Warren Arts Initiative Aims to Network Local Artists

The East Bay is saturated with history, but many are unaware of other hidden treasures it has to offer. Strolling along the historical streets of Warren, exploring shops, restaurants, galleries and theatres, many do not realize that at practically every turn, they are surrounded by art.

Warren is bursting with creative talent, and with the help of the Warren Economic Development Board, these talents have been given a chance to shine and prosper without worries of taxes. The Economic Development Board recently created a subcommittee called the Warren Arts Initiative, created to help artists network and to reach out to the growing artist population. 

“Warren is known for its artists and its art community,” said Paula Silva, Economic Development Board member.

Currently the town of Warren has an Arts District where artists are allowed to live, work, and sell their products in Warren and become exempt from income tax on the art that they sell. The arts districts include the Waterfront District, Special District, Village Business District, Manufacturing District, Business District, and Warren Historic District.

But the big question is how many artists are working and living Warren and its surrounding areas? The first step the Warren Arts Initiative has taken is finding these talented individuals. On May 25, the Warren Arts Initiative held its first Artists’ Happy Hour at B.R.A.S.S. in Warren. The goal of this meeting was to collect as many names as possible in order to begin the formation of their Artists’ Database. An estimated 90 individuals attended the event.

“We want to make these artists accessible,” said Silva. “It’s nice if you have a database you can go right to to find what you’re looking for. We want to connect the data from the database we collect to the town website.” 

Last week, an email was sent to 150 recipients, with a link to a survey created to figure out what the artists are looking for and to provide them with valuable information.

“[We want to know] what the artists feel are their top five things that they would like to see us do,” said Silva. “We'll use the information to plan future arts-related events, let people know about grants, and mainly build an arts directory for everyone to access.”

The Warren Arts Initiative is hoping to quickly go through the responses and begin planning future events as soon as possible.

A key part of the Warren Art Initiative’s mission is, “to pull people together and create a collective voice for the arts.”

The initiative has begun brainstorming what they will do in the future. They not only hope to help established artists but also hope to help young artists start their careers.

“Hopefully we can reach out to the schools in some capacity,” said Silva. “And make the arts important in their kids lives and hopefully encourage them.”

The deadline to finish the survey is Thursday, June 30. A copy of the survey can be found here. For more information on the Warren Arts Initiative visit their blog or Facebook page.