marin living may 2024

Beautiful One Acre Sleepy Hollow Estate

A stunning 4,007-square-foot home in the heart of Sleepy Hollow. Swimming pool, Sport Court, three-stall horse barn, pasture, lush lawn and well-water irrigation all add to the allure of this incredible property. Contact Nick to schedule a showing.

Nick Svenson

415.505.7674

nicks@compass.com

DRE #01918616

“The results have EXCEEDED OUR WILDEST EXPECTATIONS and I credit them for revenue growth well beyond our projections. The investment in Five19 Brand Studio’s services has been the wisest decision we’ve made.”

—STEVE CRANE, OWNER, MORLEY FREDERICKS REAL ESTATE SERVICES

We especially appreciated the personalized services that were provided to us

We worked with Jennifer & Elliot at Vanguard Properties to purchase our first family home in April 2024. I cannot thank either of them enough for all that they did for us. They made the process of buying a home (which as a first-time buyer - I knew nothing about), so seamless and stress free for us, which as a ‘new mom to be’ was invaluable.

From the outset, Jen and Elliot were extremely responsive answering my emails, texts and calls at all times of the day and evening. Jen’s expertise was evident from our first meeting. She provided a detailed analysis of market trends, helping us understand the price of the property and surrounding properties so that we could make an informed decision about our offer.

We especially appreciated the personalized services that were provided to us throughout this process. Jen and Elliot provided support beyond just the transaction. When we were stressed about mortgage payment / insurance questions, they connected us with reliable people and ensured that we were properly taken care of. They are simply a wonderful, genuine team to work with & we cannot recommend either of them enough.

- Ciara N. and Ryan D.

The value of our business is measured in the quality of the relationships we build.

JESSICA CLINE

CO-FOUNDER, CEO

jessica@marinlivingmagazine.com  707.302.0850

DINA GRANT CO-FOUNDER

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

dina@marinlivingmagazine.com  707.238.2030

ADVERTISING

Marketing Strategy Consultant & Wine Country Specialist

Chet Klingensmith chet@marinlivingmagazine.com, 707.216.1780

Marketing Strategy Consultant, Hawaii

Meredith Low meredith@marinlivingmagazine.com, 808.388.2644

Marketing Strategy Consultant

Kim McGinnis kim@marinlivingmagazine.com, 415.640.4504

Marketing Strategy Consultant & Local Business Specialist

Carrie Moler carrie@marinlivingmagazine.com, 415.271.3080

Marketing Strategy Consultant

Courtney Roberts courtney@marinlivingmagazine.com, 415.720.3752

Marketing Strategy Consultant

Allison Zweig allison@marinlivingmagazine.com, 917.608.4816

CASEY GILLESPIE CO-FOUNDER

CREATIVE DIRECTOR casey@marinlivingmagazine.com

DANIEL JEWETT CO-FOUNDER

EDITORIAL AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR dan@marinlivingmagazine.com

EDITORIAL

Editor

Caitlin Hamer

Contributing Designers

Roberto Avalos, Madeleine Hannes, Gregory Odendahl, Kathryn Saffell, Ronald Sequeira, Britney Trezzo

Contributing Writers

Casey Hatfield-Chiotti, Annie Geiser, Amber Turpin, Lili Weigert

Contributing Artist

Christopher West

Copy Editor

Cynthia Rubin

Client Services Director

Lauren Winsett lauren@marinlivingmagazine.com, 415.300.0908

spotlight marin.

16 news. Summer music festivals start now; Wine Country is in full swing; an S.F. Star Wars movie marathon and more.

28 local splurges. Six ways to show Mom you love her this Mother’s Day.

30 eat & drink. Mill Valley has a new soon-to-be–hot spot and we have the inside scoop.

32 local getaways. Paso Robles for the weekend? Don’t mind if we do.

36 take note. Bread & Roses is still making sweet music 50 years later.

38 game changers. Learn how one couple turned tragedy into a thriving business.

going places.

88 land & sea. Meet the Sausalito man who gave up medical school to build ships instead.

90 voyager. Kimberly Walker is turning her hospitality dreams into a creative reality.

96 drawn together. These are the visionaries behind Marin Open Studios. from the team.

12 from the ceo.

14 from the creative director.

From top: courtesy of Nomada Hotel Group; Yardzen; Imagery Estate Winery

FEATURES.

40

Facing Life

This former inmate harnessed his creativity to change his life — and those of others — for the better.

46

Between Daylight and Darkness

Adam Warmington explores his favorite time of day through a series of thoughtprovoking photographs.

52

State of the Art

Meet three talented Marin-based artists who are making their mark here and beyond.

On the Cover

“The products of our culture’s creativity are the evidence of our best selves,” says our cover artist Christopher West. www.christopherwestprojects.com; photographed by Miguel Faria

Ellie Fritz

“Sundial Segments,” 30 by 44 inches, 2022

CEO

CELEBRATING WOMEN from the

AS WE STEP INTO MAY 2024, Marin Living proudly dedicates this issue to the extraordinary women who shape our community, influence our industries and redefine what it means to lead. These are the women who build bridges, turning obstacles into opportunities for all.

You won’t find these women simply riding the waves of change; they are the forces behind the tides themselves. From technology and science to arts and social services, theirs are stories of brilliance and resilience.

At Marin Living, we are particularly inspired by the synergy of wisdom and innovation these women bring. We see it in the way they merge life’s roles — balancing career, family and personal growth — with grace. Yet, we know the truth behind their success is not just talent but grit, their unrelenting commitment to pursuing goals and breaking barriers.

Women like Skelly Wingard, whose leadership is helping us see

end-of- life care with deep compassion and understanding. We also celebrate entrepreneurs like Nikita Khandheria, who took over the reins at Dita’s Marin, a new restaurant in Sausalito, at 17 and is changing how we see inclusivity and success at an early age.

I invite you to draw inspiration from their stories, not just in what they have achieved but as a blueprint for what we, too, can accomplish. Whether you are a young woman at the dawn of your career, a seasoned professional or someone who supports and uplifts those around you, change and innovation have a role for each of us.

Together, let’s cherish and empower the groundbreaking women in our lives. After all, when women succeed, they not only change the world — they redefine it for generations to come.

JESSICA CLINE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO

Portrait by Becca Teal Batista; www.stock.adobe.com/Stavros

from the

creative DIRECTOR

mention Christopher West and the gorgeous cover he created for us this month. Bravo! One of my favorite quotes on the subject comes from Maya Angelou: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Keep that in mind the next time you consider taking a creative class or starting a new art project or even taking up a new hobby — creativity begets creativity. What is more wonderful than that?

CASEY GILLESPIE CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER

CREATIVE BY DESIGN

WELCOME TO OUR “Creative Culture” issue — I know I must sound like a broken record because I say this every year, but I adore this issue. Not only is it endlessly inspiring to learn about people in our community who are following their callings, but to see the sheer number of artists in our midst makes me feel even more like I am exactly where I belong. From visual artists to musicians, chefs, artisans, photographers, filmmakers and everything in between, the creative buzz in the Bay Area is palpable. For this issue we spoke to some pretty incredible people: a former San Quentin inmate who now makes a living with his writing skills and helps others do the same; a hotelier with multiple properties who is making her creative vision come to life; a local photographer and filmmaker who has just opened his own gallery; the list goes on. And so does that sense of “if they can do it, maybe I can, too.” (You can.) And of course, I must

From Adam Warmington’s latest exhibit Between Daylight and Darkness

Portrait by Becca Teal Batista; Adam Warmington

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Wake up to a refreshing sea breeze and revel in everything that is The Strand at Loch Lomond Marina. With just a few townhomes remaining, securing your new home base in San Rafael is closer in focus than ever before.

The Strand’s coastal location places you close to water activities, trips to San Francisco and on-site outings at a moment’s notice. Explore The Strand today before the final townhomes are off the market.

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spotlight marin.

SCREEN TIME

DocLands Documentary Film Festival (www.doclands.com) returns May 2 to 5 with 25 feature films from around the world. All screenings take place at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. “With an array of compelling true stories that promise to inspire and captivate audiences, this year’s lineup boasts a diverse selection of films that offer both humor and beauty, providing a brief respite from daily life,” says Joni Cooper, DocLands director of programming.

Courtesy of Giants Rising and DocLands

From the Giants Rising documentary featuring Sarah Bird’s work, which will debut at DocLands.

FOR WHOM THE BRIDGE TOLLS

Starting July 1, the price to cross the Golden Gate Bridge will increase by 50 cents , bringing the rate for two-axle vehicles to $10.25. FasTrak customer tolls will be $9.25 and “pay as you go” drivers will pay a toll of $9.50.

SAFETY FIRST

There has been an increase in the number of local youths illegally operating electric motorcycles. Central Marin police believe parents are purchasing them for their children with the mistaken belief that they are e-bikes. A public education effort is underway to address the safety issues at hand and to help parents understand the differences between the two vehicles.

ART AND ARTISTS

Fairfax’s (www.townoffairfax.org) historic Pavilion building is home to the second annual Artisan Spring Pop-Up on May 4. The event, which features local artists selling handmade goods, is sponsored by the Town of Fairfax and its Artist in Residence program. Bolinas Museum (www.bolinasmuseum.org) has several new exhibitions open through the beginning of June, including New Geographies, Janis Yerington: Even Still and Ken Botto: Barbies. On May 11, find poets Hannah Yerington and Tess Taylor hosting a free event in the courtyard.

KEN BOTTO, “Barbie: Red Chair,” 1982, Chromogenic print, 32 by 42 inches

www.stock.adobe.com/Peter Wey (left); courtesy of Kenneth J. Botto Photography Trust and Bolinas Museum (right)

by Caitlin Hamer

more of it.

SWING INTO SPRING

Inspire Napa Valley’s Spring Wine Weekend (www.inspirenapavalley.org) returns May 3 to 5. The event benefits the Alzheimer’s Association and includes a seminar in addition to dinners, brunch and wine tasting. Imagery Estate Winery (www.imagerywinery.com) is getting summer started with its Summer Lawn Party Series. Held the first Saturday of each month through August; the first event is May 4. Benziger Family Winery (www.benziger.com) starts its Vineyard Stroll and Wine Tasting events on May 19. The experiences run monthly through September. MacArthur Place Hotel and Spa (www.macarthurplace.com) has unveiled the lineup for its Artist-in-Residence program, held in partnership with Uprise Art (www.upriseart.com). May’s artist, Mia Farrington, is in residence May 18 to 23.

