About Intersection for the Arts
Our Mission
Provide people in arts and culture with resources to grow.
About us
Intersection for the Arts is a bedrock Bay Area arts nonprofit that’s dedicated to helping artists grow. Through vital resources, including fiscal sponsorship, low-cost coworking and event space, and professional development programs, we empower people to continue creating, thinking big, and taking weird and wonderful risks.
We believe art and culture are necessary elements of wellbeing. That’s why we serve people working in the arts—from artists to educators to administrators to funders.
We take the stance that artists should be at the top of the systems that were originally created to support their work. Art institutions would not exist but for artists’ creativity, sweat, blood, tears, and enormously generous hearts. We support those who take matters into their own capable hands and make their own opportunities. We stand by artists every day in their efforts to make our communities better, healthier, more exciting and dynamic places to live our lives.
Our values
Community – Passion – Transparency – Professionalism – Diversity – Equity – Accessibility – Connection – Rigor – Humor
Our values in action
We strive to:
Serve our community of artists and cultural workers and their respective communities in turn;
Approach our work with passion, driven by the belief in the transformative, healing, and unifying power of arts;
Act with transparency and professionalism in all matters of our organization;
Reflect the diversity that makes the Bay Area arts sector so vibrant, compassionate, and innovative;
Ensure the equity, inclusivity, and accessibility of our services and programs;
Connect artists with resources and professional networks;
Provide programs that are known for their rigor and that propel and challenge the arts sector to grow; and
Find humor in every challenging situation.
OUR STAFF
Allison Snopek
Executive Co-Director of Programs & Grants Management
She/her
Allison’s job is to help Intersection members achieve their creative and strategic goals. Allison is a visual artist and arts administrator who has dedicated her life and career to the arts since moving to the Bay Area in 2009. She has worked for nonprofits such as ArtSpan, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and Red Poppy Art House. She served on the Executive Committee of Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area, 2014-16, and received an Art Enabler Award from Arts for a Better Bay Area in 2018. As a practicing artist, Allison creates surreal figurative paintings with oil on canvas. She has regularly exhibited her work at community galleries such as City Art Cooperative Gallery, Art Explosion, and Arc Studios & Gallery. She has taught multimedia art classes to youth with SF Arts Education and Leap Arts in Education. In her free time, Allison can be found exploring the great outdoors, enjoying friends and family, and/or cooking a creative feast.
allison [at] theintersection [dot] org
Scott Nielsen
Executive Co-Director of Finance & Operations
He/him
Scott’s job is to provide all Intersection members with the financial information they need to make informed decisions about their projects as well as helping to manage the audit process and banking relationships. His favorite part of the job is supporting Intersection’s amazing staff and helping find innovative ways to increase the capacity of the arts sector and arts service organizations. After beginning his career in the insurance industry, Scott went back to school for a graduate degree in Public Administration from SF State and shifted his focus to the nonprofit sector. Since then he has taken on senior finance roles at several nonprofits, most recently Stanford Jazz Workshop and Huckleberry Youth Programs. In his spare time he enjoys finding new coffee shops to check out as well as talking musical theater and local politics with friends.
scott [at] theintersection [dot] org
Jae Tioseco
Administrative Director
She/Her/They
Jae’s job is to take care of members’ transactional requests and assist with day-to-day member inquiries. Her favorite part of her job is being of assistance to Intersection’s members. In addition to her professional experience in retail banking and administrative services, Jae has 10 years of experience as a Filipino folk dancer. She currently serves as dance assistant to Barangay Dance Company of San Francisco in addition to being a consultant and choreographer to Skyline College and San Francisco State University with their annual Pilipino Cultural Nights (PCNs). Outside of dancing, dance research and learning more about the traditional attire and textiles from the different regions of the Philippines, you can find Jae with her friends and family or dabbling in photography, make-up, cooking and dreaming of her next adventure in Philippine folk dance.
jae [at] theintersection [dot] org
Amy Kweskin
Director of Professional Development
She/her
Amy’s job is to design and implement the professional development programs that help artists and arts managers build their business of art muscles. Her favorite part of the job is translating business concepts into creative recipes for cooking-up accomplishable action plans. Employing her 20+ years of experience in arts administration, Amy founded Artsightful to provide training, coaching and consulting in the business of art. She is an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University and Mills College, and is on the faculty at St. Mary’s College where she designs custom courses for professional dancers in the LEAP Program. Although not a fashionista, Amy was a full time faculty member in the Fashion department at The Art Institute of California, San Francisco. In her spare time she is working towards earning a Doctor of Business Administration at Golden Gate University. To bring balance to her heady life, Amy gets into her body by teaching and practicing gentle and restorative yoga.
