Staff

Laura McGough is an arts administrator, curator and art historian. Over the past 30 years she has been employed at arts organizations in the US and Canada in a range of administrative and curatorial positions. During her tenue as video curator at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, McGough coordinated the video screenings and festival programming and managed the organization’s video residency program and cable access television program. As the Program Director at the newly established Washington Project for the Arts/Corcoran, she developed arts programming, including gallery exhibitions, public art projects and a guest curator program.  In her capacity as an Independent Curator and Arts Consultant, McGough has curated film, video, web-based, visual arts and performance events for museums, festivals and arts organizations in US, Canada, Europe and Australia and developed board training, strategic plans and program evaluation for a range of nonprofit organizations. From 2000-2003, she served as the Multidisciplinary and Presenting Specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts where she managed a diverse portfolio that included artist communities, performing arts centers, alternative art centers and technology-based arts projects. More recently, as the Director at The Herter Art Gallery at UMass Amherst, McGough oversaw the presentation of visual arts programming and related events for a campus-wide community. McGough has received funding for curatorial and related research projects from NYSCA, the DC Commission on the Arts, The British, Council, and the Canada Council, and has served as a peer reviewer on numerous state and national grant panels. Laura McGough holds a PhD from the Department of Media Studies at the University at Buffalo and an M.A. from New York University. Born and raised in Jamestown, McGough is a Western New York native.

[email protected]

She/her

Rosemary (was named after her paternal grandmother but she’s not a grandma!) has a BFA in Fine Arts with a concentration in Printmaking from the University at Buffalo. Starting as a Book Arts Intern, Rosemary quickly fell in love with the place and is grateful to continue to be a part of such a vibrant and quirky community art space. At Book Arts, Rosemary leads our team of Teaching Artists, coordinating with educators, artists and the community to teach learners of all ages the curiosities of all things paper. You’ll most likely find her in a printers apron behind piles of paper on her desk. Some of her favorite things include: using a pica ruler, being around old & printy-things, and taking walks and looking at houses.

[email protected]

She/her

Melissa Rechin, Mel for short, has Bachelor’s Degrees in both Journalism and Public Relations with a concentration in Visual Arts from SUNY Fredonia. Discovering our organization at an Allen West Festival, she quickly grew an affection for Book Arts’ hands-on learning experiences & unique artmaking processes, and began her journey with Book Arts as a volunteer shortly after. Mel implements and oversees Book Arts communications and public outreach, preparing press releases, marketing materials, organizing events, e-newsletters and social media engagement. As the lead Book Arts Shopkeep, Mel overseas all of our retail operations, including a growing collection of consignment artists to stock our shelves with unique handmade wares. She can always be found amongst floral print and blocks of cheese.

[email protected]

She/her

Nina has been a lover of all things creative for as long as she can remember. Her interests vary from photography, painting and creative writing to any new hobbies she picks up in between. Nina received her Bachelor’s from Niagara University with a degree in Communications and Media Studies and minors in Fine Arts, English, and Creative Writing. She is currently enrolled at the University at Buffalo, working towards her Master’s in Critical Museum Studies with a concentration in Arts Management. Nina began her journey at Book Arts as an intern for the Summer of 2021, and is now (excitedly so) the Gallery Assistant. If you ever want to strike up a conversation with Nina, just ask her about her dog.

[email protected]

She/her

Demyia Browning is originally from Las Vegas, NV and attended the College of Southern Nevada as a theatre major. An active member of the artistic community in WNY, after being referred to and reading about Book Arts’ mission statement and history, Demyia wanted nothing more than to join the team. As programs assistant, they help with class planning, promotion and communications, material preparation, and hands-on in-person instructional assistance at each class. Passionate about music, you can find them performing around town under the name Demyia or Spud.

[email protected]

They/them