Our Qualifications

OUR TEAM

Danielle Fox

Principal, Slate Art LLC

An art historian by training (PhD, Northwestern University), Danielle has over thirty years of experience in the art world as a teacher, writer, editor, curator; as Deputy Director of Business Development at Sotheby’s in London; as communications and project manager for Artakt Art consulting in London; founder of SLATE Contemporary Gallery in Oakland, and Principal of SLATE Art Consulting. She brings to her work an understanding of the international art market; experience working with galleries and auction houses; and five years in the interior design field, which gives her a special understanding of the important role that art plays in architectural and design programs. Danielle oversees operations for SLATE Art LLC, manages SLATE’s Public Art program, and curates collections for key clients.

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Shelley Barry

Director of Business Development and Senior Art Consultant, Slate Art LLC

Art is Shelley’s business. With an early career in sales and marketing for multi-national companies, she has over twenty years of experience in the art world, thirteen of which she spent as the sole proprietor of a small corporate art consulting firm. Shelley currently oversees SLATE’s business development activities, in addition to curating bespoke art programs for key account clientele. Shelley has served on various boards, such as the San Ramon Arts Foundation, the San Ramon Arts Advisory Committee, Student Art For Education’s Advisory Council, Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation. and was appointed by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors to serve as a Commissioner At-Large for the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County.

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Jillian Piccirilli

Director, SLATE Art LLC

Jillian has worn many hats at SLATE Art since she joined the team in 2015. She previously served as business manager and SLATE contemporary gallery manager, and then moved into consulting, working with many of SLATE Art Consulting’s top clients in the architecture and design industries. Jillian now serves on SLATE Art's management team. She oversees day-to-day operations for the firm, as well as account management with a focus on the tech industry, higher education, and public art. Jillian holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in Anthropology from Cornell University. She is a former exhibition manager for Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and Director of Operations for Oakland Art Murmur.

Ryan Robertson

Business Manager

Ryan received her BFA from Santa Fe University of Art and Design with an emphasis in painting & drawing. After graduating, she stayed in Santa Fe and interned with The International Folk Art Alliance and the Center for Diversity and Integrated Learning at SFCC. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2018, she has worked as a Production Coordinator and Office Manager in the film industry, collaborating on documentary passion projects as well as creating content for major corporations and tech companies. She is excited to join the SLATE Team and return to her roots in the Fine Arts world. When she isn’t at work, you can find her painting in her studio, trying to hone her culinary skills at home in Oakland, or somewhere along the coast camping with her partner. 

Donna Napper

Senior Art Consultant

Donna’s career in the field of contemporary art combines more than twenty years in both southern and northern California, working as a gallery owner, exhibition curator, and art consultant. She founded and directed her own art gallery in Los Angeles for eight years, before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area to work as the Curator and Director of Public Programs for the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. More recently, Donna has focused on art advisory projects, placing art in corporate collections for clients in health care, real estate development, legal, banking, and information technology industries. She is the former Co-Chair for the Northern California chapter of ArtTable, a national organization for women working in visual arts leadership positions. She currently serves on the Advisory Council and Curatorial Committee for Root Division, an arts non-profit in San Francisco. Donna has a passion for supporting artists with their professional development.

Rowan Coughlin Khouri

Senior Art Consultant

Rowan cut her chops in the art world working in museums in the U.S. and Scotland. She eventually realized she wanted even more connection with the artists she represented and went on to be the Director of Gauntlet Gallery in San Francisco, CA, working closely with the artist community and letting the creativity flow. After Gauntlet, she partnered with interior designers on large-scale hospitality projects as an art consultant at Kevin Barry Art Advisory. Rowan has been taking on special projects with select clients for the past several years through her own firm, Rowan Coughlin Art Advisory, that she continues to run in addition to working with SLATE's corporate and multi-family housing projects. One of Rowan's favorite things about working with creatives is the ability to conceptualize and on-the-ground problem-solve together.

Nia Taylor

Project Manager

Nia has an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. She has worked at Bloomsbury Auctions New York, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, ArtTable, and the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA). Nia manages international projects for SLATE’s key clients in the tech sector, curates rotating exhibitions, and manages public art projects. She has also serves as Chair of the City of Palo Alto’s Public Art Commission.

Mariah Llacuna-Rogers

Associate

Mariah originally joined SLATE as an intern in 2016, and later evolved into an Art Consultant, focusing on multi-family housing art programs until 2019. She then expanded her creative career into visual design, working with SEN Creative where she crafted brand identities and websites for various Bay Area interior designers. She’s excited to return to SLATE and once again contribute to the multi-family housing initiatives, while also supporting a range of SLATE projects. Mariah holds a BA in Visual & Public Art from Cal State University Monterey Bay, and completed the Professional Program in Graphic Design at UC Berkeley Extension.

Angie Garberina

Associate

Angie Garberina has been working in the field of art for over 35 years. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico in 1988 and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Dakota in 1997.  Using the lost wax process, Angie has cast bronze for herself and for other artists both in Santa Fe and in Berkeley. She is also a master lithography printer with 10 years’ experience teaching at Kala Institute in Berkeley.  Angie has worked at several galleries selling art and mounting new exhibitions. Currently Angie brings her expertise to SLATE, supporting gallery exhibitions, operations, and sales. When she not at the gallery, Angie enjoys watching the Warriors basketball team, working on her own art, being auntie to her bestie’s daughter and fairy-dog-mom to her other bestie’s dog.

MAyA KABAT

Off-Site Exhibition Coordinator

Maya Kabat was born in Portland, Oregon and has lived in the East Bay since 1995. She earned her MFA from the University of California, Davis, and comes to SLATE with the background of an abstract visual artist.  As a founding member of Mercury Twenty, an artist-run gallery in Oakland, CA, she helped oversee gallery operations and artist relations. She also served on the Oakland Art Murmur Board of Directors, where she focused on gallery relations. Maya's own paintings explore process and materiality. She has exhibited nationally, including recent exhibitions at Vielmetter Gallery in Los Angeles and Garvey Simon in New York.  Her work is included in notable public collections, and she has completed several large commissions for permanent display at Kaiser Center, Oakland, CA, and Kaiser Medical Offices, Berkeley, CA.