As the flowers bloom this spring so does our roster of Office of Arts & Culture team members—join us in welcoming them!
Sara Bateman (She/Her), Panel Operations & Data Specialist
Sara Bateman (she/her) comes to the Office of Arts & Culture with a professional background that ranges from federal grant and contract management to working on community-based arts and culture projects.
Most recently, Sara worked for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as a Program Analyst. In this role, she contributed to the management of Division of Preservation and Access grants, primarily working with the Cultural and Community Resilience and Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions grant programs.
Prior to her work with the NEH, Sara held various positions with the National Park Service, managed a photography education program, and collaborated on the development of a 501c3 nonprofit focused on providing resources and educational opportunities for rural and Indigenous fiber artists, producers, and the public.
Sara holds a BA in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College, studied in the University of Oregon’s Arts Management master’s program, and earned a Graduate Certificate in Grant Writing, Management, and Program Evaluation from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
Outside of work, Sara loves spending time engaging with craft and traditional arts, with a particular passion for fiber arts.
Katharina Brinschwitz (They/She), Building Monitor
Katharina is a ceramicist, abstraction artist, and storyteller based in South Seattle. As a second-generation Cantonese-Aussie German American, their art practice is often a refuge for exploring belonging within queer, diasporic, and (dis)abled spaces.
Before starting at OAC, Katharina worked as a production assistant and communications manager with Tidelands gallery and All My Relations Podcast, did production coordinating with Future Arts, program coordinating with Northwest Folklife, and apprenticed as an Interdisciplinary Writer under Vee Hua for REDEFINE Magazine. They have a deep love for collaborative work that bolsters the heartbeat that is Seattle’s creative communities.
In her free time, Katharina can be found mudslinging at Reclaim Clay Collective, playing mahjong, gardening, and scheming for liberatory futures. Katharina also speaks German and is working toward fluency in ASL and Cantonese.
Cristina Cano-Calhoun (She/Her), PIVOT Program Manager
Cristina is an educator and program lead who lays service, community, and innovation at the root of her practice.
Cristina has called Seattle home since 2019 when she moved to pursue a Masters of Urban Planning at the University of Washington. With a background in sociology and ethnography, her research explores a range of topics including youth empowerment in education, community health resilience, and information and knowledge sharing behaviors.
Formerly the Youth Programs Manager for the Seattle Art Museum, Cristina remains a dedicated champion of youth furthest from educational justice. She combines her unwavering belief in the transformative power of art and community place-making with her passion for developing equitable, people-centered systems.
A born and raised Texan, Cristina adores roadtrips and bovines. When she’s not daydreaming about transportation, you can find Cristina out in nature, sleuthing around for records and folk art, or cheering on the Kraken. Okay, she’s probably thinking about trains there, too!
Bacchus Grenfell (She/Her), Building Monitor
Bacchus is a musician and visual artist that has worked with various art organizations and venues over the years. Prior to starting at OAC, she was an event programmer for Cafe Red, programs coordinator at Northwest Folklife, and co-curates at the Velvet Vapor lounge.
In her free time, Bacchus creates visual artwork primarily in acrylic and pen and ink. She also designs screen prints for the Concvss Creations clothing brand and has had her work displayed at Blue Cone Studios, Central Saloon, and the TK Artist Lofts during art walk events. Bacchus is an electronic music producer in the artist collective Alchemy Union, working primarily with vintage multitrack recorders and analog equipment that she repairs and restores herself.
Matt Meyer (He/Him), Planning and Policy Analyst
Matt is a planner and advocate who has worked across the country as a consultant with community stakeholders, advocates, local planning offices, and federally funded programs to support community-centered planning and equitable development. His work spans community engagement, design, mapping, and storytelling. He has also worked in the nonprofit space, where he led research on racial equity in lending.
A first-generation college graduate with a Master’s in Urban & Community Planning from Pratt Institute and a background in design, Matt is driven by a commitment to advancing equity, strengthening community-rooted places, and supporting the arts. His master’s thesis explored how New York City can reclaim land for permanently affordable arts spaces and housing. Matt grew up in Las Vegas, attended a public arts high school, and is an avid music lover (especially KEXP), traveler, and vegan-food seeker.
Amy Nguyen (She/Her), Acting Director
Amy Nguyen brings over a decade of public sector leadership, including serving as Deputy Director at the Office of Planning & Community Development and as Interim Deputy Director and Public Art Director at the Office of Arts & Culture. Raised in White Center and shaped by experiences in New York and New Orleans, Amy is committed to activating and sustaining Seattle through arts and culture, so creativity is something everyone can access, in every neighborhood.
Amy holds an MS in Urban Policy and a BA in Urban Studies from the New School in New York.
Robert Rutherford (He/They), Public Art Project Manager
Robert Rutherford is an artist and cultural producer whose work moves between storytelling, music, poetry, and craft. His path has carried him through museums and community spaces, each a setting for connection between people, art, and curiosity. He’s taught at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, produced storytelling shows in Denver and San Diego, and oversaw film festivals, exhibitions, and youth artist programs at the Museum of Pop Culture. He also managed the Summer at SAM programs at Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park.
A musician, poet, and woodworker, Robert’s practice is rooted in care and exploration, in supporting and contributing to the collective work of building spaces where creative expression feels both personal and shared, both grounded and alive.
