DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions has announced that Katie Nartonis, with more than 15 years of experience in the fine auction field, has joined the firms' growing office in Beverly Hills, California, as a Consignment Director of 20th & 21st Century Design.

Katie has a passion for the hand-made object, especially for the celebrated work of post-war California studio artists and craftsmen. Her appreciation and knowledge of art and design extends well beyond the West Coast movement, and she has handled many thousands of works for auction from fine and rare Tiffany glass to Playboy Magazine's collection of development art. In her career she has produced over 25 lecture events with subjects ranging from Art, Design, Animation and Film.

In 2009 she produced the standing room only event "BladeRunner: Designing the Future" which featured the legendary design team of Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece Syd Mead and Producer Michael Deeley. Her art and design events have featured living artists and designers such as Sam Maloof, Otto Heino, Larry Bell, Garry Knox-Bennett, Arthur Espenet Carpenter III, Michael Cooper, Gere Kavanaugh, and John Nyquist, among others. Katie is also founder of The Nartonis Project which is dedicated to telling the compelling stories of the West Coast Art scene thru film, curation, lecture and published articles.

"We are thrilled to team up with Katie," said Ed Beardsley, Vice President of Heritage Auctions. "She is an amazing ambassador not only for the objects made by inspired and talented artists and craftspeople, but also for the passionate collectors of these objects."

Katie has been published widely on art and design, most recently with "Featherwear: The Art of Nicki Marx" in the February issue of The LA Fashion Magazine. In just the last few months she has been published in American Craft Magazine, C California Style Magazine and will be featured in an upcoming article in Ornament magazine. In early February, before a packed crowd of 300, her documentary film, "In Tandem: The Life and Work of Jerry and Evelyn Ackerman" (co-produced with Margaret Halkin and Short Story Media) debuted at 2015 Modernism Week in Palm Springs, to great accolades. Katie's work on the film was featured in February in the Los Angeles Times.

"I'm so excited to be part of Heritage's growth in 20th & 21st Century Design," Katie said. "Everyone I have met at Heritage is friendly, transparent, and passionate about rare, historical, and beautiful objects."

Katie Nartonis, Consignment Director, 20th & 21st Century Design, may be reached at katien@ha.com or 1-877-HERITAGE (437-4824), ext. 1704.