GET TO THE GALLERY

San Francisco–based painter Sarah K. Horowitz (www.bentblue.com), whose work you may know from shows at Gallery 1337 in San Rafael, is taking part in a group exhibition with fellow artists Don Porcella, Ariel Liu, Gray Davidson, Daniele Erville and Hilary Bates at Hearth Gallery in San Francisco (816 Alabama Street). Horowitz works in acrylic, monoprinted tissue and found paper. The show opens on May 19, with a live sound collage performed by Konceptualizer.

Sarah K. Horowitz addresses the gender wage gap in “79 Percent of a View of the Palace of Fine Arts,” acrylic on cradled birch panel, 18 by 18 inches

Courtesy of Inspire Napa Valley (above); courtesy of Sarah K. Horowitz

by Caitlin Hamer

A preview of the delicious dinners at Inspire Napa Valley

THE FORCE IS STRONG

In honor of the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, Alamo Drafthouse (www.drafthouse.com) in San Francisco is hosting a Star Wars Skywalker Saga marathon. All three Star Wars trilogies will be screened in a 21-hour marathon starting on May 3 and ending on May 4. Guests can purchase limited-edition merchandise and food from a custom menu.

Attend the reading at Book Passage on May 11.

FAMILY LEGACY

San Rafael–based Bonnie Portnoy is at Corte Madera’s Book Passage (www.bookpassage.com) on May 11 in honor of her new book, The Man Beneath the Paint: California Impressionist Tilden Daken. Portnoy, granddaughter of Daken, lectures frequently about the late painter.

FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS

On May 26, the 50th Muir Beach Volunteer Firemen’s Barbecue (www.muirbeachfire.com) will be held in Santos Meadows. The family-friendly day includes food, live music from Vinyl and Andre’s All-Stars, and plenty of drinks, as well as a raffle of dozens of prizes.

Courtesy of Bonnie Portnoy (above); courtesy of Vinyl (below)

by Caitlin Hamer

MAY IS FOR MUSIC

Musician Dan Wilson is headlining Notes & Words (www.notesandwords.org) on May 11. The event takes place at Oakland’s Fox Theater and benefits UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. Mill Valley Music Festival (www.millvalleymusicfest.com) returns May 11 and 12 with Fleet Foxes, Fruit Bats and others taking the stage. Hungry visitors should make sure to check out the lineup of local food vendors. Dawn Ranch is hosting Cosmico (www.cosmi.co), a boutique nonprofit festival of arts, food, wine and live music in Guerneville. The immersive experience is May 17 to 19 and includes performances by Susto, Sam Grisman and more. On May 18, Save the

Redwoods League (www.savetheredwoods.org) presents Take Me to the Trees: A Redwoods Celebration. Held at the Presidio, it will offer food and drinks, fun activities and a performance by Super Diamond. BottleRock Napa Valley (www.bottlerocknapavalley.com) promises another year of memorable musical performances from artists like Stevie Nicks, Megan Thee Stallion and Pearl Jam. The music festival takes place May 24 to 26. In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild (www. inalandscape.org) comes to Jack London State Historic Park on May 24. Lasseter Family Winery will provide one complimentary glass of wine to each adult.

RITTER CENTER FUNDRAISER

On May 16, Ritter Center (www.rittercenter.org) is hosting its annual Under the Stars fundraiser aiming to end homelessness. The catered barbecue dinner will be at the San Rafael Elks Lodge and includes live music and an auction. “Ritter Center is integral to ensuring Marin County’s safety net is as robust as it can be,” says San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin. “Every event they hold and donation they receive goes towards the important work of moving unhoused folks from our streets into permanent supportive housing.”

Courtesy of BottleRock Napa Valley news. by Caitlin Hamer

living.

BottleRock Napa Valley returns for another showstopping year.

BY THE NUMBERS: Homelessness and Housing in Marin

A homelessness and affordable housing initiative is being pursued by the Marin Community Foundation (www.marincf.org). Critical intervention points include investing in homeless prevention services and increased access to permanent supportive and affordable housing.

$622,500

Grant to Bolinas Community Land Trust to create temporary housing

$500,000

Grant to Marin Foster Care Association to purchase a Novato apartment building

$667,000

Grant to Homeward Bound of Marin to complete a veterans’ housing project

$750,000

Grant to Bridge Housing to purchase and preserve a Terra Linda apartment building

$575,000

Grant to Essential Housing Fund to support research and development of a community land bank

$225,000

Grant to County of Marin to enable a collaborative with Napa and Sonoma to boost ADU production

2

Number of grants given to Community Land Trust of West Marin to purchase homes in Point Reyes Station

$25,520

Grant to Hope Housing to enable feasibility study

the LIST

A look at special offers and new products from some of Marin’s favorite businesses.

By Caitlin Hamer

MOUNTAIN TOP CONSTRUCTION

Whether it’s commercial or residential projects, Mountain Top Construction is dedicated to quality craftsmanship and keeping clients happy. Working with their offices in both San Francisco and Marin, you can rest assured that if you’ve got a vision for your Bay Area spot, they’ll help you build it. www.mtmountaintop.com 2

SCANDIA HOME

For more than 50 years, Scandia Home has brought European-style luxury and comfort to discerning households. And now, the brand’s timeless bedding pieces, linens and bath accessories can be found at their new retail location in Corte Madera. Don’t miss the Spring Sale; it ends the first week of May. www.scandiahome.com 1

3

MCCAFFREY DESIGN GROUP

If you’re looking for an interior refresh but you’re short on time and on a strict budget, McCaffrey Design Group is ready for you. From live tracking of invoices as part of their bespoke budget services to digital design boards catering to long-distance clients, the interior design process has never been easier. www.mccaffreydesigngroup.com

All images courtesy of the brands

FOR MOM, WITH LOVE

Show Mom how much you care this Mother’s Day with a gift that is as sweet as she is.

By Casey Gillespie

1. Wrap Mom up in love or the closest thing to it — this Down Robe by Scandia Home . The baffle-box stitching and 300-thread-count cotton sateen makes it feel as luxurious as it looks. Available at Scandia Home (The Village at Corte Madera) and www.scandiahome.com, $265

4. Guaranteed to brighten up any outfit, La Ligne’s Solid Mini Marin Sweater is made of luxurious seven-ply wool-cashmere and sits at the waist. So soft and so, so flattering. No doubt Mom will love it. Available at La Ligne (Marin Country Mart) and www.lalignenyc.com, $275

2 1

2. If she loves fashion, she will adore this buttery soft leather Small Easy Tote from Cuyana (shown here in Dark Coral). It’s the perfect lightweight carryall. Available at Cuyana (2116 Fillmore Street, San Francisco) and www.cuyana.com, $248

3. Moms who love to garden will love this Mini Lemon Gift Tree from Hudson Grace. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long. Available at Hudson Grace (Marin Country Mart) and www.hudsongracesf.com, $78

5. Gift Mom some “me” time with McEvoy Ranch’s ODE Olive Oil Beauty Body Oil in Citrus, containing 24 percent McEvoy Ranch organic EVOO. It leaves skin hydrated, nourished and glowing, sans the oily residue. Available at McEvoy Ranch (5935 Red Hill Road, Petaluma) and www.mcevoyranch.com, $36

6. Wellness fanatics are obsessed with Sausalito-based Botnia and Mom will be, too. And the recently launched Well Serum, a natural alternative to retinol, will be her new go-to miracle product. Available at www.botniaskincare.com, $92

4 6

3

5

All images courtesy of the brands

CATCH YOU AT THE CORNER

Three local restaurant industry veterans have answered the call to bring a new nightlife spot to Mill Valley.

By Caitlin Hamer

IT OFTEN FEELS LIKE MARIN has it all — good food, epic views and a whole lot more of the things that make life great. And yet, complaints about the diminishing nightlife scene have persisted in certain pockets of the county. But it’s time to put those thoughts to rest and you can do so while pulling up to Mill Valley’s newest establishment, Corner Bar.

The brainchild of restaurant industry veterans

Bill Higgins, Peter Schumacher and Jason Sims, Corner Bar is located at 106 Throckmorton in the heart of downtown Mill Valley, where Coho used to be and Vasco before it. When Coho closed its doors last year, these gentlemen got word that the prime

location was available and soon everything was falling into place.

“I want this place to fit into the town just where it needs to be, not taking away from the other restaurants but adding to downtown,” says Sims. Schumacher adds, “We think it’s what people are looking for.” And that’s not just because of the friendly, neighborhood-bar-meets-cocktail-lounge vibes you’ll find inside, but also because Corner Bar’s hours run later than anywhere else in downtown Mill Valley.

“It’s a place you can come to before a show at the Sweetwater, or after a movie,” says Higgins. “It’ll help fill in the gaps downtown.”

Liz Schumacher’s interior design touches are an irreverent nod to Marin’s timeless bars (left); king salmon tartare served on crispy potato latkes with lemon, cucumber, capers and crème fraîche

I want this place to fit into the town just where it needs to be, not taking away from the other restaurants but adding to downtown.”

While the name suggests a charming simplicity, Corner Bar’s interiors reflect a sophisticated, vintage club-like ambience. Schumacher’s wife, Liz, partnered with Tim Dixon to take on the interior design process, gathering input from the three owners to create the unique aesthetic. A special touch is the mural inside, painted by Bay Area artist Caroline Lizarraga. It all makes for an environment that is full of character, the kind of place that you can’t help but look at as you walk by, soon finding yourself feeling drawn in. And once you’re in, you’ll find ample seating: there are stools at the bar (the best spot to tune into sporting events playing on the two TVs), long banquette seats along the walls, high-top chairs in the middle of the bar and cozy couches by the entrance.

