A long time lover of art, Shanna McBurney spent several years building a highly successful career in marketing before making the decision to open an art gallery. Working full time left little time for Shanna to build an art collection and she grew frustrated with a gallery world characterized by high prices and odd hours of operation incompatible with a challenging career. HANG ART was conceived from Shanna's desire to test her skills as an entrepreneur and make the process of acquiring original art fun and accessible. Shanna earned an MBA from Stanford and BA in psychology from Pomona College.

Deborah-Jean (DJ) Harmon has more than 10 years' experience in contemporary arts management, corporate art consulting, and independent curating for public programs. Harmon contributes as an art and culture writer, and continues to write as a critic for contemporary art shows worldwide. She has served as an art adviser to private and institutional art collectors and holds a B.A. in art history from San Francisco State University. Harmon's exhibition management history includes work at the NTT InterCommunication Center ICC (Tokyo), the 4th Seoul International New Media Art Biennale (Seoul), the New York Art Expo (NY), and the NeoCon World Trade's Fair (Chicago).

A Bay Area Native, Jen Damas received her B.F.A. at San Jose State, where she focused her studies on painting and printmaking. Jen comes to HANG ART with experience working in educational administration and a passion for painting, especially art that uses color and honest gesture. In fact, some of her favorite paintings are those made by children because of the simple fact that they communicate with utter sincerity. Currently, Jen is pursuing her M.F.A. at the Academy of Art. A self-declared animal lover, Jen is a proud owner of two parrots, a pug and one cat.

Heidi is proud to proclaim her allegiance to her native state, where she grew up and attended university, completing a BA in Art History at the University of Wisconsin. She comes to San Francisco and HANG ART via London, where she completed a Master's degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art, focusing on German art of the early 20th century. Living in the UK, she realized her passion for contemporary art and artists, and the excitement of meeting real, live artists. Heidi hopes to integrate herself into the California art scene without anyone noticing her rather dry academic background, and also learn to kayak on the San Francisco Bay.

Juliana Helleskov was born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA. Her love of art stems from her background as a dancer, and her belief that the visual and performing arts inevitably inspire one another. She studied Art History at Occidental College in Los Angeles. There, she spent most of her time analyzing canonized art from a radical feminist perspective. She recently returned to the Bay Area and now happily resides in San Francisco. She hasn't abandoned her passion for gender studies or dance, but is now most committed to delving into the Bay Area contemporary art scene.

Denise has lived in the greater Bay Area for much of her life. She studied art history at San Jose State University, with a focus on art of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and found that her historical research was deepened by her keen interest in physical anthropology. Denise brings to HANG ART extensive experience in sales, having worked at several local furniture and design firms. She has a razor-sharp eye (kept in top form, rumor has it, by regular target practice) and a knack for matching clients with art that speaks to them. Denise resides in San Francisco and loves to buy beautiful shoes.

When not updating the HANG ART website or making sure that all the computers are working, Eric can often be found making art, riding his bicycle around town or playing Bowie covers on the accordion or the ukulele. A UC Berkeley graduate from the department of molecular biology, he hopes one day to synthesize his various fields of study into a single, awe-inspiring uber-art. He also hopes to own a moped, and to keep a cuttlefish as a pet.

A native San Franciscan, Piero first visited HANG ART in 1999 as part of an art class, and it wasn't long before he became a full-blown art addict. Piero first offered us his talents as an intern, and now works for the gallery on his breaks from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in printmaking. A whiz with experimental techniques and materials, Piero is the man to ask if you're curious about how a work of art was made.

A native of the Bay Area, Dana splits her time between her own painting and working at HANG ART. Going on 7 years at HANG ART, she handles the business end of the gallery as well as art consulting for business clients. You can find her keeping all of us organized from her perch at HANG ART annex. Dana studied painting at the Art Institute in Florence, Italy and received her B.A. in visual arts from the University of California, San Diego and was the gallery manager of a non-profit art gallery in downtown San Diego. Dana enjoys traveling, dancing and gallery pugs (hint-hint Jen).

Katherine Valentine splits her time between working at HANG ART and doing her own painting, which is represented by HANG ART. She completed her MFA degree at the Academy of Art College, and she also has a BA in film from UCLA. Her active life once included acting, dancing, and traveling, but she now has adorable twin toddlers to keep her busy. A native of the Bay Area, Katherine has also spent time living in Italy and Costa Rica. She has developed a love affair with the city of Havana, Cuba, which shows up in some of her paintings.

Erica moved to San Francisco in 2004 after graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in Art History. She remains true to her Texas roots but admires San Francisco’s rich culture and beautiful surrounding landscape. After working in the commercial furnishings industry for over three years, Erica recently changed her career path to pursue her passion for art. Erica comes to HANG ART with interest in absorbing the contemporary art scene, interacting with practicing artists, and learning the ropes of gallery management, without neglecting her side business in cheese tasting.