Who We Are
The Noo Arts Team
Sol Kjøk
Founding Artistic Director + ED
A Norwegian-born New Yorker, Sol is a visual artist who has lived and learned in six countries. She has 20+ years of experience as an arts community organizer: In 2005, Sol founded Mothership NYC, an international, transdisciplinary artist collective with live/work/presentation arena in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. When offered access to a storefront in the then-budding arts district of the Lower East Side in late 2010, she spontaneously decided to turn this space into Noo Arts’ first incarnation as .NO, subsequently Noosphere Arts, a gallery for artist colleagues from elsewhere . After five initial years in Manhattan, the organization is now headquartered in the Brooklyn warehouse that is also home to Sol’s painting studio, aka Last Frontier NYC.
Elena Greta Falcini
Program Director, Noo Arts House @Governors Island
Elena Greta Falcini is a visual artist and curator with a focus on sculpture. She holds an MFA from the University of Fine Arts Hamburg, Germany, and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria. Her work investigates transformative, alchemical processes at the intersection of science and contemporary art. She exhibits widely in leading international institutions and museums and has curated numerous innovative visual arts projects. As Program Director of Noo Arts House, our seasonal residency space on Governors Island, Elena brings her expertise in contemporary fine art, artistic research, and interdisciplinary practice to the development of dynamic, collaborative programs.
Matteo Rini, PhD
Director of Music & Science
Matteo Rini is a scientist, writer, and musician based in NYC, who is working on building bridges between science and art. He holds two PhD’s (Electrical Engineering, University of Pavia, Italy; Physics, Humboldt University of Berlin and Max Born Institute), worked at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and has published articles in all major scientific journals, from Science to Nature. Seeking to connect science to society, he has worked in politics (European Commission, Climate Action Department), before taking up his current position as the Editor of the American Physical Society’s Physics Magazine. His artistic endeavors include curating the music program of Planeta, an innovative sound and media enterprise that offered a live-music venue in Manhattan between 2014-2019, and playing as a guitarist with NYC Latin bands Tinto Frio and Matapena. Matteo contributed to the science-inspired dance “The Brain Piece” (see the NY Times feature) and co-wrote “Memory Bites,” a dance-theater show illustrating the power of food memories (presented at the 2018 NYC Latitude Dance Festival).
Daniela Holban
Deputy Director | ON MATERNITY LEAVE
Daniela Holban is a Romanian-born curator, cultural producer, and community builder with over 15 years of professional experience in art institutions, museums, and nonprofits. Her curatorial practice seeks to respond to and present systems of self-reflection, identity, multipolarity, and sustainability. She is dedicated to public engagement, artist development, environmentally-based art programming, and action-driven communities. Daniela has worked with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mana Contemporary, Artfare, {CTS} Creative Thriftshop, William Bennet Gallery, The Ear Classical, and The Fashion and Textile Museum. Part of our team since 2019, she has previously held positions as curator and director of programs.
Sandeep Bedadala
Creative Digital Director
Sandeep Bedadala is an Indian Graphic Designer & Visual Artist currently based in New York City. Storytelling being at the heart of his creative practice, Sandeep’s work spans interactive media, motion media and editorial design. In addition to his independent creative practice, Sandeep has over 10 years of experience working with creative studios and educational institutions in India and the United States including the Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida, Media Arts Lab at Agastya International Foundation and the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. He holds a Masters of Arts in Digital Arts & Sciences from the University of Florida.
Daniela Kuntz
Event Logistics Director
Trained as a scientist, Daniela is a Brazilian environmental consultant and biologist with over ten years of experience in the sustainability field. Previously working mostly with technical solutions and public policies, her passion is to explore the potential for human behavior change through self-awareness as a key aspect to achieving sustainable systems. Dedicated to holistic theories, spiritual learnings and practices, Daniela came to New York in 2015 for a second MA in sustainability. Upon entering the vibrant art scene in this city, she fully realized the power of creative expression to transform self and society. Since then, her work has been focused on combining sustainability, spirituality, and creativity.
Asia Sztencel
Education Director
Asia Sztencel is a Polish-born artist and educator dedicated to weaving art into community life. She holds dual MFAs in Social Practice from CUNY, Queens College, and in Printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. With over a decade of experience in Greenpoint, Asia has led more than twenty projects addressing gentrification and cultural transition. Her current initiative, “You Can Carry Your Landscape With You,” collaborates with the Brooklyn Public Library and local institutions to empower older community members. Recognized with the 2023 SU-CASA Award and the 2023 BPL Heritage Ambassador Program Award, she creates inclusive, intergenerational spaces where stories are shared and connections flourish through the transformative power of art.