And of course, there’s as much thought put into the drinks as there is into the design. Corner Bar’s libations offer enough to please the dive bar crowds as well as seekers of craft cocktails. “We want it to be a place for everybody,” says Higgins. It’s a spot for happy hour, date night or for anyone just looking to grab a drink in a place that’s comfortable but also

buzzing with good energy. And if you’re wondering, yes, there is food; Chef Michael Siegel has created a menu of mostly shareable items, largely inspired by Mediterranean cuisine.

Above all, it’s the owners’ determination to create something that makes people happy and makes Mill Valley even better that sets the atmosphere here. Their mission statement calls it “a haven for friends (and soon to be friends) to gather.” We’ll see you there, friend.

A WEEKEND IN PASO ROBLES

Located in San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles is a venerable wine destination. While the area started to put itself on the map with its winemaking in the early 2000s, it has evolved into an epicurean treat, producing mostly European-style wines and a slew of restaurants that won’t disappoint. And when it comes to hospitality, Paso has it down to a tee. Here are a few places to add to your itinerary.

By Casey Gillespie

ALLEGRETTO VINEYARD RESORT

2700 Buena Vista Drive

www.allegrettovineyardresort.com

The sprawling resort is set among the rolling hills of Paso Robles with its own wine-producing vines dotted around the property. The Tuscan-style architecture is the picture-perfect setting for weddings and leisurely weekends away. Guests will enjoy an on-property tasting room, a luxurious spa and a bustling restaurant and bar, which is open from breakfast through after-dinner cocktails. And even though the property is only about a 10-minute drive from downtown, it feels like you have settled into a countryside retreat.

BOOKER VINEYARD

2644 Anderson Road

www.bookerwines.com

Choosing between the underground cave room (the stone wall weeps when it rains) or the indoor-outdoor tasting lounge (with picturesque views over the vine-

yard) for your tasting is probably the hardest decision you will have to make here. The certified organic estate vineyard produces an interesting variety of wines with an emphasis on Rhône varietals. Try them all.

ELEVEN TWENTY-TWO COCKTAIL LOUNGE

1122 Pine Street

www.eleven-twentytwo.com

Accessed through Pappy McGregor’s Pub (make your way to the back patio), this speakeasy is a cocktail lover’s dream. The decor is 1930s-inspired and the hushed crowd makes it feel even more authentic. Order the butter pecan old fashioned or a grasshopper for a late-night pick-me-up.

IN BLOOM

1845 Spring Street

www.inbloompasorobles.com

Added to the Michelin Guide in 2023, the restaurant has a loyal local following and for good reason — the menu

Courtesy of Visit SLO CAL

Booker Vineyard tasting lounge (opposite); Niner Wine Estates (below)

draws on regional ingredients from trusted farms with an emphasis on expertly prepared seasonal vegetables. The house cocktails are worth a try as well — the carrot margarita is like nothing you have ever sipped.

PASO MARKET WALK

1803 Spring Street

www.pasomarketwalk.com

This mini food hall is ideal for an afternoon lunch and has a little something for everyone. Of course there is wine tasting, but also Japanese soul food and a vegan cheese creamery that offers flights for tasting, among other delicious offerings.

PASO WINE FEST

May 16-19

www.pasowine.com/winefest

Marin-based Chef Tyler Florence will make an appearance with an all-you-can-eat barbecue at this food and wine festival. Discover more than 100 wineries as well as tasty food stations and live entertainment.

NINER WINE ESTATES

2400 Highway 46 West

www.ninerwine.com

If you are looking for a tasting paired with a food experience this is your spot. People travel from far and wide for the homemade focaccia, but the place also has a mouthwatering lunch menu. Weather permitting, the outdoor patio, which overlooks the vines, is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

RIVER OAKS HOT SPRINGS

800 Clubhouse Drive

www.riveroakshotsprings.com

The spa offers indoor and outdoor mineral spring tubs along with massages and facials. You wouldn’t be in Wine Country unless they offered a wine tasting experience — and they do, of course. Mineral spa experiences are available à la carte, while all spa services include a 30-minute soak.

Courtesy of Niner Wine Estates

SENSORIO

4380 Highway 46 East

www.sensoriopaso.com

Truly a one-of-a-kind outdoor immersive experience, Bruce Munro’s four light installations are a multiacre exhibit featuring glowing optic fibers, 17,000 wine bottles and sculptural art. This summer will also see a new exhibition by L.A. artists HYBYCOZO. Touted by the New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine, this is a must-visit.

TIN CITY

450 Marquita Avenue

www.tincitypasorobles.com

This makers market, housed in repurposed industrial buildings, is home to a plethora of wineries, breweries and distilleries. You may need an entire day to explore them all. Not to worry: there is a creamery, bakery, pasta bar and an ice cream shop so you won’t go hungry.

THOMAS HILL ORGANICS

1313 Park Street

www.thomashillorganics.com

Bay Area transplants and husband-and-wife chef/owners

Lisa and Mike started their careers in San Francisco, but were drawn to the rich history and laid-back vibe that Paso offers. This bustling eatery showcases the best of what the region has to offer and the passion is apparent in every bite. Definitely make a reservation; this place gets busy.

LIVE MUSIC LIVES ON

A weekend in Paso calls for live music; here is where to go to see the best acts.

FOR EVENING JAZZ

Libretto

1242 Park Street

www.librettopaso.com

FOR DAYTIME MUSIC

California Coast Beer Company

1346 Railroad Street

www.calcoastbeer.com

FOR AMPHITHEATER CONCERTS

BarrelHouse Brewing Co.

3055 Limestone Way

www.barrelhouse brewing.com

Courtesy of Sensario

Sensorio is an immersive experience like no other.

•Better balance, coordination, and strength

•Sharpened mental focus

•Emotional wellbeing

Adult Class Schedule

Adult Class Schedule

Adult Class Schedule

Intermediate/Advanced Ballet

Intermediate/Advanced Ballet

Monday through Friday | 9:30am to 11am

Monday through Friday | 9:30am to 11am

Intermediate/Advanced Ballet

Monday through Friday | 9:30am to 11am

Ballet

Monday and Wednesday | 6pm to 7:30pm

Monday and Wednesday | 6pm to 7:30pm

Beginner/Intermediate Ballet

Monday and Wednesday | 6pm to 7:30pm

Drop in for your free class and meet one of our four adult teachers. You’ll love this community of dancers!

Drop in for your free class and meet one of our four adult teachers. You’ll love this community of dancers!

Drop in for your free class and meet one of our four adult teachers. You’ll love this community of dancers!

Photo: Sara AbuShaban

PLAY ON

Bread & Roses Presents is gearing up for a year full of celebrations in honor of its 50th anniversary.

By Caitlin Hamer

THE POET JAMES OPPENHEIM once wrote, “Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.” Perhaps no one understands this sentiment better than the folks at Bread & Roses Presents, a Marinbased nonprofit that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Founded by the late folk singer Mimi Fariña in 1974, Bread & Roses (www. breadandroses.org) was started with the purpose of bringing live music to teens, adults and elders across the Bay Area. What sets these performances apart is that they’re done exclusively for audiences who are disadvantaged, marginalized or otherwise isolated in an array of institutional settings. And while Bread & Roses is preparing some special anniversary events this year, it’s also business as usual for the uplifting organization, with a steady stream of shows still being performed regularly.

“Our high-water mark was about 650 shows in one year,” recalls Dave Perron,

Children at Berkeley YMCA Head Start react to a Bread & Roses puppet show.

executive director for Bread & Roses. Perron is also celebrating a milestone this year, with 2024 marking his 10th year there in that role. But he’s been with the organization since its early days, serving on the board in the mid-1980s. Fast-forward to today, and he seems in awe at the amount of people who have been reached since then. In 2023 alone, Bread & Roses partnered with 67 different social service facilities in the Bay Area for 509 free performances with audiences totaling more than 54,000 people. Indoor, outdoor and virtual shows took place, and it’s all thanks to nearly 300 volunteers who shared their artistic talents (storytellers, jugglers, magicians and others, in addition to musicians) to bring joy to disadvantaged audiences.

Photographs by Peter Merts, courtesy of Bread & Roses

Bread & Roses’ mission is simple: to bring hope and healing through live performing arts shows.”

Perron stresses that the group’s success is also driven by the organizations it partners with, who allow performers to come in, set up and play — it’s not always convenient, but he promises it’s always worth it. You may recognize many of the names: the Cedars of Marin, San Quentin, the Veterans Home of California in Yountville and many, many more. And speaking of names you may recognize, if you look at the lengthy list of performers for Bread & Roses’ past benefit concerts, you might think you were looking at the lineups for major music festivals. Some of the acts have included Leonard Cohen, Jerry Garcia and Pete Seeger, and in recent years, the annual San Francisco–based fundraisers have drawn in performers like boygenius, Hozier and Nathaniel Rateliff.

This year’s benefit shows promise to be no less impressive, with the Golden Jam kicking off the first of three major events on May 23. Held at Sweetwater Music Hall, the fundraising celebration will be co-hosted by folk music icon Joan Baez (Fariña’s sister) and legendary music journalist Ben FongTorres. It will, naturally, be a music-filled event, with Ron Artis II, Tony Saunders, Dirty Cello and Jeffrey Halford taking the stage. There will also be a house band, food and drinks, a silent auction and more special guests showing their support. But the celebrations won’t stop there; there will be a fundraiser concert at HopMonk in Novato on September 7 and the annual fall benefit in San Francisco on November 23.

Bread & Roses’ mission is simple: to bring hope and healing through live performing arts shows. And Perron has witnessed it in action many times, from seeing a woman brought to tears after hearing her wedding song being played to seeing how performances at the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank transformed the energy at distributions. “Imagine going from 200 shows a year when we started to this,” says Perron.

The Lovin’ Harmony Trio (above); Miss Kitty with an audience member at the Marin Learning Center in Marin City (below)

BORN OF FIRE

Butterflies and bees rejoice: a new backyard landscape concept is friendly to wildlife and homeowners alike.

By Annie Gieser

IT’S A COMPANY born from the ashes. Literally. Yardzen is a modern, efficient and fun way to reimagine landscaping. It is now the largest residential landscaping platform in the United States. But it started from a fire.

