We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shari Weinberger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shari below.

Shari, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Here is the backstory of The Gallery at Sprout CoWorking’s:

My husband Zachary is a compensation consultant. He found his home office isolating and he missed the collegiality of working around other people. So in 2014 he looked for a coworking space. Wwhen he learned that Providence was too small a market for a national chain, he and his business partner decided to open Sprout CoWorking. After a bout with breast cancer, I decided to leave the education world, where I’d gone from teacher to administrator, and decided to put my master’s degree in museum education to work. When I saw the Sprout CoWorking business plan, I knew it was the perfect spot for a community art gallery. It has become the soul of our business.

Having a gallery in a coworking space is a departure from athe traditional white-walled gallery space. The space is unique because while Sprout provides a professional environment for remote workers, the monthly changing exhibits provide dynamic, creative energy. Because we are a CoWorking business, we sell office space, meeting rooms, and event space. This provides me with the financial flexibility to show new, emerging and underserved artists. The artist does not have to make any financially contribution to have a show. We take only a 20% commission on sold works, (way below industry standards), and that money is rolled back into the gallery to purchase hanging materials and provide gallery night snacks.

Because of the nature of the Sprout gallery, I often show local artists new to the Providence art scene. I take particular pleasure in shepherding artists through their first shows, teaching them about the process. There is nothing like seeing the excitement on the face of an artist as they make their first ever gallery night sale.

About a 3rd of our exhibits are collaborations with community-based organizations or causes that have a larger purpose than just appreciating art. I amAs a very socially conscious person  and I want to use my position as the director of the gallery to do things to give back to my community. As an out of the box thinker, I’m always looking beyond the walls for new ways to show art, hang art, engage artists, engage the public and build a stronger Providence. This is why I love creating exhibits that benefit nonprofit organizations. Over the years, I learned how to throw a great benefit party for Gallery Night. Recently I’ve kicked it up a notch and applied the same party principals to nonprofits like the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resources Foundation, and the RI Bicycle Coalition. These events, along with all Sprout Gallery events, are always free, fun, and open to the public.

The Gallery at Sprout CoWorking is staffed every M-F, from 9-3pm, or by appointment. (Members always have 24/7 access.) Additionally we are opened on the 3rd Thursday of every month until 8pm for a gallery party. Sprout is fully accessible and has a free parking lot. If you are an artists, or you know an artist, if you like art, or you don’t like art and want to learn how, you can reach me at [email protected]

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve always been a creative thinker. Some people see the world in numbers and codes, that is not me. I see the world in pictures. I started my career designing educational materials for museums. I have an undergraduate degree in art history and masters’ degrees in museum education and early childhood education. When I became a parents, it was easier to work in schools and have the same schedule as the children. When the last of the 3 went off to college it was time for a change. I thought about my life experience, filled with privilege and access, and began to approach the idea of legacy. What do we leave behind? What will I be able to tell my grandchildren about trying to serve the community, the planet, the world. How was I going to give back? My husband’s business plan presented me with an opportunity. I have now been the director of The Art Gallery at Sprout CoWorking for 8 years. I do not get paid. I create opportunity. I make connections. I collaborate. I look for partners who have historically been left out of the conversation. I create pathways to local art access in accessible ways so that anyone can participate. I try never to say no. The crazier the idea the harder I work to make it a reality. Hanging 100 black papier-mâché crows from the ceiling? Creating an underwater odyssey in a coat closet? Backlighting tango dancers painted on fabric in our 12 foot windows? I have strange and funny stories to tell. A photo exhibit about eels? In the art gallery business that can be very cut throat, I have become known as the gallery to approach when other’s have said no. Not only that, other gallerists now call me to tell me they are sending artists my way. They say things like, “It’s a crazy idea, Go and talk to Shari at Sprout.” I try to be welcoming and to provide equal access to everyone. My husband is a fluent Spanish speaker and this helps too. He is 100% on board with our joint venture. We have a good time.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I have had the chance to work with young high school age artists. Recognizing talent in a teenager and giving them the opportunity to display their work publicly can change their life. This is the story of a young man born in Providence to Ghanaian parents. He was a self taught painter. He painted his frustrations and he painted his dreams. The night of the gallery opening, the extended Ghanaian community came out to support him. In fact, the mayor of Providence just happened to be there that night and was a good sport taking photos with the student, his younger brothers, the whole family. New artists always ask me about pricing their work. I always answer with a question, “Do you want to sell it?” This student was 15 years old. Everything was priced $100 or below, making the price point accessible for many people, and therefore we sold several pieces. At the end of the night I wrote him a check for several hundred dollars. His mother stood by his side coaching him to stand up straight, look me in the eye and say thank you. “This is how you do it in America!” she said. It was a proud moment for everyone.
I tracked him for a while. He went off to NYU. I like to think I played a little role in his success.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Covid was particularly disastrous for our coworking business. We had a second location that we had to close. We managed to hold on to the flagship by the skin of our teeth and PPP funds. Once things started to open up I began to think about using the gallery as a way to market the coworking business. Through free art openings and artists events we could get new populations of people in the doors to see what coworking was all about. Everyone doesn’t need coworking, but everyone knows someone who might. This is when I started collaborating with non profits to provide a way for them to do a fund raising events, and at the same time expose new groups of people to Sprout. This is the way it works: Find an organization that is mission driven, let’s say “Save the Fish.” Help them put together a juried art show, calling on local artists to submit art work related to fish. Hang all the chosen artworks for a month. Let the collaborating organization use the free gallery night opening to run a fundraising event. Silent auction, raffle, etc. I get a crowd of people in the door, the collaborators get a free space for a free event for fundraising and exposure for their cause, all for little effort. Win- win for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sproutcoworking.com
• Instagram: @sproutgallerymanager @sproutcoworking

Image Credits
Shari in Orange dress artist Ewa The Artist Shari getting citation with LT Gov of RI Sabina Matos Children artists at Sprout from the Paul Cuffee lower school. Crows by Serena Bates The rest are Shari in front of public art