Shaped by decades of hands-on experience across both nonprofit institutions and commercial galleries, Rosanne Sasso brings a uniquely informed perspective to her role as Manager of Customer Service at ArtSystems.
Her work at the Andy Warhol Foundation gave her firsthand insight into the demands of managing complex collections and institutional workflows. And later, her time spent at Lang & O’Hara gallery grounded her in the nuances of gallery operations and client service — experience that continues to shape her approach today
Since joining ArtSystems in 2001, Rosanne has supported countless clients through data migrations, system transitions, and day-to-day support. Her approach, with a high level of clarity and care, reflects her deep understanding of how art businesses truly function.
In this interview, we are delighted to highlight how her background continues to shape her work today, and why she believes support is more than just solving problems—it’s about building trust. Her story is a testament to the value of experience, and a reminder that the best support comes from people who truly understand the world their clients live in.
Rachel Chaldu
Hello Rosanne! I am excited to dive into your history, so let’s start at the beginning. Can you tell us a bit about your art world background before coming to ArtSystems?
Rosanne Sasso
After going to art school (at RISD), I ended up living and working in New York City. My first job was with an audio tour company that served the Met, MoMA, and the Guggenheim.
Next I worked in Soho for a gallery called Lang & O’Hara. There I was introduced to a new computer system that helped keep track of art. It was a very early version of ArtSystems!
After working at the gallery, I did data entry for The Andy Warhol Foundation just after Andy had died. They had a lot of work to catalogue that was left in the Warhol studio. It was kind of mind-blowing. It was in the old studio, his last factory, which was a Con Ed building in between Madison and Park, so it was a giant four-story building. We literally found artwork everywhere and just spent years cataloging.
After I left, I began working with ArtSystems.
Rosanne Sasso and Beth Savage at the Andy Warhol Foundation office before they both eventually joined ArtSystems.
Rachel Chaldu
What brought you to ArtSystems and what was your position when you first started?
Rosanne Sasso
During my time at The Andy Warhol Foundation, we helped develop the reference module at ArtSystems as a consultant. The Andy Warhol Foundation wanted to create a catalog raisonne. So, I was very familiar with ArtSystems and I decided to join their team.
Although I didn’t study computer science, I always had an affinity towards technology. In any job I did, I was always the person that people would come to with any kind of computer issue. So, it seemed as if I’d been in IT all my working life. It was a good fit to move over to ArtSystems.
Rachel Chaldu
Do you have any interesting stories you want to share from your time at The Andy Warhol Foundation?
Rosanne Sasso
Well, you said G rated, so that takes out a whole bunch of things off the table! One fun story about Warhol: I remember when I first started, I was getting a tour from the registrar, and the first thing I saw was a stuffed Great Dane and a big Keith Herring elephant. They greet you at the door.
Left: Exterior of the Andy Warhol Foundation. Right: Interior of the Andy Warhol Foundation.
Bridget Berlin, was the person who was at the front desk, had her dogs there. I was with the registrar, getting the tour of the building and by the time we got to the third floor I saw more pug dogs running around. I asked how many dogs there were, and she flatly just said nine. And I swear it was like 6 months before I realized there were only three.
The stuffed Great Dane at the entrance in the Andy Warhol Foundation.
Rachel Chaldu
Did the stuffed Great Dane have a name?
Rosanne Sasso
It didn’t, but I always felt compelled to pet it when I got in there.
Rachel Chaldu
What do you love about ArtSystems, the company, the culture, and the people?
Rosanne Sasso
I love all of the above. When you like the people you work with, it makes the job enjoyable. We have a great depth of knowledge about what the software can do, and we all get a kick out of creating feature requests and making the software better for everybody.
I feel really lucky. I have such a great support team. I really respect everybody that we work with. We are all dedicated to supporting our clients. A majority of the team has been here for a long time. We all have been working with this client base for many, many years.
Rachel Chaldu
Can you tell us of a time that was particularly rewarding for you?
Rosanne Sasso
Yeah, absolutely. The one thing I love about my job is solving puzzles. Every day is a puzzle. Every day you get a challenge from a client, and it needs to be solved and you solve it, and that’s incredibly satisfying, and it’s very satisfying to have a client grateful for the solution. It really makes your day.
Rachel Chaldu
Can you share a project that felt especially meaningful or fun to work on?
Rosanne Sasso
That’s a good question. There is a particular project that comes to mind. It was probably one of my biggest challenges. It was converting a very bespoke program for an important art world client and the program was written in German. It took a while to complete their project, but that project was one of the ones I was very proud of. The client feedback touched me too. They thanked us for everything and said it was the easiest conversion they’ve ever been a part of. I really feel proud about that.
