Staff

As Executive Director, Nicole oversees all operations at the WNY Book Arts Center including fundraising and community outreach. She was recently honored as Rising Star in the 2020 SPARK Awards by Arts Services Inc. Nicole is a letterpress printer, graphic designer, and photographer with an interest in process based media, and a love for creative community. Formerly the Marketing & Communications Manager at Valu Home Centers, Nicole was a member and volunteer at Book Arts for several years, and served on the Board of Directors before joining the staff team. She is grateful for the opportunity to put her extensive background in marketing, and passion for service to others, to work to help Book Arts continue to serve the great people of Western New York.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 Spudington.

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