The Briarcombe Institute
The Briarcombe Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting artists and cultural organizations with the resources needed to thrive. We cultivate creativity, civility, genius and magic in order to reimagine a more just and beautiful world.
Team
Founder
Caterina Fake
A longtime supporter of culture and the arts, Caterina works to create communities of creativity and civility, and believes we can all make the world a kind, beautiful and more human place. She founded The Briarcombe Institute to support artists, culture workers, thinkers, doers and organizations working in fields such as music, visual art, philosophy, spiritualism, film and video, design, writing and performance. Previously she served as Chairman of Etsy and was the co-founder of Flickr. She serves, or has served, on the boards of Sundance, McSweeneys, City Arts & Lectures and Southern Exposure.
Board Member
Amanda Hughen
Amanda Hughen is a visual artist who lives and works in San Francisco. Hughen/Starkweather, her 20 year collaboration with artist Jennifer Starkweather, has shown internationally including commissions by SFMOMA, the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco Arts Commission, Samuel Merritt University, among others. Their research-based work centers around water and investigates engineered landscapes impacted by climate change. Previously, she served on the boards of Southern Exposure and the San Francisco Arts Commission.
Board Member
Homan Rajai
Welcoming Homan to The Briarcombe Institute Board of Trustees! Homan Rajai studied landscape architecture and sustainability at UC Davis and is the co-founder and co-creative director of Studio AHEAD, a San Francisco-based art and design collective he leads with artist Elena Dendiberia. The studio’s “borderless” approach to interiors draws on diasporic roots that are inspired by Northern California’s history. In 2020 the studio began publishing California: A Journal, a record of the region’s cultural history. The studio has won an Architectural Digest award and been named to the 1stDibs 50.
Communications Manager
Katarina La Poll
Katarina La Poll, a multidisciplinary artist from the SF Bay Area, works across the literary and performing arts. She trained at the William Esper Studio and holds an MFA in creative writing with a concentration in poetry. Her recent creative work documents oral histories centered on the reproductive experiences of women and queer folks. Katarina collaborates with others to reimagine life stories through narrative nonfiction, poetry, and performance. In addition to supporting The Briaricombe Institute, Katarina teaches creative writing workshops at local libraries and Writopia Lab.
Initiatives
Residencies
The residency program at The Briarcombe Institute is hosting and supporting artists, thinkers and doers to work and thrive on site. Residencies are by invitation through the Briarcombe advisory board. Join our mailing list to stay up to date on our latest updates and announcements.
Organizations at Briarcombe
Briarcombe has hosted groups, non-profits companies and organizations working in the fields of film, public lecture series, literature, creative direction, alternative business models, and many more, as well as hosting a poetry festival, artist salons and a passel of design practitioners. We look forward to supporting many audacious and creative enterprises going forward.