For more information, please check out: http://nationalartgallery.org The queen of art

1. The Queen of Art
By: Lana Winters
Tammy Catalano seems like an unlikely CEO. By most accounts, you’d imagine that beneath the layers of
business plans, market research, and development you would meet an experienced MBA. Yet as I trek
into the Irvine offices of the National Art Gallery, I’m met with both confusion and curiosity. As I’m taken
into the conference room, I see Tammy Catalano. She’s dressed in a tailored pantsuit with her long
blonde locks pulled back. She extends her hand and greets me with an infectious smile. We begin
discussing the local startup community, as well as the incubator (Fast Start Studio) and mentors she
works with.
I first met Tammy Catalano at a TCVN (Tech Coast Venture Network) 30-Second Pitch Competition. She
stood quietly behind a dozen CEOs as they eagerly delivered their company’s pitches. When it was her
turn, she glided carefully to the microphone and raised her hand.
“How many people here have heard of the National Art Gallery?” more than half the audience shot up
their hands before she continued, “You THINK you have, but you haven’t. I created it!” She then
enthusiastically spoke about the company’s 90,000 social media followers as well as the 450 artists
registered with the company. Her pitch won her that nights cash prize, but not without a bit of
frustration on her part. “I shouldn’t open with a statement that alienates the crowd. I need to rework
the introduction,” she tells me. It’s that “never satisfied” attitude that pushes her forward. Sitting across
from her at the conference table, I can easily tell her passion for business and art are undeniable.
Tammy Catalano started her journey as an experienced UX designer and artist, she was frustrated with
the lack of community and what she felt were “political” roadblocks in the art world. She decided to
“invent the things she wish existed” and started the National Art Society. She soon gained a huge
following of art enthusiasts and developed the National Art Gallery as a way to broker pieces for artists.
“I basically let the artists tell me what they wanted. It just makes sense for artists to create art galleries. I
want to keep politics out, and the talent in.” She tells me. Her business model gives emerging artists
exposure nationwide. I find the irony in an anti-political art organization from a CEO with a strong
Political Science background curious, and ask her about it. She responds, “I was actually preparing for
the LSATs (to prepare for law school), when I had an epiphany: The more I learned about politics, the
more I hated it. I found the opposite to be true about art. The more I saw, the more I craved it! I knew I
had to follow my heart and become an artist. Once I made that decision, I never looked back!”
She pulls out her laptop adorned with her company’s logo and pulls up the website,
http://nationalartgallery.org “This is our beta launch. We’re testing out different features to see what

2. artists and collectors like. So far, we’ve gotten a lot of great response from the customizable galleries.
Collectors love to know about the artists they buy from: where they’re from, their inspiration, their
vision. It’s important to me that we really bring the ‘gallery’ experience to the collector, even on a
desktop. I believe online galleries are the future of art. You have access to unlimited pieces, it’s
convenient, the premiums are lower, and you have access to artists you would otherwise never see.”
The website features an online gallery, along with printing/framing services. “When I started, I gave
artists free portfolios, I don’t want to deviate too much from the initial model. I feel that as long as
we’re providing value to artists and collectors, we’re on the right track.” I ask her what her goals are and
with a huge grin she replies, “I want to curate the most successful art gallery in the world.”
I leave the interview energized and excited. I’ve met many startup CEO’s, but when I see one with such
strong convictions, I can really feel it. Although Tammy Catalano seems like an unlikely CEO, I feel like I
just witnessed the beginning of history.
For more information, please check out: http://nationalartgallery.org