Changes & Celebrations: Announcement from ArtSpan's Board of Directors
It is with great sadness, but absolute appreciation, that the ArtSpan Board announces our peerless Executive Director Joen Madonna’s departure from the organization after more than a decade of service. We have been working collaboratively with Joen since she notified us in June of her intent to step down from her position at the end of October 2024, after our 50th presentation of San Francisco Open Studios.
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Joen Madonna, Executive Director
Joen joined ArtSpan staff in 2014 as the Interim Executive Director and has served on the Board since 2013. In addition to regularly attending SF Open Studios as a patron since 1994, Joen has been affiliated with ArtSpan as an artist participant herself in 2003, and as a host of her husband, Paul Madonna's SF Open Studio event since 2004. With over 10 years experience as a Business Manager and Creative Agent, Joen is adept at project management, targeting and closing sales, public relations, and relationship management. She advises professional artists and other creatives on increasing audience exposure, creating business systems, applying for grants, and event coordination. She brokers licensing agreements and contract negotiations with corporations, organizations, and government institutions. Joen graduated from UC Berkeley with an honors degree in Cultural Geography, where she learned to blend her love for urban evolution and human culture with travel, and the exploration of emerging art. Beyond regularly participating in San Francisco's lively art scene, Joen visits museums, galleries, and alternative art spaces globally to help inform her best art business practices locally.
In 2019, Joen was noted as one of the 11 Most Powerful Women in Art in San Francisco as well as one of the 2019 Bay Area Women to Watch.
PHOTO BY SPENCER ALDWORTH BROWN
VANESSA WILSON, Deputy director
Vanessa Wilson is an arts professional passionate about breaking down the rhetoric of art speak and making art accessible to all communities. Her interest in the arts has driven her to pursue a number of collaborations and projects across the globe, covering a wide spectrum of experience both in “fine” and unconventional art spaces. In addition to working with brick-and-mortar institutions, Vanessa continues to experiment with alternative modes of engagement, education, and sales, exploring the boundaries faced by bringing the arts online, on social media, and on podcasts. At the core of her pursuits is a personal drive to bring underserved communities and artists into the spotlight. When not championing artists, Vanessa serves as an activist in a mutual aid group supporting farm-workers
Nick Maltagliati, SPECIAL PROJECTS
Nick Maltagliati’s accomplishments as an artist, gallery assistant, and customer service professional has led him to join the amazing team of ArtSpan. He held a studio term at Root Division which opened many doors to this inclusive, albeit elusive, industry. He has been an ArtSpan Artist Member since 2018 and has been a dedicated proponent of SF Open Studios. He is dedicated to increasing the accessibility and welfare of working artists in the Bay Area. Nick’s creative side is rooted in the lost mysticism of our Californian landscape due to agricultural exploitation, wildfires, and superfluous housing developments. When not producing exposure-centric programs for our artists and community, Nick is most likely in the kitchen stirring up a 6-hour sauce or preparing a lemon tart.
SHREY PUROHIT, OUTREACH & EXHIBITIONS COORDINATOR
Shrey Purohit comes to ArtSpan with a deep appreciation for mobilizing community and advancing the careers of emerging artists. Immediately following his graduation from California College of the Arts, he challenged himself with founding, running, and curating an artist-run exhibition space, Ingleside Gallery (2021-2022). Shrey’s experience producing numerous events to expand the careers of new contemporary artists, coupled with being an artist in his own right, brings significant skills and perspective to ArtSpan’s programming. He is a two-time winner of the Plein Air Salon Award. As an emerging Indian artist from Mumbai, Shrey’s art practice is deeply inspired by the vibrant and chaotic energy of urban landscapes. Through the use of bold color, dynamic compositions and intricate detail, he challenges the viewer's perception of the familiar to encourage a deeper engagement with the urban spaces we traverse. In his spare time, Shrey is either painting or connecting with nature in the Bay Area.
JASON BERKMAN, SPECIAL Projects & OUTREACH
Jason joined ArtSpan for their 2019 Benefit Art Auction, initially playing a one-night pivotal role in ensuring the event schedule was met and key players were where they needed to be. However, his empathetic attentiveness, fresh perspective, and the ease with which he complimented the existing team quickly engrained him as a staff member. Although originally from Southern California, where he experienced the first quarter century of his life, Jason now resides in Sonoma County. His unique perspective is shaped by science and the stars, ecology, biodiversity, health and nutrition, humor, soccer, travel, culture, food, fermented things and the discovery of local culinary treasures, community, music, the arts, and so much more. Jason plays drums with a Sebastopol-based band named Burnside. As a musician and artist-of-sorts, he extends his appreciation of—and care for—creatives in general, and thus is happy to be part of the ArtSpan community and culture.
LAYLA SMITH, ARTS Administrator
Originally from Reno, NV, Layla made the move to San Francisco in 2021, driven by her passion for art and community. With a lifelong dedication to art and its accessibility, Layla believes in its power to transform and unite communities. Previously managing the art program at Ritual Coffee for 1.5 years, she has witnessed firsthand the impact of art in public spaces. Layla is committed to creating environments where art thrives and bridges connections, and is excited to contribute to a community that values creativity and inclusivity. Beyond her professional endeavors, Layla enjoys exploring various creative outlets including creating her own art, video games, skating, and traveling.
Jasper Wilde, SF Open Studios Program Assistant
Jasper Wilde is an electrifying force uplifting marginalized voices in the Bay Area arts. This emerging non-binary trans abstract artist's bold works depict identity and resilience, exhibited across California in just a few years. More than a painter, Jasper champions creative empowerment for queer and trans people. Their practice opened connections throughout San Francisco's network, driving ArtSpan involvement in 2023 as archivist, volunteer and artist before becoming SF Open Studios Program Assistant preserving artworks meticulously. Jasper stands for marginalized artists' collective power, providing crucial platforms as Westside Queer Space's Program Director through inclusive community events. Their career embodies unstoppable commitment to equitable cultural spaces, opening doors for creativity's transformative potential. You can find Jasper painting, swimming in the Yuba River, or connecting with the Bay Area queer community.