Our mission

At Allison & Ross, we have been engineering innovative solutions for the preservation, management, and display of fine art for over 40 years. Our mission is to provide every service you need to protect and enjoy your art for years to come.

We value and support our team for their expertise and creativity. Many of our staff members are practicing artists, which we believe plays an essential role in the care and attention they devote to their work with us.

Click to view a selection of our projects.

Our staff

David Allison

Co-Founder

David Allison is an artist and co-founder of Allison & Ross Fine Art Services. Before moving to Seattle in 1969, he was employed at the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) as an exhibit designer and preparator. During this time, David also apprenticed with conservator Endre Vitez.

When David moved to Seattle, he set up both a studio and a custom framing and art restoration business. In 1995, David was joined by Carey Ross to found Allison & Ross Fine Art Services. This partnership allowed the business to expand, and several employees who are also practicing artists joined Allison & Ross. The staff now includes departments for archival framing, custom milling and fine hardwood finishes, gilding, art installation, collections management, appraisals, and painting conservation and restoration.

David’s website is www.davidallisonart.com.

Carey Ross

Co-Founder

Carey Ross has a background in both architectural and interior design. Prior to Allison & Ross Fine Art Services, she worked for the architectural firm of Don Wald and Associates in Monterey, California and as an interior design assistant for Jan Gardner Interior Design in Carmel, California. After relocating to the Pacific Northwest, she joined the architectural firm of Easters and Kittle.

In 1995, Carey Ross joined David Allison in establishing Allison & Ross Fine Art Services. Carey and David are committed to a high level of personal service, making sure clients’ aesthetic visions are realized and artwork is cared for with the most up to date conservation materials and methodologies.

Carey also oversees collections management for both private and nonprofit clientele. She is a member of ArtTable, a national organization of professional women in the arts.

Susan Martin

Production Manager

Susan Martin oversees all aspects of frame production at Allison & Ross, ensuring that best practices in art preservation and display are upheld in the woodshop, gilding, and fitting departments.

Susan has nearly a decade of experience in frame design and production at galleries and picture frame shops across Seattle. She holds a degree in Linguistics from Western Washington University and a certificate in Museum Studies from UW. Susan’s abiding interest in artwork preservation and handling means she keeps Allison & Ross up to date on the latest conservation practices in regards to mounting and materials.

Susan also maintains an art practice focusing on letterpress, relief printing, typography, and graphic design.

Anne Slattery

Project Manager

Anne’s significant and comprehensive skillset greatly contributes to her role as Project Manager at Allison & Ross, which is essential to our external and internal operations. With administrative, project-management, and registrarial experience at art institutions in the Northwest and Southwest, Anne excels at working with details relating to schedules, workflows, and budgets, while keeping an eye on the big picture and communicating clearly with her colleagues and clients, including collectors, non-profits, and corporations. She joined Allison & Ross in 2022.

Anne received a BA in Visual Arts and East Asian Studies at Oberlin College, an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Iowa, and a Graduate Certificate in Book Arts and Technology from the University of Iowa Center for the Book.

Jose Tapia

Account Manager
Fitting Department Manager

Jose joined the Allison & Ross team in 2020, having specialized in conservation framing since 2011. As a designer, he works collaboratively with clients to aesthetically and archivally display their works of art by providing framing options that honor and enhance the appearance and ensure protection in equal measures.

An avid bicyclist, Jose is also a spoon carver, a pursuit that hones his creativity and informs the visual and tactile sensibilities he brings to his work at Allison & Ross.

Dillon Bennett

Account Manager
Woodshop Department Manager

Dillon has diverse training in the framing and art handling industry, gathered since 2012; he joined our team in 2017. After studying Fine Art and Graphic Design at the University of Wyoming, he moved to Seattle and began working in frame design and production. Dillon’s experience has since expanded to include mounting, fitting, frame construction and finishing, and installation. The wide range of experience he brings to Allison & Ross provides clients with a confident and knowledgeable perspective, regardless of the scope of a project.

Dillon is also a practicing artist with a focus on printmaking, etching, and wood engraving. His website is dillonbennettart.com.

Stephanie Schmid

Project Manager

Stephanie’s background in account management, project management and as an art preparator for fine art handling companies, museums, and galleries gives her a uniquely comprehensive background for working with collectors, non-profits, and corporate accounts.

Stephanie holds a BFA in Photography from Arizona State University. Educated in contemporary and traditional fine art practices, she is committed to supporting and contributing to the arts professionally and personally.

Stephanie’s website is www.stephaniepassantino.com.

Matthew Koons

Installation Manager
Art Technician

With experience in fine art handling, preparation, and administration for galleries and museums in Texas and New York City, Matthew brings in-depth skills to Allison & Ross, managing our installation team since 2019. His organizational proficiency and affinity for creative problem-solving ensure the seamless completion of projects in all directions: timing, coordination, and professionalism.

Matthew has a BA in English with Minors in Archaeology and Social Science from the University of North Texas and is an avid mycologist (on Instagram @fungidance). He is also Doris’s person, Doris being the Allison & Ross shop-dog-in-residence.

Sean Hennessey

Lead Installer
Art Technician

Sean joined Allison & Ross in 2019, and leads our installation team, providing expert, hands-on service for the extensive variety of projects and environments ranging from domestic to corporate. From a young age, Sean worked with his hands, inspired by his sheet-metal-worker grandfather, who, with his bibliophile grandmother, raised him.

After completing a BA in Sculpture with a Minor in Philosophy at Berea College, Kentucky, Sean began his professional career building and painting theater sets, while continuing to make art. From there, he discovered the Washington Glass School in Mt. Rainier, Maryland, and glass became an essential part of his artmaking process. Sean’s education, teaching experience, and art practice provide a uniquely all-encompassing background for working with our variety of clients and projects.

Sean's website is sean-hennessey.com.

Tyna Ontko

Installer
Art Technician

Tyna joined the Allison & Ross team in 2023, with a background that includes art preparation and installation at museums in the region. She also has experience managing, fabricating, and installing for several different artists’ studios and projects in Seattle beginning in 2016. She enjoys the camaraderie and collaboration inherent in her role as art installer, and has worked on large-scale and intricate art projects, plus everything in between.

A graduate of Western Washington University with a BFA in Studio Art and a Minor in Art History, Tyna’s art practice involving sculpture, photography, and installation informs the responsiveness she brings to her work with Allison & Ross.

Tyna's website is tynaontko.com.

Doris

Shop-Dog-In-Residence

Doris came to Allison & Ross in 2019 with her person, Matthew Koons, our Installation Manager. She is our official greeter, and everyone loves her.