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Natalie Brown - October 2015 Woman in Leadership Honoree

Natalie Brown - October 2015 Woman in Leadership Honoree

Author: Renee Cerullo/Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Natalie Brown

Natalie Brown

Project 308 Gallery, Owner

Natalie started renovating her North Tonawanda gallery space in May 2012, while she was studying art history and museum studies during graduate school at UB. Project 308 Gallery opened on August 16th 2012 and she hasn’t looked back since. The gallery hosts more than 40 exhibitions and events per year including an annual art festival each summer through the efforts of Natalie and her volunteers. She's also currently a board member at the Carnegie Art Center.

Natalie says the gallery is a very personal place for her, “As I put in a lot of heart and soul into fixing it up. My family and friends are always helping me and supporting the overall mission of the gallery which makes it special as well.” Natalie is proud of the gallery, “I love that the gallery is a place for the public to come and view art. It’s a space where student artists can learn how to put on a show, or a more recognized artist can take advantage of the large gallery space at low cost.” Their annual art festival on Oliver Street features more than 50 artists. The festival usually brings in a few hundred people to the neighborhood to celebrate local artists and musicians. She also hosts exhibitions by college art students; their shows are usually their first exposure to working in a gallery. Natalie adds, “I’d like to think that the gallery is part of the Oliver Street revitalization process which is currently underway [in North Tonawanda}.”
In addition to the gallery, Natalie works full time as a paralegal at Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled or Disadvantaged of WNY, a non-for-profit law agency. She serves on the artist advisory committee at the North Tonawanda Carnegie Art Center, was honored as a 2013 Woman of Distinction by the Tonawanda News, and served on the 2015 New York State Council on the Arts grant panel.

Photo: ©The Buffalo News
 
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