History

Ronan Dwyer graduated from the Institute of Art and Design at New England College in 2024 excited to finally graduate and enter the art world. But, by the end of 2024, the abrupt separation of a creative community had taken its toll. Art school had given him a tight knit community of artists ready to learn and grow- but graduation, and subsequently, the real world, had destroyed this resource. Without a unifying factor, building this community from the ground up seemed nearly impossible… 

After spending an evening with a close friend from college, Aarynn O’Brien, Ronan made a fly-away comment: “If only we could make a business to support artistic communities.” This would be the beginning of CANE. 

By January of 2025, Ronan assembled a small group of artists, and together they would lay the foundation for CANE. Unfortunately, no one in this group had ever made a non-profit, so progress was slow and tedious. 

After a month of struggles and learning, CANE posted on Instagram for the first time. Over the following months, CANE would begin to develop a following. While small, this following gave the founders the boost they needed to continue this project. 

By June of 2025, CANE received its non-profit status in New Hampshire. 

As of September 2025, CANE is in the process of applying for its 501(c)(3) tax exemption status. Follow our Instagram or join our newsletter to stay up to date with CANE’s journey.

Scroll below to learn our mission and meet our amazing Executive Board!

Our Mission

Creative Artists of New England (CANE) is a non-profit dedicated to building a community of artists within the states of New England: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. We are also dedicated to providing resources and opportunities to upcoming and current artists, as well as give opportunities for growth, artistically, financially, and socially.

Our Vision

Our vision is to build a welcoming community for artists of all backgrounds while maintaining an affordable budget for the average person. Many other art associations charge high yearly membership fees and create events that charge a large extra fee; this is not realistic for the average person. Our plan is to have a low membership cost and low event costs.

We also want to eliminate some of the stresses of art association applications. Other art associations can have new members wait up to a year before applying or resubmitting a denied application. All applications at CANE will be reviewed and decided on by the end of each month, and all denied applicants can reapply within the next calendar month.


Our goal is to lean on donations to fund our organization: this will keep our membership prices low and affordable. All applicants for memberships will be able to pay by donation. This small fee will purchase them an entry ticket to submit a portfolio for review. Fee waivers are available to the following: students ages 16-18, low-income individuals, health care workers, librarians, educators, and senior citizens. This is because we want to boost our community and make it as diverse as possible. Art is for everyone and we will build a better community that supports this mindset.


This non-profit will work to bring the arts into areas of New England that have been distanced from it. Community galleries, critique spaces, and workshops will form a tighter group of artist relationships and future resources.

Our Values

  • CANE will create a community dedicated to making the world a better place through the arts. We will promote and advocate for the arts and create spaces specifically for artists.

    CANE will provide educational resources like workshops, artist talks, lectures, and critique spaces to foster environments of education, learning, and growth.

    CANE will foster creativity, resourcefulness, individuality, and expressionism to create environments where artists can drawn inspiration from their surroundings and fellow artists.

  • We are dedicated to diversity and no one shall be discriminated against on the bases of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, age, marital status, country of origin, citizenship status, education status, and disability status.

  • All memberships will be affordable (low yearly fee), except 16-18 years old, who get a free membership. There will be membership fee waivers for people in need.

  • Everyone will be assessed based on their portfolio. CANE will offer portfolio classes for people who are new to it, as well as monthly portfolio critiques. Portfolio reviews of new members at the end of every month.

  • All members will refrain from any works that can be discriminatory or otherwise hateful/ignorant. CANE will create environments that are anti-hateful to promote D.E.I.

  • There is no tolerance for GenAI-made works (both visual arts and writing). Suspected use of AI is grounds for immediate termination as a member unless they can sufficiently prove it is not made of AI.

Meet Our Executive Board Members!

  • PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

    Heyo! I am Ronan Dwyer or Frantic Fire Starter. I am originally from eastern Maine and moved to New Hampshire to attend The Institute of Art and Design New England College for a BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Printmaking (2020-2024). I am primarily a traditional artist who focuses on the impact of people struggling with grief. Even though I am a Graphic Designer I spend most of my studio time mastering all mediums of printmaking, my favorite being silkscreen and relief. I spent a year interning under Little Chair Printing located in Portland, Maine learning the ins and out of running a commercial screen-printing. During my time there I found the motivation to release the first batch of t-shirts designed and printed by me. Seeing the reactions from, not just my peers but people out and about, towards my shirts made me realize how something as simple as art on a t-shirt can bring people closer together, forcing people to start a conversation. These small experiences are what led to me grabbing a group of my friends and deciding to found CANE. I struggled to keep my composure when communities began to disintegrate the arts in their towns. This left artists who grew up in those areas losing hope at being successful in their hometowns, forcing them to move so they could be closer to success. I want to help bring art back to those communities and reunite people. I plan to have absolutely no free time until my goal is a reality. I may go back to making T-shirts at some point.

    contact: cane.rdwyer@gmail.com

  • VICE PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

    Hi! My name is Aarynn (pronounced R-N) O’Brien, but I am also known as A. E. Urquhart. I was born and raised in Maine but chose to go to college in NH. There, I attended the Institute of Art and Design at New England College in Manchester, NH (which has since moved to Henniker, NH). In May of 2024, I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts (BFA) in Illustration. I work primarily in digital media but I also dabble in multi-media pieces. You can follow my art on Instagram @urquhartillustrations. I like drawing faces, hands, mermaids, and other fantasy elements (I’ve also been known to indulge in the occasional fan art). I enjoy watching movies, reading, painting my nails, spending time with my mom, and playing with my cat. I chose to come work for CANE because after I graduated, I began to miss the sense of community college gave me. CANE’s objectives will benefit a lot of people and help make the world a little bit of a better place. When I’m not working for CANE, I work as a circulation librarian.

