treasurer on the five-person board of directors. Tracey Tisler and Kenneth Vieira, both jewelers, now share the executive director role. Sarah Hess, a printmaker, is the vice president. And Allison Kirkman, a soft sculpter, is the secretary.
As for the refresh, it's customarily included a deep clean and a transition of inventory from the end of the previous holiday season, typically the collaborative's busiest time of the year, to the turn of the calendar.
This year, the decision was made to give the space a near total transformation.
"We do the refresh every January to different degrees, but this was the biggest one yet," Douglas said. "We got tired of our yellows and blues and changed it to 'linen white.' And all 39 members contributed. They either painted or cleaned or polished or whatever, which is the really cool part about being a collaborative. The saying 'many hands make work light' is definitely true."
The dominant color, linen white, was the choice by the majority of members from in "off-white zone" presented, Douglas explained.
Just like the refresh, each of the cooperative members has actual skin in the game on a regular basis. They are on site at least eight hours a month, selling and maintaining the operation.
"We all work shifts in the shop," said Tisler. "I think we all feel a connection to Warren and supporting local business. I think pretty much every business in the general area helps each other."
Douglas and Tisler are two of seven artists who have been with MIW since it began in 2016, though hundreds have participated in the now decade of existence.
"I couldn't tell you exactly how many people have been involved over the years, but it's well over 300 at this point," Douglas said.
The seven originals who remain are: Douglas and Tisler; Kristin Aylward-Sargrent, jewelry, Erika Houghton, ceramics; Wayne Fuerst, ceramics and handmade flower paper; Christine Tanson, ceramics; and Diana Cole, stained glass.
"It's exciting," Tisler, who like Douglas is a Barrington resident, said of the 10th year celebration. "It's really exciting especially as someone who's been there since the beginning to see how we've grown and how many different artists have been involved over the years.
"And the fact that we're thriving 10 years in is wonderful and it's also wonderful to see how Warren do so at the same time."
MIW has basically been a hit since it began, earning accolades from various publications during its first few years, including being chosen as RI Monthly magazine's "Best New Artist Cooperative."
It became so because of its array of products. Made in Warren's offerings include paintings, prints, photography, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, stained glass, fiber art, wood crafts and much more. As a "handmade-in-RI" shop, all purchases are tax free, and because it is an artist-run non-profit, all profits go directly to the artists in the cooperative.
"The cool thing is we did better this past year than we ever did before," Douglas said about MIW sales in 2024. "Things have just been going up and up and up."
So has foot traffic. Douglas said the cooperative had about 2,000 new customers to go along with some 1,000 repeat buyers.
"There's just a lot of really good things in the store for people to enjoy," Douglas said. "And we've been super supported by the community. It's fantastic. We love how much the community has embraced us."
Said Tisler, "It's been fabulous. A lot of people were instrumental in getting this off the grown. It's just been nice to not only have an outlet to sell our goods, but also to have the community to bond with."
Douglas came to the cooperative through another noted local artisan, Ellen Blomgren, the owner "Mudstone Studio" in Cutler Mills. She was a student in one of Blomgren's classes about 15 years ago, then joined her mentor when the latter, along with the likes of Mary Hunt, created Made in Warren.
The rest of current artists involved in the cooperative include: Jennifer Charleson, Jim Chlebecek, Elwood Donnell, Tina Egnoski, Lisa Elliott, Christopher Foster, Brenda Gaudette, Heather Hamilton, Stephen Higgins, Leah Keith, Samantha Kravitz, Barbara Larned, Kate Martin, Andrew Nasser, Amy O'Brien, Zuly Palomino, Laurel Porter-Gaylord, Jeanne Raia, Jayne Raphael, Suzanne Richard, Sherri Snyder, Jika Sousa, Barbara Swanson, Thurston Tarter, Kathy Venice, Paul Venice, Danielle Whalen, Kathy Wise and Amy Zygmont.
Of the cooperative's endurance, Douglas said, "We've kept it pretty local and we've always had good word of mouth from our customers. And the community has always been really good. We have a lot of returning customers. One we call, 'Mr. Christmas Eve.' He shows up every year and gets something for everyone on his list. He tells us we're his 'go-to' place to find original gifts for his family and friends.
"We're also in a pretty prime location. Main Street has totally come back to life during our time here with all of the awesome restaurants and shops. And having the Tavares Building is great as well."
Added Tisler, "I think one of the things is that we have such a diverse group artists, members with different ties to the community. They hear about the shop from one of us and then when they come in they see so many things they didn't know about. That's the great thing about us. We have such a unique array of items. Some are one of a kind or limited amounts. I think it's that variety that's helped sustain us."
As for the rest of its 10th anniversary year, the cooperative plans to host events over the next 11 months celebrating the milestone, though Douglas said, "nothing is set in stone yet."
"We're going to do some amazing things. It's just that we don't know what they are yet," Douglas quipped. "If anyone has any ideas, let us know. We love interacting with the community."
Douglas said the collaborative website, madeinwarren.com, and its various socials, like on Instagram, will be updated regularly with the latest events and info.
Other items that may interest you