Reared on cult classics like “Planet of the Apes,” “Silent Running” and “Westworld,” Francis Kohler, a horror flick maniac and science fiction buff, found a way to translate his affinity for the fantastical into an art career.

The teacher, studio manager and services coordinator at Creativity Explored, a San Francisco nonprofit visual arts center for artists with developmental disabilities, was interested in how such artists would interpret well-known images, people, objects and characters from pop culture.