amy [at] theintersection [dot] org
Claire Astrow
Engagement Manager
She/Her
Claire’s job is to build public awareness of Intersection for the Arts, facilitate community engagement, and involve people in Intersection’s programs as members, participants, community partners, supporters, and donors. Claire is a visual artist and arts administrator who is passionate about increasing access to the arts. She has worked for arts organizations such as The Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive and Bedford Gallery. As a practicing artist, Claire paints urban landscapes, screen prints posters, and draws portraits of her friends. She has held residencies at Kala Art Institute and Root Division. In her free time, Claire enjoys checking out local bands, exploring her neighborhood, watching films at SF’s many indie theaters, and going to art galleries.
claire [at] theintersection [dot] org
Sloane Larsen
Operations Associate
She/Her
Sloane’s job is to foster a community-driven environment which encourages connection and collaboration amongst Intersection’s members, artists and arts organizations. She assists with administrative duties to support the finance team, coworking and space rental, professional development programs and overall operations. Sloane is an interdisciplinary artist whose creative work fuels her desire to ensure that art is something to be valued, discussed and supported. Passionate about the work of Bay Area nonprofits and artists, Sloane has served as the Secretary on the Board of Directors at the Gardens at Lake Merritt in addition to assisting notable local artists such as Cathy Lu, an alum of Intersection’s Accelerator program. Sloane finds joy in exploration and life’s simplicities, such as walking with her eyes closed.
sloane [at] theintersection [dot] org
Liana Mier
Administrative Assistant
She/Her
Liana’s job is to support the administrative and financial activities of our Fiscal Sponsorship Program, as well as perform general administrative tasks and duties. Her favorite part of her job is working with individuals who show endless passion and empathy through their work. Liana is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University where she received her BA in Theatre Arts with a focus in Production Management and a minor in Business Management. When she’s not working, you can find her painting customized plant pots for her family and friends, riding her bike, or researching the history of Asian and Asian American theatre and dance.
liana [at] theintersection [dot] org
Jamie Walsh
Membership Associate
She/Her
Jamie’s job is to provide support services to new and current fiscally sponsored members. She received her MS in Arts Management from the University of Oregon and has worked for the past 14 years in the nonprofit art world as a champion for artists with disabilities and facilitating community arts events. Jamie has worked for arts organizations such as the OSLP Arts & Culture Center in Eugene and the arts fiscal sponsor Shunpike in Seattle. She facilitates her own fiscally sponsored project called Quickest Flip, which publishes a contemporary art magazine featuring artwork by artists both with and without disabilities. In her spare time, Jamie enjoys exploring new places to walk around, catching up with friends, binging true crime shows, and spending time with her cat Franny.
jamie [at] theintersection [dot] org
Willie Caldwell
Finance Associate
He/Him
Willie’s job is to support the finance team in executing the day-to-day financial operations of our fiscally sponsored projects. He was born in the Bay Area, refuses to leave, and is dedicated to bringing theater to unusual places. When he’s not on stage or behind a computer you can find him in Oakland staying up late and talking to interesting people. He holds a BA in Theater Arts from San Francisco State University.
willie [at] theintersection [dot] org
Krista Smith
Grant Specialist
She/Her
Krista’s job is to help our members present competitive grant applications. Krista leads our grant review process and teaches our grant writing workshops. Krista brings 22 years of experience as an artist, grant writer, administrator, and arts advocate to the San Francisco Bay Area’s arts and culture landscape. Krista has worked as the Development Director of Frameline and the Queer Cultural Center and served as a panelist for the California Arts Council and MAP Fund. In addition to grant writing, Krista has also led strategic planning processes for Foglifter Press, NAKA Dance Theater, Queer Cultural Center, Queer Rebels Productions, and Still Here Productions and serves as a speaker, workshop facilitator, and coach with a focus on grant writing, arts fundraising, and racial and cultural equity.
KY [DOT] FRIED [DOT] WOMAN [AT] GMAIL [DOT] COM
ADJUNCT STAFF
Amro Radwan
IT Lead
Thank you to intersection's community of funders
