This summer Now + There welcomes three new board members, each with their expertise in the arts, finance, and entrepreneurship.

Natalie Lemle is no stranger to Now + There! As a previous Advisory Board member, she’s advised on everything from corporate sponsorships to the latest socially engaged artists. Discover her insightful thoughts and see what public art has caught her eye this summer. You'll understand why we are thrilled to welcome her to the Now + There Board of Directors!

Natalie’s professional experience includes work in advertising and museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Natalie is the founder art_works, a Boston-based art advisory. She has worked with dozens of companies and brands, including Google, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UBS, and Bloomberg. On the volunteer side, she served as Chair of the Board of Directors at Artists for Humanity from 2018-2020 and is a member of the ICA Boston’s Advisory Board.

N+T: Why are you passionate about public art and what do you see as its impact on communities?

Natalie: As the founder of a Boston-based art advisory, I'm looking forward to bringing my professional experience/learnings to a growing nonprofit with a nimble, entrepreneurial spirit. Public art is exciting because there are so many possibilities and so many beneficiaries. This is also what makes it challenging! But the biggest impact that public art can have is to bring people together and spur conversations.

From concept to public reception, opinions are solicited and distilled, compromises are made, and reactions will inevitably conflict. But throughout the lifecycle of a public artwork, there are sparks of connection—of people coming together. Public art can bring people together in a way that art from the traditional art market cannot.

N+T: What is your favorite public art installation so far this summer?

Natalie: I've been mildly obsessed with this summer's scaled-up Pistoletto Venus of the Rags installation (and demise!) in Naples, Italy. Though I work with mostly living artists, my academic background is in ancient art; and so the juxtaposition between ancient and contemporary art has always fascinated me. The idea of an Arte Povera sculpture of a Roman goddess from the sixties having a new life in 2023 Naples at this moment of increased demands for antiquities repatriation is intriguing enough—and then to see it vandalized and burned to the ground two weeks after installation feels weirdly symbolic. I don't know what it all means, but I can't stop thinking about it! To me, the power of public art lies in juxtapositions like the ones implicit in the Venus of the Rags installation—its ability to elicit both love and hate—and the stories that emerge as a result of its presence.

Banner image: REUTERS/Ciro De Luca