40th Anniversary Neighborhood Arts poster by Favianna Rodriguez

The Community Arts and Education program celebrates the importance of arts and culture in our daily lives by supporting cultural arts activities and arts education in San Francisco's diverse communities. Our program started in 1967 when a group of artists and arts activists brought a radical notion to the San Francisco Arts Commission: fund artists and arts organizations to work in neighborhood and community settings. The program was called the Neighborhood Arts Program and the total budget for the first fiscal year was $25,000, which was provided by the Arts Commission President at the time, Harold Zellerbach.

Today, the Community Arts and Education program continues to invigorate neighborhoods through innovative arts programs that support economic revitalization and community engagement. Programs include:

• Art in Storefronts temporarily places original art installations by San Francisco artists in vacant storefront windows to reinvigorate neighborhoods.
• The ARTery Project is an exciting series of art events, fairs, installations and performances taking place along Market Street between UN Plaza and 6th Street.
• Arts Education partners with the San Francisco Unified School District to provide arts access to every student every day.
• Cultural Centers serve the community by providing low-cost arts programs and rental space.
• StreetSmARTS is a partnership with the Department of Public works that teaches youth about public art and commissions mural artists to address graffiti vandalism.
• WritersCorps places professional writers in community settings to teach creative writing to youth.

Community Arts & Education Staff

Judy Nemzoff, Program Director
415-252-2596 / judy.nemzoff@sfgov.org

Judy was formerly program manager of arts and tourism for the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau. In addition, Judy is a long-time talent agent and artist manager. She co-founded and directed a business, based in San Francisco and Seattle, that represented a roster of performing artists from throughout the United States and Europe. She has worked with a diverse range of artists and arts organizations as a booking agent, artist manager and consultant, and has produced and commissioned new works for theater, dance, and music. She has served as a volunteer and board member for many local organizations.

Robynn Takayama, Program Manager
415-252-2598 / robynn.takayama@sfgov.org

Robynn is a community artist whose work has been presented through video, web, and gallery installation. A graduate of the KPFA First Voice Apprenticeship, she has contributed to national and local public radio programs and the Peabody-awarded documentary on Asian American history, Crossing East. Robynn was a board member of the Association of Independents in Radio and served on the CPB-funded Makers Quest Talent Committee, charged with finding the most imaginative producers, reporters, and sound artists and urging them to take public radio beyond its traditional airwaves. She currently produces an Asian American radio program called Apex Express on KPFA with a team of activists, journalists, and DJs.

Cristal Fiel, Program Associate
415-252-3145 / cristal.fiel@sfgov.org

Native San Franciscan Cristal Fiel holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was Editor in Chief of the literary and visual arts publication Maganda Magazine. In addition to working at the Arts Commission, she serves on the board of arts nonprofit Asian American Women Artists Association. Cristal's literary and visual artwork has been showcased in Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s United States of Asian America Festival.

Arts Education Program

Tyra Fennell, Arts Education Program Manager
415-252-2597 / tyra.fennell@sfgov.org

Prior to joining us, Tyra served as the director of programs for the Humanities Council in Washington D.C. where she managed all programs including partnerships with public schools, school administrators, and community-based organizations. Tyra was the program manager for Turning the Page, a nonprofit organization that links local public schools, families, and communities to ensure students receive educational resources and high-quality public education. Tyra is also a singer and songwriter and holds a Masters in Education Administration and Policy from Howard University.

Marissa Mossberg, Arts Education Assistant
415-252-3298 / artsedassistant@sfgov.org

Marissa Mossberg has a background in nonprofit management, elementary education, and as a graphic artist. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island and received her B.A. in English Language and Literature. From there, Marissa worked for three years as a Program Manager at the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association, while taking night classes at the Rhode Island School of Design. She graduated with a Certificate in Graphic Design, packed her bags, and moved to San Francisco. Marissa has since taught in an Oakland elementary school, and is thrilled to be working once again with the art community. She is currently working on a web design project for the Clarion Alley Mural Project.

WritersCorps Program

Melissa Hung, Program Manager, WritersCorps
415-252-4655 / melissa.hung@sfgov.org

Melissa Hung is a writer, editor and native Texan. Prior to joining the Arts Commission, she worked as a journalist, writing stories about people, social issues, and criminal justice. In 2002, she co-founded Hyphen, an award-winning magazine about Asian American culture, and led the publication for more than five years as its editor in chief. Melissa is a graduate of Northwestern University’s creative writing and journalism programs.

Interns

J. Astra Brinkmann, Photo Intern

Born and raised in Falls Church, Virginia, J. Astra Brinkmann moved to San Francisco four years ago to pursue illustration and music after studying journalism for three years in Orono, Maine. A series of epiphanies led her to discover the magic of analog photography, and in 2010 she began her photographic studies at the Academy of Art. Currently, she is freelancing portrait, product, interior and event services, dabbling in digital as needed. She was selected for publication in Photographer's Forum Best of High School and College Photography for 2012, and one of her photos is featured on the Flickr splash page.

Bonnie Chan, Photo Intern

Bonnie is a photographer, writer, and student living in Berkeley. She is particularly fond of taking photos of the people closest to home and photos of long, lonely roads. A self-taught photographer for many years, currently she is enrolled at City College of San Francisco as a photography student and has taken classes at Parsons the New School for Design.

Mackenzie Grimmer, Photo Intern

Mackenzie is photography major at San Francisco State University. She moved to San Francisco to become more involved in arts education by helping the community through her photographs. Last year she worked at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, where she taught photography to fourth and fifth graders. She likes to inspire others to be creative and to express themselves through photography and art. Mackenzie has exhibited her photos in both San Diego and San Francisco.

Courtney Haile, Photo Intern

Courtney is a self taught, passionate street photographer who has been capturing the beautiful city of San Francisco on her cell phone during her daily commutes. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Southern California and is now finishing a Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University. Jumping into this experience to learn her new craft, she is open to all genres, but especially interested in Fine Art and Social Documentation photography.

Brent Nunez, Photo Intern

Brent is currently a student at San Francisco State University majoring in art with a dual emphasis in photography and sculpting. He spends most of his time maintaining and assisting other students in the darkroom. A small sample of Brent’s photographs have been on display at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Martin Wong Gallery, located at the SFSU campus.

Ariel Soto-Suver, Photo Intern

Ariel is a freelance photographer, videographer and world traveler. Her photos and videos are regularly published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, covering everything from concerts to the underground food movement. She also has a street fashion photo blog called Street Threads, an ongoing documentary project of the unique styles in San Francisco and around the world. Some of her other clients include Heard About?, the Rundown, FACT/SF dance company and Men's Journal.

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