Meet the Team
Ronan Dwyer
PresidentHeyo! 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 assemble a group of my friends to create 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.
Aarynn O’Brien
Vice PresidentHi! 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.
Erika Ventura
Social Media ManagerHello! 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.
Lori Morales
Treasurer
Hiya! My name is Lori, though I also go by Joey. I 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. My work focuses on making fun relatable stories with a meaningful message. 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!
Isabella Zayas-Gaby
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!
Assistant Social Media Manager
Em Plourde
Event CoordinatorHello! I’m Em! I am long time Mainer, comic artist, and zinester. Storytelling and comics has always been a big part of my life. When I was a kid, I enjoyed reading the funny comics with my great grandfather and dreamed of making one of my own. In high school, I graduated CATC with a Technical degree in Graphic Design. Later on, I graduated SMCC with an Associates in Multimedia Arts, and attended New England College of Art in their Comic Arts and Illustration program. I have been publishing my own comics and mini zines for the last few years, with a focus on fusing the fantastical with the mundane. I am extremely excited to be working on CANE’s team and bring the art community of New England closer together. I hope to give back to the community everything it has given me and make new opportunities for future generations of artists.