Operations Team

Katie Fahey

Managing Director

Joining the Red Poppy in June 2011, I initially developed an interest in the Art House for the unique and multi-layered way it treated the idea of ‘community.’ Looking beyond its reputation for quality art and performance, I continue to love the way the space reaches people in different ways – a testament to the power potential of arts ‘micro-centers’ on the greater scale.

A recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Master of Arts Administration and Policy program, I wrote my master’s thesis on artist live/work space developments in gentrifying urban areas. I am interested in cultural policy in the broad sense and particularly the concept of creative neighborhood building.

I came to the Poppy after holding several different positions within Development at the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to having experience as an independent project manager, I have been employed in galleries and engaged in curatorial projects as well. I have previously worked for the Cultural Attaché of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs. My role as a conversational English instructor in Seoul, South Korea also contributed to my professional and cultural development.

Languages: English, some French

Born and Raised: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Rafael Bustamante Sarria

Director of Performance Programing, Resident Artist, Anchor

Rafael Sarria is a Colombian Nicaraguan musician, artist, and MC born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the singer song writer and founder of the musical group “La Gente” and has toured throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe. He also works as a music promoter, organizer and political activist. He has been working as a director of the Red Poppy for the last couple of years booking all the live music, managing staff, heading up MAPP (the Mission Arts Performance Project) and has been helping as an events curator in the de Young Museum Artist Fellows Program.  Rafael has also was been working to create a stronger connection between the Red Poppy and the Mission Community.

Languages: Spanish, English, basic Portuguese

Colombian, Nicaraguan, born in San Francisco

www.lagentemusicsf.com

Johanna Suarez

Family Art Program Director, Performance Anchor

Beginning as a performing artist and workshop facilitator with the Red Poppy, the space has since incited a major growth in my work as an interdisciplinary artist, community organizer, curator and arts presenter. Through the Mission Arts and Performance Project and this magico place, I not only found connection with the members of my ensemble “YeYe,” but we also together gained great exposure to a variety of artists and audiences in the Bay Area. With YeYe,I’m living my dream of incorporating traditional dance and music from the African Diaspora in Latin America, original poetry, theater and lyrical compositions into inspired journeys of collective healing and unification.

I graduated from Mills College with honors in Dance and Political, Legal and Economic Analysis with an International emphasis. My thesis, “Immigration of the Body and Mind: Renaciendo (Reborn)” was accepted by the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA) 2011 annual conference in Lima, Peru. Currently, I am working to attain a Certificate in Sound, Voice and Music Healing from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Marisa Aragona

Director of Exhibitions

The best advice I have received from the collective wisdom of my most beloved mentors and friends consistently has been to trust myself (and take lots of pictures).  As Director of our Exhibitions Program and a Resident Artist of the Red Poppy, I am motivated by the interdisciplinary context and vibrant sense of possibility.

I grew up outside of Washington, DC and moved to San Francisco in 2003 via New York City where I studied at The School of Visual Arts.  Since Graduating with an MFA in Photography at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005, I have dedicated myself to art, education and community building.  I come to the Poppy having worked for years with at-risk youth at a variety of non-profits as an artist, educator, program director and mentor, as well as with adults as a Photography Instructor at UC Berkeley Extension.  My photo-based work and installations have been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Oakland, Washington DC, Seattle and Vilnius, Lithuania among other cities internationally.

Things to know about me: I love to swim, my favorite color is red, my greatest inspiration is contemporary ballet, I have a secret crush on Surrealist Art and Old Hollywood. One dream-come-true art project for me would be to collaborate with a costume designer, modern dancer and stunt double.

www.marisaaragona.com

Languages: English

Born and raised: Outside Washington, DC

Alicia Arroyo

 Performance Anchor

Alicia’s own interest in engaging communities through visual and performance art was what brought her to the Red Poppy Art House. Alicia started as a volunteer and is now an Anchor for the Performance Arts Program. She received a BS in Geology at theUniversityofMarylandand moved toSan FranciscofromNew Yorkafter completing her MA at Parsons, The New School for Design in exhibition design and practice.  Prior to her graduate studies she lived abroad inSpainwhere she took courses at the Universidad de Sevilla in art history and museum studies.  She is actively training as salsa and flamenco dancer. She has worked in museums, art non-profits, and academic institutions in the realms of curatorial, exhibition and education development. She currently works for a non-profit that provides educational support to low income youths.

