What is coLAB?
Our History
From its initial inception in 2006 as the Lab Theater Company, a student organization of Rutgers University, the leadership of Collaborative Arts has been committed to a vision to serve the New Brunswick community by providing support to young or emerging artists who are producing investigative and risk-taking work that stretches the forms of dance, music, theater and visual arts. What began as a group of individuals dedicated to developing their craft as artists and finding their voice has expanded into a collective that believes that in order to bring artistic creations to the public eye, they must build up an entire community of creativity.
Fully dedicated to the idea that culture is fostered by a partnership between artists and communities, coLAB was founded in 2007 as a New Jersey nonprofit organization by its incorporators, Christa Cillaroto, Jorge Fiffe, Philippe Garcesto, Matt Gugel and Daniel Swern. Having internalized the importance of cultivating the creative process for ‘unproven’ artists, coLAB is steadfast to adhering to a programmatic philosophy and approach of providing artist with adequate resources to physical space, technical and administrative support, and financial assistance to produce and present their work. By serving in the capacity of finding solutions for artists, coLAB is able to center its work on partnering with communities to increase opportunities to learn, advancement and exhibition of forward thinking practice in the arts, and expanding public access to thought provoking work produced through creative activity.
CoLAB Arts is a non-profit arts organization who’s mission is to cultivate a hip, mindful, and inclusive Hub City community of artists, audiences, and critics empowered to create inspired and inspiring art. We support a variety of artistic endeavors, including THEATER, DANCE, FILM, VISUAL ART, WRITING.
We are a multi-disciplinary organization that creates opportunities for artists to perform and exhibit their work. CoLAB Arts develops strategies to promote the importance of the arts through favorable programs that encourage creativity and individuality in partnership with the local community.
What do we do?
- We showcase the work of local artists
- We Engage people in arts programs and workshops
- We are serious about the promotion of the arts
How? What do we offer?
Advancement and exhibition of
forward-thinking practice in the arts
- Host enriching and culturally diverse art events
- Support of artists working in varied and inter-disciplinary genres
- Providing performance and exhibition space for artists
- Creation and development of an extensive community of local artists
Collaboration with communities
- Partnering with communities in creating opportunities that foster positive promotion of arts programming
- Joint ventures with community towards development of public art projects
Opportunity to Learn
- Cooperative art education programs in connection with public schools and Rutgers University
- Expand public access to art to underrepresented populations through a unique program underwritten by a combination of funding by local businesses, grants and donations.
Our Leadership
Daniel Swern (Producing Director)
Contact: dan@colab-arts.org
Full Bio [...]
Andrew Saunders (Managing Director)
Contact: andrew@colab-arts.org
Full Bio [...]
Suzanne Lee
Contact: suzanne@colab-arts.org
Full Bio [...]
John Keller
Contact: jpkeller@colab-arts.org
Full Bio [...]
Theresa Fransisco (Gallery Manager)
Contact: theresa@colab-arts.org
Full Bio [...]
Jack Leary
Contact: n/a
Full Bio [...]
Our Board of Directors
James Ford-Hutchinson (Chairman) is a Director of Trade Management with Hapag Lloyd. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York, New York and completed his undergraduate at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.
Susan Winkler (Secretary) is the Director of Procurement Process at Polo Ralph Lauren, and prior to that worked with Johnson & Johnson for 16 years. She has been involved in the arts and music scene in New Brunswick since 1987 when she came to New Brunswick to attend Rutgers College ,where she graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. Sue is a certified yoga instructor, and was the owner and program director of Yoga Vayua yoga and cultural arts school that was established in New Brunswick from 2002-2008. Although she now lives in Highland Park, just over the Raritan River, she continues to be involved with many non-profit organizations in New Brunswick including Elijah’s Promise and the Raritan River Festival committee.
Brian Redin (Treasurer) is a senior accountant at Ross, Anglim, Angelini & Co., LLP. A Rutgers Business School alum and certified public accountant with a small business focus. He is a member of the AICPA, NJSCPA and also serves as treasurer to the Alpha Rho Alumni Association.
James Kershner (Vice President) is a Regional Leader for Primerica Financial Services (for 6 years). James has several licenses in the financial services industry, is the Treasurer for Emanuel Lutheran Church of New Brunswick (for 2.5 years), and is on the Endowment Board of Emanuel Lutheran Church funding charity programs in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Jim has lived in Singapore for 7.5 years and Tokyo for 2.5 years. In Singapore he worked for MediaCorp (the Television company of Singapore) helping start Channel NewsAsia and working for 4 other channels.
Daniel Swern (Parliamentarian) has directed the New Brunswick Theater Festival’s inaugural production of Romeo and Juliet/Romeo y Julieta, Ken Urban’s I Heart Kant, and Wendy MacLeod’s Juvenilia. As resident assistant director for Godlight Theatre Company he has worked on the world premiere of Jose Saramago’s Blindness (Drama Desk nomination, outstanding lighting design) and the New York premiere of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (Drama Desk nomination, outstanding lighting design) at 59E59 Theaters.
Aaron Brosseau is a project manager for Ray Angelini, Inc. where he manages the installation of commercial solar electric systems. Some of the system installations he has managed include the Hazlet, Rahway and Wayne Board of Education solar arrays. He has also been a resident of New Brunswick for the past 17 years and involved in the community through his work rehabilitating housing and supporting CoLAB Arts. He is a graduate of Rutgers College, Rutgers University with a BA in English and Philosophy.
De Michael Illuzi biography coming soon.
Arlene Swern is Director of Medical Affairs Statistics at Celgene Corporation in Summit, New Jersey. She has a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from Yale University and more than 30 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry. She has four grown children, 2 grandchildren, and lives with her husband in Parsippany, New Jersey.
Laurel McCarty has been with the organization since 2009; she served in the capacity of Interim Treasurer and is currently the ADA coordinator. Ms. McCarty is the Manager, Institutional Relations with George Street Playhouse, a position she has held since December 2006. With her background as a small business owner and as a development officer with a non-profit arts organization, she is acutely aware of and is dedicated to Corporate and Foundation grant stewardship. Ms. McCarty is a 2005 magna cum laude graduate of Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science from the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In addition to arts advocacy, her interests include special-needs children/youth, education, and politics.
Mark B. Achenbach attended Rutgers-Newark, School of Law, and is admitted to the New Jersey and New York bars. He served as a Law Clerk to The Honorable Paul W. Armstrong, J.S.C., sitting in Hunterdon County. In addition to his clerkship, Mr. Achenbach worked as an Associate with Psak & Associates in Middlesex, NJ, and as a law clerk with Stern & Kilcullen in Roseland, NJ. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Achenbach enjoyed an extensive career in the non-profit sector, spending four years in Human Resources office of Liberty Science Center. He remains interested and involved in the field, performing as a consultant for organizations including The American Museum of Natural History and NorthStar Travel Media, LLC. In addition to managing his solo practice, Mr. Achenbach serves as Of Counsel to Rufolo & Stein, LLC, and performs work for the Office of the Law Guardian, representing the children involved in DYFS matters.