Jack Daniel Woods
Event Producer & Production Designer
A London-born Australian, Jack Daniel Woods is an accomplished OBIE winning Director of Production, Technical Director, Producer with 20+ years’ experience across the global arts landscape. Prior to moving to NY, Jack studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, worked in film, television and opera and was the Head of Production for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In those positions, they shaped major musical and theatrical events in Australia, Canada, and the UK. Their NY work spans acclaimed theatrical productions at The Brick Theatre; SoHo Rep; HERE Arts; The Builders Association; Associates Theatre Ensemble; Clubbed Thumb; The Public Theatre; and The Hearth, alongside their own performance company, The Department NYC, formed in 2023. Jack’s dedication to excellence, creativity and innovation continues to elevate every production they touch.
Board of Directors
Sol Kjøk
Chair
Sol Kjøk (solkjok.art) is a painter and arts-community builder who founded and heads two Brooklyn arts ventures: Noo Arts and Mothership NYC, an international, interdisciplinary artist collective and residency/presentation space. This community of peers aims to support creative colleagues from across the globe through residencies, public programming & collaborative opportunities and build lasting transnational networks. Born in Norway, Kjok has lived and learned in six countries, speaks five languages, and holds three graduate degrees in humanities, as well as an MFA in painting from Parsons, NYC. Kjok’s artwork has been featured in 100+ exhibitions worldwide. A recipient of 50+ awards, Kjok is represented in public collections, incl. Cincinnati Art Museum (OH); Teckningsmuseet (Sweden); Shaanxi Province Art Museum (Xi’an, China); and Osten Museum of Drawing (Macedonia), plus numerous private and corporate collections throughout the world.
Tony Argento
Tony Argento is the founder of Broadway Stages (est. 1983), a full-service film and television production company headquartered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. As of 2018, BWS has over 3 million square feet of integrated space throughout NYC: unique locations, production services and more than 50 soundstages, including the warehouse structure on the bank of Newton Creek that is home to Noo Arts and Kingsland Wildflowers. Through financial, in-kind, and volunteer resources, Broadway Stages actively supports economic and social growth, education, the arts, community betterment, and environmental sustainability throughout the city. A commitment to community, local/state resourcing and environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of their business philosophy.
Ran Mullins
Ran Mullins focuses on anticipating what’s next and helping organizations and individuals navigate meaningful change. His career began in brand storytelling and evolved into serial entrepreneurship, leading him to found Relequint, where he serves as Chief Growth Catalyst, advising leaders on brand, growth strategy, and transformation.
For more than two decades, Ran has helped drive growth, guide brand and digital transformation, and shape new businesses through a blend of strategic insight, creative rigor, and systems thinking. He is also the co-founder of Psympl®, a Psychographic AI™ platform that enables organizations to engage more meaningfully by understanding human motivation at scale.
Ran serves as a fractional CMO at Kinettix and advises SafetyVue, DealVue, and Fabric. In parallel with his strategic work, he is a practicing fine artist whose work has been exhibited nationally. He holds a BFA in Communication Design from the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
Stephan Clarke
Stephan Clarke is a seasoned attorney with extensive experience in regulatory enforcement, administrative law, and compliance. Currently serving as the Director of the Special Enforcement Team at the NYC Department of Buildings, overseeing investigations and prosecutions of design professionals for professional misconduct. Previously held leadership roles at the NYC Loft Board, managing legal operations related to building conversions and regulatory compliance. Experienced in financial compliance, risk management, and litigation across various practice areas, including real estate, corporate law, and criminal defense. Admitted to the New York, New Jersey, and Florida Bars, with a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
Advisory Board
Fritjof Capra, PhD
A physicist and systems theorist, Capra was a founding director (1995-2020) of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. He serves on the faculty of the Amana-Key executive education program in São Paulo, Brazil and is a Fellow of Schumacher College in the UK. He also serves on the Council of Earth Charter International. Capra is the author of several international bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics, The Web of Life, and The Science of Leonardo. He is coauthor of the multidisciplinary textbook, The Systems View of Life. Capra's online course, known as "Capra Course," is based on his textbook. It has an alumni network of over 2,000 in 89 countries around the world.
