ALBANY — As an artist, Sarah Martinez likes to explore the world by reordering geometric shapes.

“I like trying to figure out how to put shapes together,” said Martinez, whose three-dimensional art is inspired by Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome. “I love nature and I bring shapes together to try to explain the world.”

Yet the 34-year-old doesn’t have a lot of time to assemble her own works of art as she is occupied with the business of art. She is the director of Albany Center Gallery, the oldest and one of the most revered art galleries in the Capital Region. And for the past four years, she has strived to continue the 30-year traditions that founder Les Urbach established, mainly showcasing contemporary artists from the area, many of whom never had an exhibition before.

During her tenure, Martinez has moved the gallery from its space in Albany Public Library to its current downtown location at 39 Columbia St. She has also expanded its budget from $50,000 to $133,000, which serves a membership of 300.

“You use one side of the brain for business and the other side for art. Sometimes, I don’t want to use one side or the other. But I think it is really important that I do this work.”

Born in Schenectady and raised in Princetown, Martinez attended Hudson Valley Community College and Massachusetts College of Art. She graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase in 1999. She began her work in administration at the La Salle Institute in Troy and then in the development office at Capital Repertory Theater in Albany.

Q: There is a lot of history here. Les Urbach, who established the gallery, was a giant in the Albany arts scene. So what traditions do you feel you have to preserve, and what is your contribution?

A: One thing that is really important to Les is that we show a broad range of an artist’s work at a given time. Typically, we don’t do thematic shows or a group show. A theme can override the exhibition and it becomes the juror’s show. That’s fine. But we want to show a large body of work by an artist. That hasn’t change.

What I’m trying to do is broaden our audience and trying to reach a younger generation. We are downtown. We do sell more work by being downtown, but we are not getting the attendance that I thought we would. I feel like people have made up their minds that they are not into art; it’s not part of their lives. That is saddening to me. So I want the gallery to do something about it.

Because we are so small and economic times are tough, we are looking into partnerships. We don’t want to have to reinvent the wheel. So I see the gallery as community building, not just showcasing artwork. We want to enrich people’s lives.

Q: So that is why you are bringing in kindergartners from the Doane Stuart School?

A: Yes. I think it will be fun because some of the pieces in our show “Then & Now” are interactive. We are also bringing in kids for an exhibition called “Problems Solved,” where six artists are incorporating math into their work.

We want to establish an internship program for ages 15 to 25, too. We want the interns to work with artists and come up with a video that tells us what they think of artwork, not just in the gallery but in the community. And then we’ll put it up on the Web as a platform to reach out to a broader audience. I think that the young at heart will be interested in what they think and what they come up with. What’s really cool about this is the interns will have an impact on their community.

Q: The Albany Center Gallery went through some tough times when Les died. How has the gallery been able to endure when so many galleries fold?

A: Our main focus is on local artists. There are a lot of galleries that show local artists. But we are nonprofit. We don’t focus so much on sellable art. We focus on the quality contemporary art and the ingenuity the artists has. Sellability is secondary.

Q: For a time, you were in the library. Why did you come downtown?

A: At the library, we were just a small part of a large space. A lot of people didn’t know about the gallery. They would go to the library and stumble on the gallery. Here, we are on the street. People can look in our windows and see us. We believe in the downtown arts district with Capital Rep and the Palace. But with the economy slowing down, I don’t know.

Q: Your current show is “Then & Now.” What can you tell me about it?

A: This is our third year for “Then & Now.” When we moved from the library to this new space, we invited many artists to show again. We realized we were leaving a lot of worthy artists out. “Then & Now” is a way to invite back artists.

Q: Why these three artists: Channing Lefebvre, Peter Leue and Terry Slade?

A: Their work doesn’t clash. But they are all very different.

Q: When you book artists for the gallery, what are you looking for?

A: They have to have their own voice, know who they are. They have to think outside the box. I have to be honest. I’m not so into art that is obvious. I want to see something that expands minds or gives a different perspective.