Natalia Palombo is a curator, director and consultant, based in Scotland, working internationally. Natalia supports artists and organisations to realise ambitious projects and build sustainable, creative business models for the future.

Some of what I do:

As a curator and director, I have a strong track-record of working nationally and internationally with artists and organisations including Alberta Whittle, Aida Muluneh, Larry Achiampong, and Christine Borland, The National Gallery, British Council, Modzi Arts, Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative, Mondriaan Fund, and many more. My work has been driven equally by my commitment to supporting artists and artistic practice and building and supporting communities to engage with the arts, through collaboration and reciprocal exchange. At Deveron Projects, I developed new frameworks for commissioning residencies, placing artists at the same level of pay as management within the organisation, demonstrating the value for artists and an organisation’s ability to create just conditions for quality artmaking in Scotland. My curatorial practice has been driven by building equity within the sector and contributing to a fair and just society through critical art-making.

Creative Strategy, Project Management and Curation

Governance, Business
Modelling and Organisational Strategy

For many years I considered my experience in business and organisational development separate from my ‘creative’ practice as a curator, but these are not separate areas of work-they run in parallel, overlapping constantly, to ensure the right structure and conditions for commissioning art and supporting artists. I am as excited about building equitable, collaborative organisations as I am about making art together, with expertise across independent and publicly funded organisations. At Many Studios, we set out to see if it was possible to build a creative organisation that did not rely on public funding, showing the possibility of operating a sustainable model underpinned by social values. Many Studios now hosts over 70 creative practitioners across 45 workspaces; shops, artist-led galleries, and an open-source event space. Deveron Projects, on the other hand, is a charity. Income is generated through public funding, trusts and foundations (up to £600,000 per annum). During my directorship, I increased core funding, created two new full-time roles, and opened the organisation’s first building, a community and creative hub for the town and a new income stream for the organisation that offers event space and a custom-designed artist workspace and accommodation.

All of my work is underpinned by a commitment to building an equitable, sustainable sector and society through socially engaged and social justice focused work. I have been committed to sharing my expertise and have been celebrated for good practice in my field, contributing to the Illustrated Fair Work Guide by Culture Radar, commissioned by Creative Scotland; I have been part of several steering groups generating new research for creative advocacy including Mutual Affinities, a network for artists who have migrated to Scotland; and I consulted on One Shared Owner, new resources for ARIs, led by Scottish Artists Union and commissioned by Creative Scotland. It has been important to share practice in various contexts, including CCA Lagos for Asiko Art School in Senegal, 2022, University of Highlands and Islands, Glasgow School of Art (2024), Engage Conference (2024), Beyond Conference (2024), University of Edinburgh (2025). Lectures and seminars have covered place-making, good practice in community engagement, policy-making, and EDI and access within the arts.

 

Access, Equity and
Policy-making

Head over to my Portfolio to see previous work and projects.

I’m interested in supporting artists and organisations to realise ambitious projects, develop sustainable business models that place care for people and equity for all at the heart. I’m open to working in different ways to suit collaborators and I try my best to adapt to varied budgets. My priority is to work with organisations and people that share my values and excitement for visual arts and the creative industries.