Co-founders and wife-andhusband team Allison and Adam Messner were at their home in Calistoga when the Tubbs Fire of 2017 erupted and destroyed their neighborhood. Seeing the flames approach, Adam turned on all of the sprinklers surrounding their home. By some miracle, the home was saved, but everything surrounding it was reduced to ash.

“We had a house on a patch of scorched earth and we had to figure out how to rebuild the landscape,” says Allison, describing the arduous, expensive and frustrating process of revamping their yard from the soil up. “We just kept saying, ‘There should be a way that you can design your property using your iPhone. It shouldn’t be so complicated.’ ”

As entrepreneurs — both have started multiple companies before Yardzen — Allison and Adam couldn’t shake the opportunity staring right at them. They proved the concept using their own property and a designer from Miami who only had photos, videos and property information to work with. With encouragement from the Messners to just give it a shot, “she created a beautiful landscape design that was true to climate and was then installed.”

After posting on Nextdoor to see if any neighbors would be interested in a service like this (in 24 hours more than 30 of them were), Yardzen (www. yardzen.com) was officially born.

Soon Yardzen was pairing clients across the country with landscape designers, all online. Homeowners go to the website, choose a budget, inspiration and yard details, then receive a realistic, customized, buildable design.

“There is nothing like it — the design is beautiful. It’s delivered in design-realistic 3D and indistinguishable from a photograph,” says Allison. After feedback sessions and a finalized design, the client is paired with a local, vetted landscape contractor to bring the vision to life.

Each yard is fitted to the particular climate, which clients can learn more about in Yardzen’s massive online database. To take sustainability efforts a step further, Yardzen started the American Rewilding Project, “which is a commitment to

include multiple pollinator plants in every design we create,” says Allison, noting that nearly 98 percent of Yardzen clients opt in to this initiative.

“There are 130 million residential lots in the United States,” she says. “If every single residential lot had just a few pollinator plants in them, we could create these amazing habitat corridors for birds and bees and butterflies and all kinds of goodness would come from that.” And since Yardzen is officially designing and landscaping lawns in all 50 states, that goal might not be too far away.

The future of American homes is visible in the Yardzen design gallery: unique, tailored to the right climate, sustainable and visually appealing. The ideal combination to make both homeowners and pollinators happy this summer.

Courtesy of Yardzen

Husband-and-wife team Adam and Allison Messner with their kids at their home in Mill Valley.

You’re Invited to the Grand Opening of Our New Veterans Housing!

4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 13

1385 N. Hamilton Parkway in Novato

Join us to celebrate a new community for veterans! Thanks to your help, we’re ready to open the building where 24 former service members will leave homelessness behind.

Take a tour, hear from local leaders, enjoy a rousing brass band and share refreshments made by our Fresh Starts Culinary Academy. Everyone is welcome!

Help give our new residents a bountiful homecoming!

Your gift today will provide nourishing meals and community activities in the first year.

FACING FACING LIFE

LIFE

Sentenced to a lifetime behind bars, RAHSAAN “NEW YORK” THOMAS became a journalist, won his freedom and now uses writing to help other incarcerated people unlock their futures.

BY DANIEL JEWETT

AAlthough Brownsville, a neighborhood of color in Brooklyn punctuated by housing project towers, was an afterthought to city officials, Rahsaan Thomas mostly felt safe growing up — at least until the cops came around.

“I remember Brownsville was a good neighborhood when I was young, even though we were broke. Everybody left their doors open,” says the half-Black, half–Puerto Rican with a steely gaze balanced by an easy laugh and a natural intelligence. “Then crack hit and all of the sudden we’ve got extra locks on the door.”

Despite difficulties including a father who was never around, being bullied for looking white and seeing his brother get shot, Thomas was a hard worker with gigs at Sprint Messenger Service, G & G Shops and a law firm. Even though he was working and not involved in criminal activity he still felt the need to carry a gun for safety, which led to a stint in prison for assault with a deadly weapon. After that everything changed.

“Once I came up with that felony I couldn’t get back in,” he says — he was relegated to working odd jobs while supporting two kids, finding career opportunities closed to him. “At first I was doing really good and trying really hard, but the system kept picking on me.”

Eventually Thomas found himself in California, dealing weed, when the event that would shape his life in unexpected ways happened. A drug deal went bad when some buyers refused to pay and Thomas shot at them, killing one man and injuring another. “A robbery meant you were taking my self-esteem and taking my pride, my self-image,” he says. “I made the horrible choice of deciding that a bag of marijuana and my pride were

more important than my life.” He was sentenced to 55 years and six months to life in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, known then as San Quentin State Prison.

Thomas did some research on his father and learned that he was in prison for eight years, was addicted to heroin and had committed suicide. “I was like this dude is a loser and I never want to be like him,” he says, adding that it is easy to give up on improving yourself when you are facing life behind bars. “I just kept thinking, I gotta do something to make sure my life means something to my sons, even if I’m never going home.”

Thomas decided to become a writer and started reading books on the New York Times bestseller list and joining every program he could at San Quentin: a creative writing class, a poetry class, college classes on English and journalism, instruction from a guild that teaches journalism. “San Quentin was the opposite of any prison I’ve ever been in,” he says about the opportunities. But in the process, he discovered one painful truth: the 250,000-word epic tome he had spent 10 years working on wasn’t very good. “I find out this book is horrible, I made every possible mistake,” he says, laughing.

“In the San Quentin creative writing class I learned how to write and that I could write, and I wrote a story called ‘One Bad Apple,’ ” Thomas says. “It was the first story I ever read in public and they loved it.” Thomas began writing for the San Quentin News, becoming its sports editor, which guaranteed him at least six to 10 stories per issue (he would

Courtesy of Rahsaan Thomas

From left: Miye Sugino, Rahsaan Thomas, Christine Lashaw, Emily Nonko and Dejon Joy outside of San Quentin after the Artist Initiative/ Empowerment Avenue Art Expo inside the prison.

www.stock.adobe.com/Eric BVD (this page); courtesy of the J.M. Kaplan Fund (opposite)

“

I MADE THE HORRIBLE CHOICE OF DECIDING THAT A BAG OF MARIJUANA WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY LIFE.

go on to write more than 300 articles in total). “Sometimes I felt like I was writing the whole paper,” he jokes.

But with his $36 a month salary (most of which went to victim restitution), Thomas began noticing something else. “I realized that this prison that was letting me learn how to be a podcaster, a writer and a filmmaker was not allowing me to make money,” he says. “I was a 40-year-old man asking my mommy for stuff. I couldn’t take care of my kids.”

With the goal of helping other writers and journalists behind bars find a path to getting paid for their work, Thomas created Empowerment Avenue (www.empowerment ave.org). He also began making documentary films and — in a move that would take on greater significance later — joined season four of the prison-life Ear Hustle podcast (www.earhustlesq.com), which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020.

“I was covering their stories for the newspaper and just really admiring their progress and one day NBC came and took a picture of us together. And that picture kept popping up as if I was part of it,” Thomas says about Ear Hustle , adding that later he did become a part of it. “Co-host Earlonne (Woods) was getting a commutation and he was going to be going home hella early. So they wanted to have a new ‘inside’ producer and they did auditions and I got it.”

The photo proved to be a blessing in disguise as it made Thomas well-known and, with the focused effort on rehabilitation and his other work behind bars, set him up as a strong candidate for commutation himself. “What comes into play is that unless the governor thinks it’s safe to let you go and the public wants you back you aren’t getting out early,” says Thomas, who submitted a

commutation packet to Governor Gavin Newsom. “Most people have nobody at their hearing, but I had like 50 people show up.” Newsom granted the commutation and one agonizing year later, last February, Thomas found himself a free man once again. “It was a beautiful feeling,” he says.

Now Thomas, based in Oakland, is working full time with several partners on Empowerment Avenue — helping journalists on the inside write and edit stories, build industry connections, make pitches to publications like the New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Miami Herald, The Appeal and Marshall Project , and get paid. “We have some really prolific writers like Chris Blackwell, who has published over 100 stories since he’s been in the program,” Thomas says, adding that the program is in 14 prisons in 20 states and has brought in some $250,000 for incarcerated writers. “We have four volunteers and his wife working with him, he’s got a podcast, a book thing, he’s poppin’.”

In 2023 Empowerment Avenue was awarded a J.M.K. Innovation Prize, which supports innovators in the fields of social justice, the environment and heritage conservation. Awardees receive a total of $175,000 over three years as well as help navigating the challenges of running a startup. Thomas says he will use the prize money to hire another staff member, grow the writing program and expand into film.

Thomas believes that one of the most important things he does is help people reintegrate into society with a solid foundation to stand on — financially and emotionally — and that that benefits everybody. “You’re not used to interacting with regular people and having a normal social dynamic. When you isolate people, when you reject them, they feel like f*ck the world,” he says. “But when you include them, they shift their loyalty to society. It’s easy to switch allegiances if you let people in.”

between daylight darkness and

“This is a burger joint in Sacramento. I love the lone diners, plywood wall and neon lines. It feels like it’s from another era, a theme that runs through a lot of my images.”

A PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER EXPLORES

“THE BLUE HOUR” THROUGH HIS LATEST BODY OF WORK.

Photographs and words by Adam Warmington

I’m originally from Bristol, England,

but have lived in the U.S. for the last 20 years. It feels both foreign and like home at the same time. I am not American, but am an American citizen. Because of this, I am afforded a unique way of looking at this country, both removed and from within it. I like to think my photography reflects that.

All images in this series were shot during my favorite time of day — between daylight and darkness: the blue hour. There is something inherently interesting about this time to me, both in the quality of the light and its place in closing out the active part of the day. Work is over, kids are home, people aren’t out partying yet. There’s a collective exhale. It’s peaceful. Fog-wrapped neon and fluorescents dancing with the last embers of daylight.

“This was taken at a car wash in Fairfax. I passed it most days around this time and loved the light. I kept waiting for a cool car, but in the end I asked my pal Bryce to pose with his vintage Ford 250.”

“This was taken at the Marin County Fair on July 4th but could just as easily have been a county fair in Oklahoma 40 years ago. It was taken on a Leica and lens made in the 1950s. I love the swirly effect and the reflection of the fireworks on his hat.”

