photo by Viscera Studio

Hi, I’m Ari

I help people shape the world they want to live in.

I’m a 3x founder, community builder, and artist working at the intersection of placemaking, entrepreneurship, and systems change. Sometimes I joke that I’m a pathological problem solver. My path has been anything but linear, but that’s exactly how I work: interdisciplinary, intuitive, and driven by impact. My journey’s included:

  • starting a design studio leveraging place-based storytelling

  • launching a 3D-printed jewelry brand and opening a brick-and-mortar shop featuring USA-made clothing, accessories, and art

  • accidentally became a muralist (despite a fear of heights)

  • teaching myself to make natural perfume

  • and most recently, began building a SaaS product to support small businesses, a venture recognized by the Black Ambition Prize.

While it might not be obvious at first glance, I have a BA in Architecture and a Master’s in City Planning (I promise, it all connects!).Over the years, I’ve collaborated with organizations like Google, LISC, Salesforce, and the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, using art creativity as a tool for transformation. My work has been featured in 7x7, Thrillist, the San Francisco Chronicle, and I even landed on the cover of Oakland Magazine.

Curious about the
rest of my story?

Dive deeper.

  • Viscera Studio

    Design and consulting studio working with mission-drive businesses and organizations to leverage design for good. Managed $8.5M+ in place-based projects and worked with 1000s of small businesses.

    Shop Viscera

    Artfully made goods including natural perfumes & 3D printed jewelry. Featured in SF Chronicle, 7x7, Racked, Thrillist, & Oakland Magazine.

    Opportuned

    Machine-learning powered advisor helping small businesses grow. Semi-finalist in Pharrell’s highly competitive Black Ambition Prize.

  • Oakland Indie Alliance • Executive Director

    450+ member nonprofit lead by and designed to support independently owned small businesses in Oakland. Our ‘Keep it Oakland’ campaign with 14K+ followers to promote shopping local & independent businesses.

    Board Member

    I sit on the board of SPUR, an urban design nonprofit championing progressive change in the Bay Area. I’m also the co-chair of the APA New York Economic Development Committee

    Program Development & Capacity Building

    I’ve taught entrepreneurship courses & given talks for Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, ESO/Built Here, Renaissance Center, and Lean Startups Conference. I also created and built the Port Lab’s incubator program curriculum.

  • I create art that explores place, belonging, and nature—through murals, paintings, botanical prints, and sculptural work. You can find my public art at places like Salesforce Park in SF, Adanne Bookstore in Brooklyn, and downtown Livermore. I also take on commissions, collaborations, and licensing projects, drawing on my background in architecture and project management to create site-specific, community-rooted work.

A Creative Universe

Art Website

I work across different mediums but at my core I explore ideas of place, belonging, and interconnectedness. Here are some constellations in my creative universe.

PAINTING

CERAMICS

MURALS

PERFUMING

FIBER

PHOTOGRAPHY

ILLUSTRATIONS

PUBLIC ART

b r o a d c a s t s

b r o a d c a s t s 

Interviews with creatives and community-focused change makers including designers, entrepreneurs, artists, & placemakers.
 
Weekly newsletter, monday muse, shares practical ideas, tools, and tips for new and growing business owners from a 10+ year full-time entrepreneur.
 
Behind the scenes vingettes of my creative endeavors, my life bicoastally between Brooklyn New York and Oakland, and places I explore