Languages: English, Spanish

Born in Washington D.C and raised inTakoma Park,Maryland

 Michelle Chandra

 Volunteer Coordinator

Michelle Chandra is an aspiring photographer and painter with a B.A. in literature and creative writing. During her undergraduate years, Michelle enjoyed being part of a vibrant local college music scene and is excited to be supporting the Red Poppy Art House. As Volunteer Coordinator, Michelle schedules volunteers for the Poppy’s performance series and assists with recruiting and training. Michelle has worked for the Academy of Art University Libraryas a circulation assistant, and as a marketing intern at theJohnF.KennedyCenterfor the Performing Arts inWashington,D.C.and the Stern Grove Festival Association inSan Francisco. Currently, Michelle works in communications for the Women’s Foundation of California. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys developing her photography and painting skills, exploringSan Francisco, attending foodie and art events and volunteering for arts organizations.

Languages: English, basic French
Born and raised: Tucson, Arizona and Santa Cruz, California.

Fernando Diaz

Performance Anchor

Fernando Diaz, 21 years old originally grew up in the City of Angeles with roots in Mexico. At the age of 14 he moved to San Francisco to live with his father. The Bay Area’s vibrant urban and gallery art inspired Fernando to begin on his own experimentation with his art. He is now currently in his sophomore  year at City College, and is a dedicated athlete competing with the school’s Long Distance Track team. Next year, he intends to transfer to Berkeley to join the field of Chicano Studies.  At the same time, he is beginning to further explore his personal art within the context of the Red Poppy Art House residency.

Fernando’s art is in a stage where its direction can be said to be intentionally directionless. His pieces are works in progress, painted adventures waiting to see what’s around the bend. He enjoys exploring the dynamics of childhood and hopes to implement his love for art to ultimately cure the world of hateful hearts.

Languages: English and Spanish

Adrianna Gluck

Family Art Anchor

Wanting to combine my enjoyment and love of being creative, working with children, and speaking Spanish, I stumbled upon the Family Art Program- the perfect combination! These Saturdays allow me not only to be creative with so many little ones of different ages, but also to connect with the families and encourage/support their involvement in the art activities with their children. Watching families spend invaluable moments together being creative and learning, is why I’m a volunteer. In 2007, I graduated with my Masters in Social Work and have since been working or volunteering with children and families. Many of these positions, also incorporate art in some form, which further allows me the opportunity to share my creative side with others.

Languages: English and Spanish.
Born in Los Angeles. Raised in NYC

Cristina Ibarra

 Performance Anchor

Cristina Ibarra is a Performance Anchor, creative professional, and proud resident of the Mission District.  Coming from a long background of performing and visual arts, she discovered the Art House one October night while riding home on her bike, and has been a part of its nebulous and exciting community ever since.

In recent years she has worked both domestically and abroad, dealing extensively with artists, media makers, and activists in San Franciscobased non-profits, and working with international educators in Braziland New Zealand. She is an organizer and curator for the Mission Arts Performance Project (MAPP), and in 2011 she was an artist-in-residence at the Poppy’s sister space EDELO in Chiapas, Mexico. When not traveling, Cristina can be found exploring San Franciscowith her sketchbook in hand, learning to tango, and gardening with the good folks from the Free Farm Stand.

Languages: English, Spanish, Basic Portuguese, Italian, currently studying Filipino

Born and raised in San Diego, California

Melita Morales

Performance Anchor,  Arts Presenter

Melita Morales is dedicated to encouraging an acknowledgment of the creative self as a way to open up to the world, express stories, notice and appreciate commonalities and differences, and heal and connect the disparate spheres of our right and left brain as equally important to being whole.

She works as an art teacher, artist and author, holding a BA in studio art, and a secondary school credential, as well as being inspired a myriad of other educational experiences, both inside and outside the realm of a classroom. She is most inspired by the complex frailty and strength that comprise the human condition, and the tensions between wealth and poverty that rub like a fault-line against each other in her native home of the Bay Area.