Rachel Chaldu
Yeah, that is really nice to hear when you’ve done a good job. What’s your favorite part about specifically working with gallerists, collectors, and artists?
Rosanne Sasso
Being able to experience their collections. It’s always fun to see the artists and works in the collections.
Rachel Chaldu
I imagine it’s also an opportunity to see works you are not familiar with yet!
Rosanne Sasso
Yeah, one of the main collections that I cataloged at Warhol was the drawings that he did in the 50s, which I had never seen before. And they were just gorgeous, gorgeous drawings and gave me a totally different perspective seeing that early work.
Rachel Chaldu
What was the biggest highlight from your art world career prior to ArtSystems?”
Rosanne Sasso
While I worked for the audio company I managed the crews at the Met, MoMA, Guggenheim. I traveled around for this work, but on Mondays I worked in the office at the Met. That was just an art student’s dream, to be alone at the Met and be able to go anywhere you want. It was probably the highlight of my art world career. I remember being on a balcony looking down and I could see Katherine Hepburn walking across the main hall. She was getting a special tour on a Monday when I was there all by myself, but she was there too, so that was the best.
Rachel Chaldu
That is really cool to be part of these special moments that not everyone gets to see.
Is there a moment that a particular piece of art really moved you?
Rosanne Sasso
It sounds cliche, but I was moved to tears when I saw the Pieta. It surprised me. I was stunned that water was like flowing out of my eyes. I didn’t faint, but-
Rachel Chaldu
Ah, That’s good.
Rosanne Sasso
-I did cry.
Rachel Chaldu
Sometimes you find yourself in the perfect moment where the piece you are viewing really strikes you. So now, pivoting a little bit, tell us about your hobbies.
Rosanne Sasso
Well, I like to spend a lot of time outside. I garden. I live in a really beautiful area in upstate New York, in the Hudson Valley, where there are over 100 miles of carriage trails. I spend a lot of time hiking and biking and what do the kids call it today? Forest bathing?
Left and Right: Rosanne’s garden, currently in full bloom.
Rachel Chaldu
I like that. Yes, forest bathing! Do you still make art?
Rosanne Sasso
Sadly, no. I try to dabble, but not as much as I would like. It’s funny because all of us here at ArtSystems are either artists or musicians and solving problems for our clients is another outlet of creativity for us.
Rachel Chaldu
OK, I have two fun questions next. First, what is a fun or unexpected fact about you that might surprise people?
Rosanne Sasso
Back in my gallery days, I was an avid rock climber and every day after work I would ride my bike up to Central Park. I would meet my friends at Rat Rock. In fact, that’s where I met my husband. We actually worked with the parks department to help clean up the area.
Rosanne rock climbing.
My friends and I created the New York City Climbers Club (a non-profit 503c3). We then worked with the city to create the first municipal climbing gym in the country at the NYC 59th Street Gym. It was a wonderful experience, putting that together, we all worked together setting routes in the gym and even held annual climbing competitions.
Rachel Chaldu
This is amazing! OK, last question. You might find this one a bit silly, but I always find it very illuminating to ask. “What is your perfect Sunday?”.
Rosanne Sasso
Oh, well definitely I would take a hike in the morning, probably with my dog. My dog is very important in my life, and after that I would garden. I have a vegetable garden that is booming right now. Also, I really enjoy watching cooking programs on PBS on Sunday. It’s probably one of my favorite things to do, even though I’ve seen most of them. I still love it. I think I got that from my father. I used to watch cooking programs with my father all the time, so that’s my perfect Sunday.
Left: Clark, Rosanne’s dog, on his morning walk with Rosanne. Right: Clark post walk, living his best life.
Rachel Chaldu
Are you a big cook too?
Rosanne Sasso
Oh yeah. It’s one of my favorite things to do as well.
Rachel Chaldu
Is there a particular recipe that you love making or a dish that you like?
Rosanne Sasso
Both my grandmothers came from Italy, so I have a lot of their recipes, which I love. Eggplant Parmesan is probably one of my favorite things to make because of the long, engrossing process.
Rachel Chaldu
You will have to share with me some of your grandmothers recipes! Well thank you Rosanne, we covered a tremendous amount today and it was a lot of fun to hear your stories. Thank you for talking with us!
Rosanne Sasso
Thank you!
We would like to thank Rosanne for taking the time to speak about her career and how that has shaped her and still informs her work today. A special thank you is in order too, as next year Rosanne celebrates her 25th year working for ArtSystems! Thank you, Rosanne, for your years of hard work and dedication—you are a truly valued member of our team.
If you are interested in learning more about how the ArtSystems team can help improve your operations, contact us today to speak with an expert.