Ben Geboe, PhD
Ben Geboe, tiospaye wakankdiduta, is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. He serves as Executive Director of the American Indian Community House in NYC advancing Native-American culture, arts and health. For his doctorate from McGill School of Social Work in Montreal, Ben interviewed Indigenous healthcare providers across Canada. Ben has many years of experience working with Indigenous community organizations in rural and urban settings in Canada and the US and participates in many Indigenous spiritual and cultural activities, including drumming. Ben published two policy briefs for the McGill Institute for the Study of International Development focusing on Indigenous reconciliation and community development. Additionally, Ben produced an Indigenous student paper focusing on Indigenous TB for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, July 2021. He is also part Norwegian-American and has enacted several Norway-US cultural exchanges with Saami communities in Finnmark, Norway.
Kōan Jeff Baysa, MD
Based in Los Angeles, Baysa is a medical doctor, writer and contemporary art curator with primary interests in the cultural constructs of health and aesthetics and the health of the individual in the context of the health of the planet. He is Chief Medical Officer - Medical Avatar; Co-founder - Joshua Treenial; Senior Founder - Honolulu Biennial; Director - iBiennale, and curatorial advisor for the Fresh Winds Biennale in Iceland and the Congo Biennale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dr. Baysa has participated in medical missions in conflict zones and organizes art activism projects globally.
Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow
A NYC-based, Jamaican-American interdisciplinary artist, Lyn-Kee-Chow’s work in performance and installation art draws on themes such as: nostalgia for homeland, Caribbean folklore, fantasy, feminism, globalism, spirituality, environmentalism, and migration. Lyn-Kee-Chow holds a BFA with honors from the New World School of the Arts, University of Florida, and an MFA from Hunter College, CUNY, New York. Her exhibitions include Jamaican Pulse: Art and Politics from Jamaica and the Diaspora, Royal West Academy of England, Bristol, UK (2016); a special project commission at Jamaica Biennial, The National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston (2017); Live Action 12 in Gothenburg, Sweden (2017); and Guangzhou Live 5: An International Performance Art Festival, China (2014). Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post and Hyperallergic. She has received awards from the Rema Hort Mann Foundation; New York Foundation for the Arts; Franklin Furnace Fund; Queens Council on the Arts and the Consulate General of the United States in Guangzhou.
Georges Yazbek
Originally from Lebanon, Georges Yazbek is a two-time Emmy Award-winning producer and photographer. He holds a BA in Media Production and postgraduate diplomas in Innovation & Design and Leadership. Through his work, Georges aims to shed light on science, art, and technology as the core foundations for societal development and well-being, as well as exploring the nature of consciousness. Georges' production projects are featured on leading TV networks, such as Discovery Channel; Animal Planet; Science Channel; MTV; Travel Channel; and Al Jazeera. He is the founder of Beirut Behind the Scenes, a media production company highlighting the stories of Lebanon's creative minds. Now based in NYC, Georges also teaches at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (Alba).
Kelly Ashton Todd
A native of Houston, TX, Kelly Ashton Todd lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received a BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University and a Double Minor in Biology and Environmental Science along with a Master's in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University. She currently performs with the award-winning, off-Broadway show Sleep No More. Kelly's choreography work has been showcased globally and commissioned by renowned architect Steven Holl and the critically-acclaimed immersive experience Meow Wolf. She has won numerous grants, including from Brooklyn Arts Council, Jerome Hill Foundation, NYSCA, Puffin Foundation, Walmart E-commerce, LEIMAY Fellowship, Human Impacts Institute Environmental Health Fellowship, and the NYFA Fellowship in Choreography. Her award-winning environmental dance film series, Under Review, has been screened at 19+ film festivals nationally and internationally. Most recently, Under Review: Katahdin was awarded the New Vision award from the International Wildlife Film Festival.
Ernesto Villalobos
“Native” New Yorker Ernesto "Ness" Villalobos was born in Veracruz Mexico in 1981. The youngest person to ever receive a Fulbright Grant from the Department of State, he obtained a Master's Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and advanced degrees in violin performance from the Bayerischen Musikakademie in Germany and the Keshet Eilon Institute in Israel. Together with his brothers, Alberto and Luis, he has performed at the Latin Grammys, Carnegie Hall and Shea Stadium, opening a game for the Mets. In 2008 he recorded with three Grammy winners: The Chieftains, Lila Downs and Dan Zanes.
If you are interested in becoming a member of our board, we kindly request you to get in touch with us.