Languages: English

Costa Rican / American

Kenya Moses

Volunteer Outreach, and Dance

In 1998, Kenyabegan her undergraduate studies at the Universityof California, Davis, where she majored in Music Performance, Dramatic Arts and Economics. Shortly after completing her studies she was accepted into the Certificate Program at the AlvinAileySchoolin New York, where she was introduced to the modern techniques of Lester Horton and Martha Graham.

Kenya has been on staff at dance schools in the bay area, including the San Francisco Ballet School and Alonzo King Lines Ballet/SFDC. As a performer, Kenyahas worked with companies, such as Kunst-Stoff, Robert Moses’ KIN, Copious Dance Theatre and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Kenya has also worked in the financial industry as a certified financial planner, advisor and analyst. Her experience in business administration has given her an extensive knowledge in marketing and public relations for both small and medium sized businesses. Kenyahandles volunteer outreach/orientation and social media postings. She also teaches a weekly dance/workout class for Poppy volunteers.

Languages: English & Conversational French

Born in a remote town in the deepest parts of Georgia, lived as a toddler in Germany, and grew into an adult in Woodland, CA.

Kate Perdue

Family Art Anchor

I grew up in Southern California and after attending college in Rhode Island moved to San Franciscoto work as a grant writer for the Glide Foundation through Americorps VISTA, a national service program dedicated to fighting poverty.

New to San Francisco, I came to the Poppy looking to meet new people and for an enjoyable way to spend my Saturday afternoons while working with my two favorite things – art and kids. However, I found myself investing more and more time in the program as I witnessed the visible effects that art was having on shaping children’s lives and bringing families together. I have constantly been inspired by the innovative and passionate spirit that everyone at the Poppy displays in all aspects of their work and life.

Languages: English conversational Spanish

Born and raised: Sourthern California

Julie Potter

Publicist

Julie Potter is a dance artist, yoga teacher, writer and arts activist based in San Francisco’s Mission District. In addition to performing in Bay Area dance projects and serving on the communications team at the Red Poppy Art House, Julie is a gallery guide at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and assists with communications projects at ODC and with the San Francisco Bay Area Emerging Arts Professionals.

A 2008 Access Dance/USA Scholar, Julie served on Dance/NYC’s Youth Advisory Committee, contributing to the YAC About Dance publication and conducting a panel, Bridging the Generation Gap. Julie has led trainings for the New York Junior League’s Nonprofit Boards Clearinghouse, served as an NPAC America Speaks caucus facilitator, and teaches Yoga for Creativity workshops. A Pittsburgh native, Julie has worked as a publicist at The Juilliard School and Weber Shandwick NY Travel and Lifestyle Practice, and in arts administration at The Joffrey Ballet and River North Chicago Dance. She studied dance, arts administration and journalism at Butler University, spending a semester in Europe.

Sabine Sperlich

Graphic Designer, Art Director

Sabine is a Graphic Designer and Art Director since 1997, holding a degree in Graphic Design from Blocherer School (Munich, Germany). At Red Poppy Art House, she takes care of everything you can see in print – like calendars, brochures and more. She also works for advertising and design agencies in Berlin, Munich and San Francisco.

Her passion belongs to unique corporate design, which she develops in close collaboration with her mainly SME clients, and the congenial translation of the arts into visuals. Sabine was responsible for the design, layout and production of print collateral material for numerous national movie releases for Sony Pictures and handled major DVD release projects for Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. She has also created book covers for authors and publishing houses as well as corporate designs for fashion labels.

Languages: Native German & English

Austrian Citizenship, U.S. Green Card, presently based in Berlin, Germany.

Sandra Wong

Family Art Anchor, Social Media

I was inspired to volunteer at the Red Poppy due to my infinite passion in Art and working with Children. It is truly self rewarding to be able to give back to the community and witness the creativity of our youth.

I was born and raised in San Francisco, speak both English and Chinese, and studied Psychology and Business at the University of California, Riverside. I now run Performance Marketing campaigns for a German Gaming Company in San Francisco. I would like to apply my expertise in Marketing and Social Media outreach to help the Red Poppy Art House grow.

Languages: English & Chinese

Born and Raised in San Francisco