BETWEEN DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS IS AN ONGOING EXHIBIT AT THE WARM GALLERY (WWW.WARMGALLERY.COM, 552 SAN ANSELMO AVENUE). VISIT THE NEWLY OPENED GALLERY TO SEE NEW WORK BY WARMINGTON AND OTHERS.

Meet THREE VISUAL ARTISTS who are marching to the beat of their own drum.

BY AMBER TURPIN

of the STATE R

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes a certain place so appealing. A hum of possibility, of belonging, or a sense of flow that can sweep you away and make you go looking at those “for sale” photos posted in the real estate office window (we’ve all done it on vacation).

Marin County is one of these places, hardly a secret, especially for those of us who have intentionally settled among the natural beauty we enjoy in this place. As such, it’s no wonder that so much artistic talent resides here — folks that channel this unspoken magic into astonishing work. Meet three local artists who are making waves in Marin and beyond.

SARAH BIRD has always known she’s an artist. “I was always the artist kid. That’s just what I did. I painted, I drew, my head was always in my imagination all the time,” she recalls. When college came around, she started out studying art history, but found herself drawn back into making studio art. “There’s a feeling of rightness when I’m making things … the act of conjuring something out of nothing,” she says.

In 2015, while living in New York, Bird felt a strong urge to start photographing trees, specifically our local redwoods and in the Santa Cruz Mountains. So she began traveling back and forth to do this, eventually settling on the West Coast full time. Looking back now, she realizes that her first, fully realized art installation was in 1993 involving 10,000 eucalyptus leaves, symbolic of her family heritage in Australia. She reflects, “My relationship to trees as markers of place and memory has been really long-standing and deep.”

Her primary medium is photography, but she also loves drawing, stop-motion animation with

charcoal, and most recently, trying to work out how to use LiDAR (an acronym for light detection and ranging) with 3D remote sensing to better capture her tree subjects.

Today, Bird lives with her husband in Mill Valley. “We got married last summer in West Marin and it never occurred to us to be anywhere but here. It’s magical,” she says. Bird is still deeply focused on trees, specifically our human relationship with them in a time of ecological crisis. Her full-scale redwood tree public art project called Being/ Tree, which she has been working on for seven years, was projected on the San Francisco Ferry Building last month. And she is getting her Ph.D. at UC Santa Cruz, working on a dissertation titled “Strategies for Arboreal-Human Flourishing in the Anthropocene.” Her work is also the subject of a new film called Giants Rising (www.giantsrising.com) that premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and will be shown at DocLands in San Rafael on May 4. See more of her work at www.sarahbirdstudio.com.

sarah bird

“My relationship to trees as markers of place and memory has been really long-standing and deep,” says Bird.

Portrait courtesy of Fabian Aguirre/Giants Rising Film; courtesy of Sarah Bird

Fritz has been studying art since she was 12 years old.

ellie

ELLIE FRITZ was raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and went to a rigorous public school for the arts. She has basically been in art school since she was 12, following a very clear path her whole life. Fritz received a scholarship in 2000 to attend San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), which has sadly closed since then but enjoyed an incredible history (Ansel Adams started the photography department there).

Fritz says that she has always had a really strong practice; coming from an art high school will establish that. But when she landed in the painting department at SFAI, she found it very competitive and isolating. “I just ended up hanging out in the printmaking department because it was more communal and it really set me in motion for how I work today. So I was a painter that fell in love with the social aspect of printmaking,” she recalls.

A look at her current work is evidence of this mixed-media approach, blending collage, painting, printmaking and embossing. Fritz says that a central tenet of her practice is experimentation and play, letting trial and error bring about growth.

In college, Fritz worked her way through school as a full-time nanny for a family in Marin, which solidified her love for the area. She moved her studio here in 2010 and has found the network of other artists in Marin very rewarding. In 2017, a residency at Lucid Art Foundation in Inverness was pivotal for her; she spent a week working in solitude with the concept of art in consciousness, which created space for experimentation. The foundation just published a book this past February called A Place of Creation that features 97 participating artists, including Fritz, and 11 scholars. She says, “Something that’s really important for me as an artist is the role of being in community … it is equally important for me to always find some means to interact with the community in my art.”

You can view Fritz’s work on her website and by booking private viewings at the K. Imperial Fine Art (www.kimperialfineart.com) galleries in San Francisco and Palo Alto. She also exhibited at San Francisco Art Fair at Fort Mason at the end of last month and will show at Art on Paper in New York in September. www.elliefritz.com

fritz

Courtesy of Ellie Fritz

christopher west

LOCAL ARTIST CHRIS WEST (see the cover of this issue), who is also an adjunct art professor at the College of Marin and Santa Rosa Junior College, feels that our origin stories are important. Raised in Humboldt County on a property that his parents still live on, he says his upbringing of running wild in the redwood forests “really clearly defined home for me. I also see it more clearly in my work the older I get.”

West works with very simple materials; he can name what’s in his studio on one hand. Paper, spray paint, glue and magnets are part of the work that he is known for, assemblages of repeating words or patterns that may look like digital work when viewed on a computer screen but are in fact handmade. “There’s a presump -

tion that my work is made with a machine, but every single thing I do is by hand. In an age of reliance on technology, I’m really trying to do it all with my own two hands,” he says.

As a Marin County resident for almost two decades, West feels “really lucky to be able to live and work here because being in Marin affords me so many opportunities to be outside, to be in open space, to enjoy the geography and get out in the natural world as much as possible,” he says.

“In all the places I’ve lived in the Bay Area, I’ve never felt so rich with opportunity as I have here. Just to walk out my front door and get lost on the trails is incredible. It does really afford me that quiet time, space and dreaming while awake.”

www.christopherwestprojects.com

All of West’s work is created by hand.

Courtesy of Christopher West

Community Minded

May is Foster Care Awareness Month

Did you know that 35 percent of Marin foster kids are being placed outside of the county due to the lack of foster families in Marin? With your support, Marin Foster Care Association (MFCA) can increase awareness of the need for more foster parents in Marin. More local families mean that kids endure less traumatic change by being able to stay in their community and at their school. With your support, we can continue to create solutions to the challenges facing our community’s most at-risk youth. To learn more or donate see the link below.

www.marinfostercare.org

info@marinfostercare.org

415.507.0557

55 Mitchell Boulevard, Ste. 2, San Rafael, CA 94903

Walk For Moms: A Step Toward Supporting Maternal Mental Health

Join us at the Postpartum Support Center’s annual “Walk for Moms” on May 19, an empowering event dedicated to uplifting and supporting mothers across our community. This significant gathering shines a light on the critical importance of maternal mental health and provides essential support for mothers navigating the journey of motherhood. Engage in an afternoon filled with meaningful activities, connect with local resources and be part of a movement that celebrates and advocates for the well-being of mothers and their families. Your participation helps us continue our mission to offer guidance, support and resources to mothers at every stage of their postpartum journey.

Postpartum Support Center

4162 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA 94903

www.postpartumsc.org

415.320.6707

info@postpartumsc.org

Planting a Legacy of SonomaGrown Skin Care

Founded by pioneering herbalist Kim Manley this women-powered skin care line was originally inspired by family — the birth of Kim’s daughter, Bonnie Rose, and a need for clean and pure baby products. Thirty years later, this motherdaughter team works side-by-side to handcraft luxurious botanical skin care products made from locally grown herbs and wildcrafted ingredients for their Sonoma County community.

KM Herbals Skincare www.kmherbals.com shop@kmherbals.com 707.878.2980

groundbreaking women

Marin Living is honored to feature the most influential women and women-owned businesses in this advertorial feature. These outstanding women have proven to be a groundbreaking force in their industries. They push boundaries and provide dynamic services, products and community connection that set them apart in their fields. Meet our Groundbreaking Women.

Concierge matchmaking for over 30 years.

How did you get into the business?

I like to get to know what makes others who they are and how I can help them improve their lives. I had an opportunity to apprentice with a matchmaker, so I gave it a shot. It didn’t take long to find my true passion, which is finding love for singles. You could say that when it came to my chosen career, it was love at first sight.

What makes a client successful?

Commitment. Commitment to the process. Commitment to their goal of finding love. Commitment to themselves to be the best they can be. For clients to be successful at finding love, they have to be all in. We must work as a team and they must respond to me. Clients have to have faith in the process and remain optimistic. Attitude counts for a lot. Potential matches can sense when someone’s negative and will shy away from someone who is. Positivity is an aphrodisiac.

What does a typical client look like?

This is the great part about what I do. None of my clients are typical. They range in age from their 30s to their 80s. They come from various backgrounds. However, there are commonalities and they are that all of my clients are smart, successful, dedicated and kind people who lead full lives but know their life can be fuller with the right partner.

Why did you start doing the hot tips of the day on Instagram?

People were asking if I had one piece of advice for them what it would be. I’ve been in this business for more than three decades and, therefore, I have a lot to say. It’s also why I wrote my book, Finding Love After 50. This led to my hot tips on Instagram. I realized people wanted practical-yet-inspirational information they could get while on the go.

INNOVATIVE MATCH WEST COAST

415.259.8714

www.innovative-match.com

MARGIE

WOODS, M.A. //

LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL STUDIO

A vibrant sanctuary where women can catch their breath and reconnect with themselves through art.

What is it about your business that makes you groundbreaking?

In this busy world of doing (often over-doing) and achieving, I provide a peaceful, vibrant and safe haven, as well as support and guidance for women to slow down and reconnect to themselves and their innate creative genius. This is not about making oneself into a self-improvement project, but rather about coming home to oneself in the present moment and reconnecting with the creativity and inner knowing that we all innately possess.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

I offer one-on-one coaching and creativity workshops that heal and soothe the soul on a deep level. My offerings are not paint by number, make something pretty or polished kind of experiences. My coaching and workshops are about freedom, loosening up, letting go and honing one’s attention to one’s inner compass. From this process, beautiful art may (and often does) emerge, but the most important outcome is deeper self-connection, selfcare and unbridled self-expression.

How are you disrupting your industry?

What I offer is not about putting pressure on women to be “better” or “fix” themselves. This is a place for women to find support in tapping into their

innate wisdom as well as learning to use art to reconnect to oneself outside of the treadmill of life’s responsibilities and expectations to be or look a certain way. My coaching and workshops foster self-love and self-acceptance, and by doing this practice, we will heal our overamped nervous systems and slow down so we can remember who we are on a deep and personal level.

