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.Fumi Amano (she/her), 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.
Jessica Borusky (they/them), Executive Director
Jessica holds a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Tufts University and School of the Museum of Fine Arts with a concentration in video, performance, and gender studies from the Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium at MIT. In 2019, Jessica received a certificate in nonprofit management through the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. Since 2008, Jessica has focused on community building through cultural organizing, working for educational institutions, arts nonprofits, and civic entities across the US. They are thrilled to expand Pratt’s mission in providing accessible arts education for all, while uplifting the incredible art practices of Pratt’s teaching staff and students. Jessica is inspired by Pratt Fine Arts Center’s reach and impact for differing communities over the decades. They will honor Pratt Fine Art's legacy of transformative experiences, artistic expression, and enlivening the artist in everyone through accessible programs and an inclusive environment; recognizing the transformative power of art for personal and social healing, health, intellectual rigor, and community integrity.
Julie Custer (she/her), Grant & Sponsorship Manager
Sarah Daniel (she/her), Associate Director of Finance
Sarah was born and raised in WA state by an artistic family. She earned two bachelor’s degrees in Intercultural Communication and Spanish from Washington State University and a Master of Business Administration from Brandeis University’s Heller School, with a concentration in Non-profit Management and Social Entrepreneurship. Sarah holds diverse professional experience, having worked for over a decade across a variety of sectors, in positions ranging from Spanish translation for the federal government to administrative roles at some of the world’s leading educational institutions to management at various start-ups. She is passionate about the arts, education, and social impact, and is excited to support Pratt’s mission and financial sustainability.
Kamla Kakaria (she/her), Painting/Drawing/Printmaking/Mixed Media 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.
Reed Peck-Kriss (he/him), Metal Sculpture Studio Manager
Reed is an artist blacksmith, born and raised in Oakland, California. After years of work in various blacksmithing and art fabrication shops in the Bay, he was offered the opportunity to spend two years as one of the residents at the Metal Museum, in Memphis, Tennessee. After his time there, he spent several years traveling the country working for different artists, as well as teaching and working at several craft schools. Reed's work has been featured in homes and galleries across the country, as well as in several international exhibitions. He views his architectural, sculptural, and furniture work as being intrinsically part of the same practice, all exploring the same aspects of form, line, connection, and a captured moment in time. He is a recent Seattle transplant, and deeply enjoying his time here in the northwest.
Bianca Recuenco (she/they), 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 (he/him), 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.
Miles Schlagel (he/him), Jewelry/Metals and Stone Studio Manager, and Accessibility Coordinator
Miles is a multidisciplinary artist and arts administrator with a passion to create high quality arts programing that is accessible and equitable to everyone in the community. He holds a BFA in Visual Arts with an Art History minor from Boise State University and an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. Prior to Pratt, Miles has served as an arts administrator, teaching artist, and special educator at Meta Open Arts, Yellow Wood Academy, and Seattle University. He enjoys learning new art forms, experimenting, and sharing them with others. In his own artistic practice, Miles works mainly in metals/jewelry (chasing and repousse), drawing, painting, printmaking, and bookbinding.
Mike Thurlow (he/him), Wood Studio Manager
I am a third generation woodworker, or more correctly, woodworking enthusiast. My grandfather did marquetry, my father made cabinets. I started making string musical instruments around 16 years ago, have been teaching for 5 years, and am excited to be a member of Pratt Fine Arts Center's team.
Natalia Torres (she/her), Deputy Director, Operations + Programs
Natalia was born and raised in New Jersey and has spent most of her life on the East Coast. She holds a BA in Art and Ethnicity, Race & Migration from Yale and an Ed.M. in Education Policy & Management from Harvard. Before joining Pratt, Natalia served as the Director of Visual Art & Maker at DreamYard, an arts and social justice education non-profit in the Bronx, NY. She is passionate about the arts, education, and racial equity, and is excited to bring these interests to Pratt and build community here in Seattle. She loves to learn new skills and explore new media, and believes that maintaining artistic and creative practices allows us to imagine new possibilities and, ultimately, create new realities.
Rya Wu (she/they), Development Manager
Rya Wu (she/they) has been exploring various mediums at Pratt Fine Arts Center for over a decade. With a background in psychology, life coaching, and jewelry design, Rya brings a unique blend of skills and insights to her role. She joined the front desk crew last May, quickly advancing to the role of Development Manager. Rya also manages The Fishbowl, a prominent artist studio co-op and gallery in Seattle, and is known for curating impactful shows across the city, including the "Have You Eaten" exhibition. Whether they're flameworking in the studio or fostering community through art, Rya's contributions are marked by their passion for personal and community healing and growth through the arts.