    Contact: cane.aobrien@gmail.com

  • SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER & FOUNDER

    Hello! My name’s Erika, I create art under the name Akire Ventures. I have an A.A. in fine arts and a B.A. in comic arts. While I studied comic arts I’ve never really stuck to creating comics as much as I expected. I have grown to love exploring different mediums and art styles, I have made tattoo designs, oil paint portraits, and various character designs. Experimenting with various mediums and art styles brings me a joy that I really can not express enough. I feel it’s important that an artist never needs to feel like they have to fit in one box or another, especially if there are a multitude of subjects they feel connected to. I started to feel confident in this belief when I was surrounded by other wonderful creatives. I hope that with CANE we can create a large community to help nurture artists to have confidence in themselves to be able to create and hone whatever craft they choose.

    contact: cane.eventura@gmail.com

  • ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER & FOUNDER

    Hi, I’m Isabella! I’m an illustrator from New Hampshire with a love for creating literary and educational art. I graduated in 2024 with a BFA in Illustration. I am inspired by many things, including nature, motherhood, family, and a love for storytelling. I’m so excited to be a part of CANE and to help build a community that helps grow, inspire and connect artists of New England together!

  • SECRETARY

    Hi everyone! I’m Ty, also known as Tysagna online when I send my art out into the world. I grew up in a small town in Maine, and I always found myself drawn to art (pun intended).  I attended Bennington College in Vermont, where I received my Bachelor's in Art. I'm based in Maine, specializing in Digital art, Animation, and Relief Printing. My own lived experiences directly inspire the subject matter of a lot of my artwork. Throughout my life, I have struggled against many hardships. I pull from moments of my childhood, relationship dynamics, and times I’ve been mistreated and/or silenced in my life. My identity also influences quite a lot of my work. Growing up in Maine, my transition, and living with invisible disabilities are also subjects that appear frequently in my work. Struggling to verbally express/articulate difficult emotions, art allowed me a space to feel seen/understood. I hope with my work that I can also uplift others' voices or serve as a representation to those who relate to my story. A lot of people who have been victimized never feel like they have the ability to speak out for what's right in their situations.

  • HR OFFICER

    Hello all, while my real name is Sophia most friends and colleagues refer to me as ‘Soap’. I have my BFA in Comic Arts from the Institute of Art & Design at New England College and dream of someday having a small independent publishing company and team of my own. As an artist, from a young age I knew my voice relied on storytelling. Characters in motion, studying and recreating animation scenes and of course, comics; I decided from the age of 11 that I would one day be a published comic illustrator and author. That being said, I also draw caricatures for parties and events as a side hustle and way of sharing my art with others. Being an independent person and used to solo flying projects wise, I’m at an age where I really want to start building stronger relationships and more meaningful experiences. Being a part of CANE is exciting to me, as all I’ve ever desired is a space where I feel like my efforts matter, and I am surrounded by like minded and enthusiastic people. I hope to help CANE and our mission in educating others, but also want to keep the ideology of hard work, effort and love being in the arts. If you would like to contact me for collaborations or commissions, please send me a request through my website! When I am not with CANE, I am making my fan comics, producing my own novel(s), taking and completing commissions and working full time as a cook in a restaurant. 

    Contact: https://www.soapycomicsart.com 

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Hiya! My name is Lori, I also go by Joey, and make art under the user @iiitsjoeyyy. I was born and raised in good ol’ Rhode Island and moved out of state to New Hampshire to get a BFA in Animation at the Institute of Art and Design at New England College. Mostly, my art is character design work focused on modern fantasy settings, and hand drawn 2D animation for the same setting. Now that I’m back in Rhode Island I want to work as a part of CANE to bring our urban arts community here in RI closer together with New England, and reconnect with artists around New England to bring people together and make change! In my spare time I’m caring for my family, working as a line cook, playing TTRPGs, practicing my digital art and writing skills, and developing my animation work with the goal to make a long form animated series!

  • BOARD MEMBER

    Hello! My name is Emily, I'm a multi media artist based in CT and NH. Ive been creating my entire life, and studying Expressive Arts with a focus in Art Therapy at Plymouth State University helped me find a connection between art and human connection! As an artist I always strive to utilize my creativity as a way to incite community. From being in school for studies within art and psychology, the combination of human impact and art is something that always carries me though each project. As a multi-media artist, whether it's through painting, sculpture, or fabric works I put my fullest in my work. Being with CANE with other artists and creatives will be such an exciting time for me to explore different workshops within all age groups! My work experience with non-profit organizations and childcare is something I'll carry into my work here!!

  • MASCOT

    Cacaw! My name is Ca (short for Cane) the Borb. I am an American crow and the mascot of the Creative Artists of New England. I was born in Maine but I spend my time traveling all over New England, as I love the people and the environment. I first came upon CANE after I was summoned by the executive board. They asked for my help to bring luck to their prospective organization, and well, I’m a sucker for the arts. I agreed and now I am their official mascot. I love spending my time flying, eating worms, bothering the executive board, and being a part of CANE’s twitch streams and reels. I can’t wait to meet all the new people through this amazing organization! 

    Contact: Cacaw very loudly and flap your arms like wings

Contact us.

infocreateartofnewengland@gmail.com

P. O. Box 146

55 Glass St.

Pembroke, NH, 03275