What do you want people to know about you?

I have been doing my own art journaling practice for 25-plus years and I still use art daily as an important tool in my own healing journey. I practice what I teach, and as a trauma survivor (thriver), I am living proof that art heals. Art heals because the practice calms our nervous systems and promotes healing on a deep level that is not accessible through words. I am trained as a therapist, and although I do not practice therapy anymore, my education and training, as well as my own 35-year journey participating in my own therapy, informs the way I provide a safe and nurturing atmosphere for women to create, heal, connect and thrive.

LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL 310.614.1445

languageofthesoul@me.com

www.margiewoods.com

/@language_of_the_soul_studio

SKELLY

WINGARD, RN, MSN & CEO //

BY THE BAY HEALTH

Why is your business groundbreaking? As the second oldest hospice organization in the U.S. and the first and largest independent, nonprofit pediatric and adult palliative and hospice provider in Marin County, By the Bay Health is one of the most visionary healthcare leaders transforming home-based care. Patients and families from the entire San Francisco Bay Area have come to know and trust By the Bay Health for the highest quality, most compassionate care for their loved ones. In an age of increasingly standardized care that seeks to commoditize healthcare, we remain committed to our community-based care model that wraps each family we care for with personalized guidance and dignity to navigate life’s most significant care decisions.

What makes women so effective at business?

At By the Bay Health, women are the lifeblood of our business. I am proud to say that we are a majority women-led business — more than 79 percent of our employees identify as female and 75 percent are in

leadership. The women of By the Bay Health are successful because they not only deeply care about the communities we serve, but also because when they encounter a challenge, they go all in to find a solution.

How are you nurturing the next generation of female business leaders?

I was fortunate in my life to be blessed with so many amazing women who influenced me and changed the trajectory of my life. So, it is important to me that I pay it forward and do what I can to contribute to the development of the next generation of women in leadership. We are sitting on the cusp of transforming health care in the home, and I believe that women will drive the next-generation of what health care looks like to meet the growing needs of residents in Marin County — especially our most vulnerable populations.

BY THE BAY HEALTH

17 E. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Larkspur, CA 94939

415.927.2273

contactus@bythebayhealth.org

www.bythebayhealth.org

This women-led business is the largest independent nonprofit hospice organization in Northern California.

Skelly Wingard (left) and founder Mary Taverna

What is groundbreaking about your childcare center?

My center is open six days a week, offers extended hours (up to 23.5 hours per day) and is priced affordably so that working families in Marin can have a high-quality childcare option. My clients range from anesthesiologists, to baristas, to park rangers — all of whom work early or late shifts. Currently, my first child arrives at 4:30 a.m. and the last one leaves at 8 p.m. While most providers offer limited hours, I meet the diverse childcare needs of working parents in Marin thanks to my incredible staff of other women.

How are you disrupting your industry?

I recently applied for two infrastructure grants and was awarded them both. The first grant will allow me to make minor improvements to my current facility in Marin; the second grant will be used toward building a brand-new

LA TANYA WIGGINS // THE WIGGINS FAMILY DAYCARE

High-quality childcare filled with love, patience and kindness to cultivate creativity, individuality and independence within each child.

THE WIGGINS FAMILY DAYCARE

730 Drake Avenue, Marin City, CA 94965

415.879.1304

www.thewigginsfamilydaycare.org

childcare center on land I own in Lake County. I’m so excited — I’m still pinching myself. With these grants, I plan to further support working parents and create opportunities for those passionate about childcare.

What do you want people to know about you?

I see myself in a lot of the clients I serve. My own experience as a working parent of six in Marin and knowing the struggle of finding early morning care drives my commitment to support families, especially those benefiting from childcare subsidies. If I can help these families, who am I not to?

What is one of your favorite local nonprofit organizations?

Since opening my center in 2009 with just one child, Community Action Marin has been instrumental. It supported the launch of my business and now regularly connects me with families in need throughout the county. We make great partners!

SAMANTHA TRADELIUS // SPARKLE FOUNDATION INC.

Serving single mothers with care and grace.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking? We are a 501c3 that serves single mothers specifically. We are 100 percent volunteer run and operated. Every dollar in is a dollar back out. We focus on single mothers and their children. Single mothers are the ones that need help the most yet are the last to ask. A mother should never have to make a deci-

sion between gas in her car and her child participating in sports.

What makes women so effective at customer relations?

Women are dynamic and we are connective by nature. We operate on a different compass. What is incredible to watch is when women band together to make things happen.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

Many of our 700-plus volunteers are young women. Teaching our youth the gift of service and showing them in real time how it feels to impact another human is a real focus for Team Sparkle.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

Sparkle serves single mothers with our holiday gift drive, enrichment scholarships, gratitude boxes, backpacks and microloans. Over these last eight years we have touched over 10,000 lives, raised $2 million and given it all right back to the community.

How are you disrupting your industry?

We stay on mission and firm on focus. We are also 100 percent volunteer-run-and-operated, which is not the norm for organizations our size.

SPARKLE FOUNDATION INC.

448 Ignacio Boulevard, Ste. 128, Novato, CA 94949

415.203.4361

samantha@sparklenow.org

www.sparklenow.org

@sparkle_foundation

JANINE THILL, CHT, PROGRAM DIR. // ADVANCED HYPERBARIC RECOVERY

Pioneering hyperbaric oxygen therapy that promotes healing to improve quality of life.

medicine, we take a modern approach to advanced healing. Our groundbreaking testing and integrative treatment plans are tailored to each patient’s unique needs.

How does HBOT promote body and brain performance enhancement?

HBOT enhances the body’s natural healing process by delivering 100 percent oxygen under increased pressure, stimulating the growth of new blood vessels, reducing inflammation and boosting stem cell production eight-fold. This creates an optimal environment for repair and regeneration. Our award-winning center is contracted with most major insurances including medicare. For some, HBOT may be free.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

At Advanced Hyperbaric Recovery our innovative approach to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) sets us apart. We provide personalized, cutting-edge treatments that harness the power of oxygen to alleviate suffering and promote healing to improve quality of life for patients with various conditions, pioneering a new era in regenerative medicine.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

We offer state-of-the-art HBOT treatments for a wide range of conditions, from wound healing and brain injuries to antiaging and athletic performance enhancement. Our proven protocols and advanced technology deliver unparalleled results.

How are you disrupting your industry?

By combining HBOT with functional

ADVANCED HYPERBARIC RECOVERY

415.785.8652

1118 Irwin Street, San Rafael, CA 94901

info@improvehealing.com

www.hyperbaricoxygentherapy.com

LORI SPERLING & ASHLEY RUIZ // THE STILL COLLECTIVE

Design, staging and project management all in one place.

What is it about business that makes it groundbreaking?

At The Still Collective, we’re not just thoughtful designers; we’re a full-service staging and project management company, complemented by our very own home decor haven: STILL. From creating tranquil designs to expertly staging properties, we ensure every detail is meticulously managed and executed. Our comprehensive approach guarantees a seamless experience.

What is unique about your approach to serving your customers?

At The Still Collective, our approach is all about crafting spaces that feel like home from the moment you step in. We pride ourselves on tailoring every project to fit our clients’ individual needs — taking into account their lifestyle, budget and deadlines. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for excellence, we go above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of our designs speaks to our clients on a personal level, creating environments that they truly connect with.

What new services and products do you specialize in that addresses our current times?

Our offerings include virtual design consultations, touchless staging solutions and sustainable design options. These solutions ensure safe collaboration, minimize physical contact and promote

environmental consciousness — all while delivering exceptional design excellence.

What is unique about your business?

Centered on the concept of slow living, we specialize in crafting mindful and intentional experiences that transform spaces into the sanctuary you’ve envisioned. THE

LYNNETTE SHAW // MARIN ALLIANCE CANNABIS BUYER’S CLUB

In 1997, Shaw invented the licensed cannabis dispensary.

What makes women so effective at business and customer relations?

It took a woman to invent the license to legally sell cannabis.

Do you have a unique notable history in the Bay Area?

After I invented the license and made national news I was sued by President Bill Clinton. Also, we carry only small farms that grow organically — we carry no large corporate products. I have always had a good reputation for quality. We have a moneyback guarantee on every purchase, and we carry clones from April to July for home growers.

What do you want people to know about you?

I spent 19 years in federal court as a “test case” to stop the fledgling

industry. I was harassed, persecuted, bankrupted and threatened by federal agents. Despite all the horrible things that happened to me, my wonderful attorney, Greg Anton, finally prevailed in court to stop the feds from raiding. I became protected from further abuse by federal judges’ orders. No one will have to suffer through the type of pressure ever again since I was strong enough to endure. I am honored to be the inventor of the licensed dispensary and founder of the cannabis industry. My joy is working with hundreds of patients and thousands of adult recreational users providing them with the best cannabis products we can find.

What’s next for you?

I have signed a book contract and will be publishing my story nationally and internationally in 2025.

MARIN ALLIANCE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA/ LYNNETTE SHAW DELIVERY. 6 School Street, Ste. 210, Fairfax, CA 94930

415.295.7633

https://marincbc.com/home-1

/marinalliance

/@cbcmarinalliance

PAULINA PERRAULT // PAULINA PERRAULT INTERIORS

What is it about you that makes you groundbreaking?

I’ve been in the business of interior design for over 25 years. In that time, I’ve accumulated the knowledge and experience to create beauty that exists in parallel with feasibility, constructability and usability. We call it “practical luxury,” because a luxurious interior environment and a practically designed space can, and should, be one and the same. The result is an effortlessly comfortable lifestyle that our clients adore.

What makes women so effective at business and customer relations?

We are deeply collaborative, which helps us form the trusting relationships that ensure successful projects. We are also consummate listeners, taking the time to know and understand our clients on a deep level.

How are you thinking outside the box?

I think where we differ is in our deep knowledge of development and construction. This knowledge enables us to work hand-inhand with architects and contractors in a way that many designers may not.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

Design is a collaborative business and we are collaborative by nature. As a female-led firm that works closely with the greater design and development team on every project, we have a seat at the table and we strive to provide an example of the meaningful work that strong, empowered women can do.

