The Outsider Collective is an inclusive art studio, community, and gallery located in the vibrant Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. We provide a nurturing space for adult artists and aspiring artists of all abilities to explore and develop their creativity at their own pace. Embracing an intuitive approach to art education that fosters joyful making and playful experimentation, we serve around 60 artists weekly, many with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our community celebrates diverse artistic voices, pushing individuals out of their comfort zones and supporting personal growth. Our gallery showcases dynamic work from our collective, offering regular shows that highlight creativity and talent. OC is the home for anyone who feels like an Outsider in day to day life and needs a place to celebrate and be celebrated for who they are.
As the Executive Director and Founder of Outsider Collective (OC), Carrie is deeply committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for artists of all abilities to support and uplift one another. Her artistic journey began at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she honed her technical skill set through the Jewelry Metals program. Along her artistic path, she developed a strong foundation in oil and acrylic painting, watercolor, digital design, woodwork, metalwork, and more.
In 2019, Carrie founded OC as a gallery space, but when the RHD-RI program shut down, she transformed OC into an art program. She created a hands-on approach to 1:1 coaching and individualized support, incorporating a therapeutic model that places joy at the center of the creative process. Carrie believes that when artists feel joyful, they can achieve anything. At OC, she celebrates each artist’s unique path and nurtures their creative growth, regardless of their background.
Sara Inácio is a Brazilian artist based in Providence, RI. They received a BFA in printmaking and public engagement from Maine College of Art in 2017, and recently completed their MFA in Printmaking at Rhode Island School of Design. Making work directly based on their surroundings, Sara is especially interested in their non-human neighbors, those who adapt and thrive in spite of the human-built environment and societal structures that push against their existence. They work in various forms of print, from mezzotint to prints made directly from roadkill remains, zines, paper sculptures, installations and sometimes set up wildlife cameras just to peek into the everyday lives of their neighborhood rats and birds
Emily is an artist, activist, and all-around weirdo. Her career started at Cartoon Network on the Emmy Award winning show, Adventure Time, before she publicly came out as intersex on MTV. She started working as an activist and speaker, and became the Youth Coordinator for interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. In 2018 she left interACT to focus on her personal activism work, speaking in venues like San Diego Comic-Con, SXSW, and even the TED stage. She simultaneously returned to the art world as both an adjunct high school art teacher and a paint & sip instructor. She began merging her passion for art with her passion for social justice work, and in 2020 she had her first solo art exhibition, Individually Intersex. Since then she has been selling her work online and around Providence.
