Summit Artspace Leadership

Staff

Natalie Grieshammer Patrick

Executive Director

Email: natalie@summitartspace.org

Phone: (330) 376-8480 ext. 1

Natalie Grieshammer Patrick is an arts leader, artist, and curator from Akron, OH. Over the past decade, she has dedicated her visionary, results-driven leadership to serving local artists in Northeast Ohio. Grieshammer Patrick’s work is driven by the goals of empowering artists to create their own path to success and to create a more sustainable landscape for artists to call home.

Through her previous role as Director of Artist Resources at Summit Artspace, Grieshammer Patrick has made a significant impact on the organization, the artists it serves, and the community. Her contributions have been instrumental in defining how Summit Artspace serves local artists and carries out its mission.

Over her tenure, she reimagined its galleries and hallway spaces throughout the building to more strategically serve exhibiting artists and engage visitors while expanding artist professional development programs, grounding them in research from nationally based organizations to ensure they address artists’ most pressing needs.

In addition to leading artist-serving initiatives, Grieshammer Patrick has been influential in creating a more financially stable organization in partnership with previous Executive Director, Heather Meeker. Natalie’s work at Summit Artspace has included strategic planning, relationship building, and fundraising. Her concepts for new artist programs led to transformative grants from the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, Peg’s Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.

Before transitioning to a staff role at Summit Artspace in early 2021, Grieshammer Patrick served on the Board of Directors in 2020. Previous arts leadership roles include Gallery Director at Praxis Fiber Workshop, Donor & Member Program Manager at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Arts & Programming Manager at Akron Soul Train. She served as a member of the Community Advisory Council at the Akron Art Museum beginning in 2022. In 2021, Grieshammer Patrick was the recipient of the 30 for the Future Award by Greater Akron Chamber, which recognizes up-and-coming leaders in the community.

For over fifteen years, Grieshammer Patrick has been a practicing fiber artist. She employs non-traditional materials to create large-scale weavings that highlight the celebrations and challenges of feminine identity. Her artwork has been shown in galleries and museums throughout Northeast Ohio including at the Akron Art Museum, McDonough Museum of Art, and Transformer Station. Natalie is also a partner and strategic advisor at Akron Recording Company, which she founded with her husband in 2017.

Grieshammer Patrick holds an M.A. in Arts Administration from the University of Akron and B.F.A. in Fiber and Material Studies from the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Antonio Rion

Operations and Event Manager

Email: antonio@summitartspace.org

Phone: (330) 376-8480 ext. 0

Antonio Rion (he/him) joined Summit Artspace as Development Intern in August 2021. Antonio earned his undergraduate degree from Kent State University in Music Performance with a concentration in flute. He has always been interested in the arts, specifically music. Antonio is active in numerous ensembles, and operates a private flute studio.

Anna E. young

Director of Artist Programs and Exhibitions

Email: anna@summitartspace.org

Phone: (330) 376-8480 ext. 3

Anna E. Young is an artist and arts advocate. She holds an M.F.A. in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a B.F.A. from the University of Akron, with minors in Printmaking, Art History, and Professional Photography. Young is an assistant lecturer at the University of Akron, Myers School of Art, in the 2D Design and Photography department. She is the co-founder of KINK Contemporary, an arts organization whose mission is to support emerging artists and curators. Artistically, she creates fine art photographs, prints, and silicone sculptures revolving around contemporary social issues, body dysmorphia, trauma, and mortality.

Nyki Fetterman

Curriculum Specialist & Teaching Artist

Email: nyki@summitartspace.org

Phone: (330) 376-8480

Nyki Fetterman (she/they) is an artist and educator. Nyki earned an undergraduate degree in Art Education from the University of Akron’s Myers School of Art in 2018, and worked as a museum educator and classroom art teacher before joining the staff at Summit Artspace in 2024. As a practicing mixed-media artist, Nyki is interested in exploring the many facets of humanity and the American socio-political landscape through storytelling, mystical symbolism, and sentimentality.

Nick Lee

Gallery & Programs Coordinator

Email: nick@summitartspace.org

Phone: (330) 376-8480

Nick Lee is a painter and 2021 Kent State University graduate. Lee’s work is inspired by the diversity of the human experience. As a Japanese-American, Lee’s visual art strives to better represent minorities like himself in American portraiture and Western art. Motivated by self-discovery, Lee uses symbolic Japanese objects in his paintings to connect with a culture that was never taught to him growing up. Lee is the 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Citizen for Art Education for the Northeast Ohio region by the OAEA. Lee is also the recipient of the 2024 Arts Alive Emerging Artist award by Summit Artspace.

Amber Bishop

Community Engagement Coordinator

Email: amber@summitartspace.org

Phone: (330) 376-8480

Amber Bishop is a memory worker, artist, and filmmaker based in Ohio, dedicated to uplifting and protecting Black stories. The work aims to capture their Black experience, revisits the past, and reimagines the future, focusing on alternative sites of memory and the Black fantastical life. They enjoy making films and video installations, and archiving the internet. She exhibited at institutions such as Summit Art Space, the Wexner Center, Aurora Dallas, and Akron Soul Train. Currently, they are a Woods Whole Film Festival Programming Fellow and help run youth programs in their neighborhood. Amber earned her MFA in Documentary Studies and Production at the University of North Texas and recently joined the staff at Summit Art Space.

Board of Directors

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Kristen Nervo Dowey

PRESIDENT

CEO, OneKey Virtual Care

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RObert L. tucker, ESQ.

VICE-PRESIDENT

Attorney at Law, Retired

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Jill Oldham

SECRETARY

President/CEO, Greenleaf Family Services

Amanda Novelli

TREASURER

Dir., Development & Communications, Grace House

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Alexandra Eliopoulos

DIRECTOR

Visual Art Teacher/Dept Chair, Old Trail School

Ace Epps

DIRECTOR

Artist and VP Diversity & Community Programs, Chase

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Micah Kraus

DIRECTOR

Artist/Owner, Work Studio Ltd

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Nikki Marchmon-Boykin

DIRECTOR

Kent Roosevelt High School, Black Diamonds

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Catherine McKinley

DIRECTOR

Artist and Admissions Counselor, Stark State College

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ROBERTA ROGERS

DIRECTOR

Recreation Supervisor, City of Akron Recreation and Parks

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Karen Starr

DIRECTOR

Co-Owner and Interior Designer, Hazel Tree Interiors

Bronlynn Thurman

DIRECTOR

Program Officer, The Cleveland Foundation

Brandon Waithe

DIRECTOR

Director of Education and Learning, Urban League

Summit Artspace Leadership

Staff

Natalie Grieshammer Patrick

Antonio Rion

Anna E. young

Nyki Fetterman

Nick Lee

Amber Bishop