The Staff
The staff at Pratt Fine Arts Center is dedicated to making art accessible to everyone. Our studio managers are working artists who can often be found working and teaching in the studios when they aren’t in the office.Steve Galatro, Executive Director
Steve Galatro has extensive experience in nonprofit arts administration and higher education, elevated by an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. Previous management experience comes from various positions at Empty Space Theatre and the Seattle University Fine Arts Department where he remains an active member of the adjunct faculty. Steve currently serves on the Seattle Arts Commission and the Historic Central Area Arts & Cultural District.
Fumi Amano, Glass Studio Manager
Fumi Amano is a visual artist working primarily in glass. She was born in Aichi, Japan. In order to learn more about glass and expand her horizons, she moved to Seattle in 2013. After receiving her Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, she participated in residency programs all over the United States, including Anderson Center in Minnesota, and Torpedo Factory Art Center in Virginia. After coming back to Seattle in 2018, as a professional exhibition coordinator, she managed art exhibition coordination all over the world. With her art experiences in different places such as in Japan and the United States, she is able to create and teach art with her broad vision and an open mind.
Angela Brown, Director of Marketing and Communications
Julie Custer, Grant & Sponsorship Manager
Julie Custer is dedicated to supporting arts education and lifelong learning opportunities. A Pratt team member since 2007, she enjoys being part of a creative community and connecting artists with resources. She received an MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Textile Design from the University of Kansas. Her work was included in the catalog and exhibition HOT HOUSE: Expanding the Field of Fiber at Cranbrook and has been shown at the Kirkland Arts Center, the Burnaby Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC and SOIL Gallery in Seattle. You can also find her in the Pratt studios tinkering with new materials.Ryan Davis, Director of Business & Operations
Ryan Davis has worked for over 20 years in non-profit administration and higher education and has been a member of Pratt’s leadership team since 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and his past experience largely consists of implementing and managing complex enterprise database systems to administer education programs. Ryan is passionate about equity and inclusion throughout society and particularly in the arts, and is also passionate about making music as a member of various bands performing all over the Puget Sound region. As a musician Ryan has helped raise money for charities and community projects for various organizations such as the YMCA, Marysville Parks, and Seattle Children's Hospital. He has served as a Board member and Treasurer at Northwest Folklife and is currently volunteering as a member of the audit committee there.
Gabriel-Bello Diaz, Youth and Teen Programs Manager
Gabriel-Bello Diaz is a Puerto Rican artist, instructor and community organizer. As founder of Efficio he combines 3D printing and laser cut technology with leather to create high end custom leather products. With his background in architecture and robotic engineering he has developed educational programs and curriculums that encourage students to pursue a variety of STEM careers. He as worked with several public school districts as a consultant and as an elective teacher for 6th-12th grade. Gabriel is very passionate about empowering brown and black communities through the art industry and launched an arts and fashion magazine, AntiSocial, that highlights local artists and gives them the opportunity to tell their own stories on how they navigate through their career in Seattle. Now at Pratt he continues to support youth and teens through art and develops opportunities for these local students to create with purpose and witness what a career in the arts could look like.
Brian Haddix, Sculpture Technician
As a musician and artist, Brian has been on a lifelong quest to learn how to make anything he can dream up a reality. After earning a BFA in Kinetic Sculpture and Luminous Tube Construction from New York State School of Ceramics at Alfred University, he continued my education of materials and practice through work in various trades and vocational schools. With a focus in electricity, mechanics and the manipulation of metals, this journey has lead to wonderful discoveries. Through his art he combines light, movement and sound in order to give the work a life of its own.Kamla Kakaria, Painting/Drawing/Printmaking Studio Manager
Kamla Kakaria received an MFA in Printmaking from University of Washington. She works with multiples that are related to each other but not identical to create large pieces. The act of making a piece over and over again feels legitimate. She is able to create a relationship with the form as it becomes a new word in her vocabulary that she is compelled to overuse. Being an immigrant from India her recent bodies of work are related to memories of the beauty and fragility of India.
Brendan McGarry, Wood Studio Manager
Brendan (he/him) grew up in Seattle and has spent much of his life along the Salish Sea. While he has always been an artist, he didn’t find woodworking until later in life while pursuing a Master’s in Education at Western Washington University. His artistic endeavors, whether taking photos, drawing, or writing have always revolved around connections between people and the natural world. He is particularly passionate about green woodworking and using hand tools, in which he sees deep through lines that connect and strengthen people, place, and culture. Brendan brings a background in non-profits across Western Washington and a certificate in Non-profit Leadership and Administration to his work at Pratt. He is committed to supporting equitable access to the arts and is particularly excited to see this work unfold in the Wood Studio.
Bianca Recuenco, Digital Marketing Manager
Bianca Recuenco (she/her) was born and raised in Seattle, WA. She is a first-generation, Filipina American college student who received her B.A. in Communication and minors in Diversity and Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies from the University of Washington. Recently, she released a photography project entitled, "Bukas na Puso" (Open Heart), and was a panelist speaker for the "Creating Peminist Culture" panel for the Pinay Power II Conference at McGill University. Some of her passions include shifting culture and reimagining realities through film/digital photography as well as creating equitable pathways for holistic wellness, decolonized healing practices, and creative expression for minoritized communities.
Patrick Rich, Glass Technician
Patrick Rich is originally from Clear Lake, Iowa where he spent most of his time reading books or out on the lake enjoying the water. At the age of 19 he fell in love with glass when he attended a community college and discovered its magic through 3 dimensional art classes. From there he moved to Charlotte, NC to work at a production glass studio, forging new friendships and connections in the North Carolina glass community. Through this community he was offered a job to be a glass equipment fabricator at Wet Dog Glass in the small town of Star, NC. He has spent the last 6.5 years practicing and growing his skills in the fabrication of equipment and glass. Patrick considers himself a life-long learner and loves to take on new challenges. He loves culture, community, and food so he is already feeling at home here in Seattle.
Monica Street, Jewelry/Metals and Sculpture Studios Manager
Monica Street is a metalsmith and jeweler. She is the former Vice President of the Seattle Metals Guild. In the past she has taught for the Seattle Public Library, James Washington Foundation, Tacoma Art Museum, BARN, Gage Academy, North Seattle College, Coyote Central and Seattle Public Schools at the elementary to college level.
In 2017 her work was exhibited at the Washington State Convention Center for the SMG Biennial, the Ron Ho Show at POTS Gallery in Fremont and she interned with Catherine Grisez for the Part You public sculpture project at Traver Gallery. Her work was also chosen for a Director’s Choice Award at the 2019 Pratt Auction. Street currently works as the Jewelry/Metals and Sculpture Studios Manager at Pratt Fine Arts Center and assistant to bell maker Gordon Barnett of GRB Bells. As a volunteer with a passion for archives and student resources, she heads the Seattle Metals Guild Video Archive Youtube and North Jewelry Archive on Flickr.