PAULINA PERRAULT INTERIORS

85 Liberty Ship Way, Ste. 112, Sausalito, CA 94965 415.941.4222

info@paulinaperrault.com

www.paulinaperrault.com

@paulinaperraultinteriors

Photo credit: Laura Reoch

For bold hearts on the road to transformation, embodiment and self-expression.

What is it about you that makes you groundbreaking?

I see “groundbreaking” as a form of leadership that takes us into new places that exist on old territories or traditions that are no longer serving the world today. Dialogical Persona is all about uncovering what is old within us, so that we may rise from the ashes with newfound purpose, passion and direction for who we want to be in the future.

What makes women so effective at business?

Women are asked by others and our society to take on multiple roles and serve a variety of positions, which makes us multifaceted and capable of the adaptability, creativity and multitasking that being successful in business requires. However, it can also lead to internal conflicts and overwhelm.

My coaching offers the resources to resolve those inner conflicts and supports my clients in returning to a more balanced and easeful place where they feel capable and empowered to fulfill all of their roles again.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

I love working with women on setting boundaries in their personal and

professional lives so that they are free and confident to be who they truly are and speak up for what they believe in. The more we hear from strong, authentic and whole women in our lives, the more we can see them for the real human beings that they are underneath the many personas that we sometimes need to present out in the world.

DIALOGICAL PERSONA HEALING ARTS

kelsay@dialogicalpersona.com

www.dialogicalpersona.com

/ @dialogicalpersona

KELSAY ELIZABETH MYERS // DIALOGICAL PERSONA HEALING ARTS

This women-owned firm has both the business and the creative side covered.

What makes your business groundbreaking?

We are groundbreaking through our tried and true business model with incredible project management processes, documentation and communication skills. We have the ability to not just design creatively but also to push a project along from the ground up working clearly and effectively with property owners, builders, architects and landscape designers. We have the business side and the creative side covered as well as being tremendous team players with positive attitudes.

What makes women so effective at customer relations?

I believe that women have an innate sensitivity to situations and people. They can read a room really well and listen. We also have the ability to lead and communicate with compassion in a way that brings people in. I find that this sensitivity is really marvelous in business because it creates a nurturing environment for long-term strong business relationships and thoughtful decision making that leads to success.

Does your business have a notable Bay Area history?

As a fourth-generation Bay Area local I have had the privilege of growing up in this amazing and dynamic area. I never cease to be amazed and inspired by its natural beauty — the colors of sea and sky, of all of the amazing diversity in terrain, flora and fauna as well as the various areas and demographics each residential enclave requires. The home and design needs are often quite different depending on a home or business locale and I feel my innate understanding of the Bay Area helps me to instantly identify a direction for the look and functionality of a project.

MCCAFFREY DESIGN GROUP

4000 Bridgeway, Ste. 404, Sausalito, CA 94965 415.931.8060

www.mccaffreydesigngroup.com

PAMELA LASTIRI

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

Our groundbreaking approach stems from our innovative design concepts, tailored solutions for each client, emphasis on collaboration and partnerships with industry experts, and extreme attention to detail. We constantly strive to push the boundaries of traditional interior design by ensuring each project stands out as truly unique and forward-thinking.

What do you want people to know about your business?

I want people to know that my business is driven by a passion for creativity, innovation, collaboration and excellence in interior design. Our clients come first, and our team is dedicated to ensuring no detail is missed.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

As a principal designer leading a team of younger female designers, I love supporting my team through every step. I have not always had this exposure or been able to work side-by-side with my principals, so I want to make sure my team knows I am invested in their professional growth and that they feel comfortable asking me for help or sharing their ideas.

How are you disrupting your industry?

As an architecturally trained interior designer, I disrupt the industry by integrating innovative architectural principles into my projects. I love making each project unique versus having same style and approach for all projects. We take advantage of today’s technology to make our most updated set of drawings and specifications always available on site for every worker to access with their smart phone.

PAMELA LASTIRI | INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO

480 Gate 5 Road, Ste. 238, Sausalito, CA 94965 415.578.8827 | www.pamelalastiri.com

pamela@pamelalastiri.com

@pamelalastiri

A true community gathering space with splendid food and breathtaking views.

What is it your business that makes it groundbreaking?

Our distinction lies in our unwavering commitment to humility and inclusivity. In our restaurant, excellence isn’t just a goal; it’s a journey fueled by humility and a passion for continuous improvement. Our Michelin-level chefs prioritize guest satisfaction over personal acclaim, crafting a menu that caters to every dietary need and fostering a sense of universal belonging.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

My biggest goal in life is to innovate by embracing new mistakes, ensuring that future generations don’t repeat them. Progress occurs when we share our experiences, teaching the next generation what we’ve learned and why. I’m committed to nurturing and inspiring young minds by openly discussing my own missteps. Whether it’s speaking

at high schools monthly, participating in panels at our restaurant or giving guest lectures at UCSF, I seize every opportunity to impart wisdom gained from my failures. By equipping students with this knowledge, I empower them to make informed decisions and contribute to pushing the world forward.

What is groundbreaking about your menu?

Our revolutionary offering is inclusivity. Regardless of dietary preferences or restrictions, whether vegan, vegetarian or otherwise, we pride ourselves on crafting dishes specifically tailored to meet your needs. Each item isn’t just a modification of an existing dish; it’s a unique creation designed from the ground up to cater to your dietary requirements.

DITAS MARIN

562 Bridgeway, Sausalito CA 94965

628.261.9267

info@ditasmarin.com

nikitakhandheria@ditasmarin.com

www.ditasmarin.com

@ditas.marin | @nikitalyssa

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

Sustainable and accessible styles for women of all body shapes and activity levels. We want busy women who are just getting outside when they can, or those who adventure recreationally and women of all ages who are spending time in the waves and on the trails to feel seen and welcome to our brand. We have something for everyone, with a wide range of active and lifestyle pieces, all sustainably made.

What makes women so effective at business?

Drive, empathy, compassion, collaboration and grit.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

We actively invest in the women that work for us. Providing professional business coaching and seminar work. We also support women and mothers by allowing flexible work environment so she can get everything she needs to get done in a day.

What groundbreaking products do you offer?

We know that finding the right fit can be intimidating, especially when shopping for swimsuits, and so we’ve put a lot of thought

and energy into creating a line that is not only made to fit real women’s’ bodies but is also easy to shop. We recently launched our swim quiz and fit & style finder, which guide our customers through an immersive style & fit experience, ultimately providing them with a comprehensive understanding of the products that we offer and providing our recommendations for which pieces we think will work best for her.

CARVE DESIGNS

160 Gate 5 Road, Sausalito, CA 94965  www.carvedesigns.com @carvedesigns

Designed by women for women, effortless swim and apparel inspired by the outdoors.

JENNIFER HINTON & THAYER SYLVESTER // CARVE DESIGNS

In the business of changing lives.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

I’ve taken all the great things we love and need in the fitness world and brought them to the next level. We have broken the mold in the way you experience your time at the gym. We offer a clean, vibrant facility with next-level coaches, equipment and programs.

What is your favorite part about being a female business owner?

My favorite part about being a female entrepreneur is that I am setting an example for my daughter and her friends that we can achieve dreams and bring big visions into reality.

Are you doing anything special to nurture next generation of female business leaders?

One of my top priorities as a leader is to provide a supportive learning environment that fosters growth and adaptation and that anyone on my team will be able to look back and attribute their own leadership skills to our time together. I’ve had many great leaders and can only hope to match the level of support that I’ve had myself.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

We have a solid network of coaches at the club providing mobility and injury rehab and rooted in the understanding that through focus on mobility and proper recovery, the strength training programs that we implement will be even more effective.

How are you disrupting your industry and thinking outside the box?

Our mission at FITLAB is for all of our members to actually want to come to the gym, learn, grow and become empowered through the education we provide in our coaching. Whether you learn and grow in group fitness classes or one-on-one training, you will leave the club each day feeling empowered and armed to take charge of your own health.

// FALLA ASSOCIATES: GOLDEN GATE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

A legacy of experience, expertise and trust.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

Our groundbreaking approach is founded on a rich heritage, coupled with adaptability, extensive experience and deep expertise. We prioritize our clients’ needs above all else, actively engage with our community and remain at the forefront of emerging industry trends. Through this commitment, we consistently

deliver exceptional results that redefine standards in the everevolving real estate landscape.

What makes women so effective at business and customer relations? Women frequently thrive in business and customer relations thanks to their strong empathy, communication prowess, collaborative leadership, keen attention to detail, adaptability, resilience, intuition and dedication to relationship building. These attributes empower us to skillfully establish meaningful connections, achieve remarkable outcomes and provide outstanding experiences.

Does your business have a notable history in the Bay Area?

Absolutely: our mother-daughter realtor team proudly holds a storied legacy spanning more than four decades in the Bay Area. Since 1977 and 1997, respectively, we have been synonymous with unparalleled experience, expertise and bespoke service, enriching the real estate landscape with our commitment to excellence.

What is your favorite local nonprofit organization to support?

The Marin Humane Society. Additionally, we also extend our support to our local schools and Hospice of Marin, as their causes resonate deeply with us and align with our values of community care and compassion.

FALLA ASSOCIATES | GOLDEN GATE

SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

902 Irwin Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 415.602.5768

j.firkins@ggsir.com

fallaassociates@ggsir.com

NANCY

DOW MOODY, PRESIDENT & CEO // LIFEHOUSE AGENCY

Insuring that those with developmental disabilities live a life of respect, inspiration and purpose.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

Lifehouse is the first to provide Supported Living Services (SLS) to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Marin County and the largest provider of SLS in the State of California. For 70 years we have been a leader in our industry because we continuously respond to the changing needs of people with I/DD in our community. We opened the first inclusive preschool in Marin County and this year we opened the first program for people with Prader Willi Syndrome. Our organization employs 500 staff to provide high quality support services to 375 people, carrying out our mission to improve the quality of life for the people we support.

What makes women so effective at business and customer relations?

I believe that compassion and strength are two qualities that women excel at maintaining simultaneously. It takes an incredible amount of both to run and operate a nonprofit like Lifehouse. We have a unique opportunity to provide the chance

for people with I/DD to lead full lives and we employ people who want to make a difference in our community. I am in awe of the expertise and dedication that our development team brings to Lifehouse. These women are creative and innovative — always keeping in mind that the people we support need our services and they raise the funds to make that happen.

Do you or your business have a notable history in the Bay Area?

This year we celebrate 70 years of providing support services to people with I/ DD in our community. Our services started as a small parent-led effort in 1954 with a preschool. At that time there were no public-school classes for people with I/DD.

LIFEHOUSE AGENCY

18 Professional Center Parkway, San Rafael Ca 94903

415.526.5300

mail@lifehouseagency.org

www.lifehouseagency.org

/ @lifehouseagency

Ann Elias (left) and Nancy Dow Moody

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

At Christensen Global we collaborate with our clients, incredible partners seeking to protect our planet. We’ve helped Sir Richard Branson build three global initiatives, we’ve advised Microsoft on climate strategy and we’ve supported the United Nations to advance Sustainable Energy For All.

How did growing up in Marin influence your career and dedication to protecting the Earth?

Marin helped to shape who I am. My mother is a nature educator and I joined her at Audubon Canyon Ranch in Bolinas and College of Marin for summer classes like “Ants & Plants” and “Bugs & Slugs.” My father was a selfmade general contractor who fought

AIMÉE CHRISTENSEN // CHRISTENSEN GLOBAL

Accelerating local and global climate solutions.

CHRISTENSEN GLOBAL

www.sunvalleyforum.com | July 15–18, 2024

info@christensenglobal.com

www.christensenglobal.com

for those in need, including nature. He was a board member of the Marin Conservation League and protected marshes and Marin’s golden hilltops from development. Barbara Boxer calls my parents the first environmentalists she ever met. It all led to a career dedicated to nature.

Tell us why you founded the Sun Valley Forum and what makes it stand out from other gatherings? We convene the Sun Valley Forum to advance local and global climate solutions with a cross-sector diversity of insights. Our speakers have included U.S. Senator Cory A. Booker and singer/activist Carole King, with media including CNN, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. This year we’ll have the President of Patagonia Inc., “Her Deepness” Nat Geo Explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle and the Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe. It is very special, with friends from Marin and the broader Bay Area joining us each summer.

JAMIE BENZIGER // IMAGERY ESTATE WINERY

Wine and experiences you won’t find anywhere else.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

I honestly do not consider myself groundbreaking, but I do think Imagery as a winery and brand has been groundbreaking by pushing the boundaries with its wine and winemaking. Imagery has created excitement around varietals that many people have not heard about or tasted and made wine fun. I love to experiment with different varietals and blends, which is how Aleatico Rose was created, and has now become a member favorite.

What makes women so effective at business and customer relations?

Effective business and customer relations rely on a combination of experience and traits. Women are often intuitive, nurturing and possess good verbal communication skills. These traits and skills I think allow women to see a diversity of perspectives, empathize with other peoples’ feelings and build lasting relations with customers and colleagues.

What groundbreaking products do you offer?

Imagery offers a variety of wines and blends that many people will not be able to find anywhere else. We have brought many wine regions of the world to California and have successfully grown the grapes and made standalone wine with them. Not only is the product inside the bottle one-of-a-kind but the label is also. We commission 30 new artists a year, many local and some international, to produce unique pieces of art that will be the face of that wine for that vintage. Imagery brings art and wine together in the best possible way creating a groundbreaking product.

Does your business have a notable history in the Bay Area?

Imagery has been around the Bay Area for more than three decades, started by my family after my uncle and Dad got bit by the wine bug and started a family winery in the early 1980s. We were not the typical farming family from California but instead a bunch of East

Coasters who loved selling wine and felt the next best thing was to move out to Northern California and start to grow the grapes that made the wine. It was many years of trials and tribulations, but my family gained the respect of many local multigenerational families in the area by working hard, being good neighbors and stewards to the land, having an absolute blast doing it and making a quality product.

IMAGERY ESTATE WINERY

14335 Highway 12, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

707.935.3000

buywine@imagerywinery.com

www.imagerywinery.com

/@imagerywinery

ROXANNE ALBIN, MBA // APPLIED FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.

A team approach assures the best experience for financial clients.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

With AFS, you can rest assured knowing we plan to maintain and grow as our clients do. As an important and valued extension of our clients’ businesses here at AFS we pride ourselves on being able to successfully offer the support where our clients need it the most.

By serving our clients through a team approach we are able to ensure there is always someone to serve you and your business needs when you need us. The experience of successfully maintaining a wide array of clients, some who only require a few hours a week to some clients utilizing over 40 hours of combined services per week, has equipped AFS with the knowledge and know-how of managing small to complex businesses throughout California.

What makes women so effective at business and customer relations?

Women such as myself are great listeners, problem solvers and are good at being empathetic to others. Not only am I listening for what is happening financially with our clients, it is important to listen for simultaneous struggles our clients may be undergoing. When a client feels confident to confide or discuss other issues, we can most often creatively and carefully come upwith smart solutions together.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

Absolutely! I believe in promoting from within, to encourage each of my staff members to grow in the business along with continuously working on personal development in their private lives, too.

HEATHER WRIGHT FOYE & MEGAN WRIGHT MATTHEWS

Cultivating beauty and resilience in design for the future.

WRIGHT ARCHITECTURE

632 Manuel T. Freitas Parkway, San Rafael, CA 94903

707.559.8506

heather@wright-arch.com

www.wright-arch.com /@ wright_arch

KELLY WATKINS // ALL HANDS CLUB

Coworking by day. Community by night.

Why did you start your business?

For all that’s great about working from home, we all have our reasons why we want to occasionally work from somewhere else. As someone who has been working remotely for decades, I know this fact firsthand. While I love the flexibility of no longer being in an office all day every day, I deeply miss the social connections that office life used to provide. The more I talked with friends and neighbors, the more I realized I wasn’t alone in wanting a place to cowork and find community.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

During the day, All Hands Club offers a casual coworking space with blazing fast Wi-Fi, complimentary snacks and beverages, various areas for communal working and soundproof booths for calls. When the sun sets, All Hands Club opens its doors to the community for book clubs, game nights, speaker series and more. These events provide opportunities for members and neighbors to socialize outside their daily work routines.

What makes your business groundbreaking? We design from a holistic perspective including function, beauty, value and impact. We think about how our clients will feel as they use a space and how it can support their energy and therefore their community. It’s a process of cultivating beauty in all its forms.

What groundbreaking services do you offer? We embrace technology and are constantly enhancing our sustainable and resilient detailing. We create our designs using 3D modeling software to guide our clients through their spaces before they exist.

How are you thinking outside the box? The shape of housing is changing and needs to in order to combat climate change and the housing crisis. We create small spaces that have a big impact as well as multigenerational homes that support our clients’ physical and financial needs.

ALL HANDS CLUB

101 Smith Ranch Road, Ste. B

San Rafael, CA 94903

707.312.8166

kelly@allhands.club

www.allhands.club

/ @allhandsclub

CITA ROJAS-SILA // CRS DESIGN STUDIO AND CASA CITA RUGS

A unique perspective as a Latina woman is what sets this designer apart.

What makes you groundbreaking?

As a Latina interior designer, I take pride in bringing in my heritage and weaving it into my designs. Casa Cita Rugs is my venture of bringing my Nicaraguan heritage to the forefront of my work. While my design sensibilities are sometimes informed by my perspective as a Latin woman, the primary focus is of course what my clients are looking for in their spaces.

What makes women so effective at business?

Women bring distinctive and insightful perspectives, profound empathy and unwavering work ethic, which sets us apart in remarkable ways.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

As part of my efforts to bring underrepresented groups into the field of interior design, I am partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley to offer workshops that introduce teens to the profession.

LAUREN

PENNISI, ASID // PEPCREATIVE, INC. ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN

Designers that empower their customers to be creative.

What is it about you that is groundbreaking in the interior design space? What sets PepCreative apart is our design approach. We are committed to creating a positive and empowering experience throughout the process. We embrace challenges, listen attentively and co-create with our clients, ensuring that each project reflects their unique identity.

How are you contributing to your industry?

By using local artisans and makers we can create custom solutions to design problems that allow us to address the practical needs of the client, create something beautiful, support the local economy and promote sustainability and innovation within the design community.

CITA ROJAS-SILA

408.707.0353

cita@crsinteriordesign.com

www.crsinteriordesign.com @crs.design.studio

What do you want people to know about your business?

Collaboration is such an overused word but it’s what we do. We believe in relationships. We talk, we ask questions, we listen.

PEPCREATIVE, INC. ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN

San Rafael, CA

925.784.8233 | www.pepcreative.net

lauren@pepcreative.net @designerpepcreative

MOONSTONE SKIN & BODY CARE

The finest customized skin care treatments.

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

Our team of expert estheticians provides highly customized skin care treatments using high-grade spa technology and superior skin care products. Our services and home care plans are holistic and tailored to each client’s needs to provide real results.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

We only use high-quality, boutique skin care products. Then, we integrate our facial products with innovative spa technology treatments like microcurrent, nanofusion, jet plasma, LED light therapy and our biomat infused with amethyst crystals to improve the health of the skin and manage aging.

How are you supporting the next generation of female business leaders? We love partnering with the Magnolia

Project to host Marin Oaks High School students as interns. This gives them an immersive experience running a spa business and the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship from our women-led team.

MOONSTONE SKIN & BODY CARE

1129 First Street, Novato, CA 94945 415.898.0426

www.moonstoneskincare.com @moonstoneskincare

NICOLE MINOR, OWNER AND MARKETING DIRECTOR // SEAN MINOR WINES

Thoughtfully made wines that won’t break the bank.

What makes women so effective at business?

Our team’s strength lies in its diversity, over 50 percent of us are women. Whether in accounting or customer relations, everyone’s attentiveness and care are vital to our success. Women bring a unique sense of balance, seamlessly blending professionalism with emotional intelligence and storytelling, whether managing accounts or crafting the perfect gift box for a customer.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

Sean and I are thrilled to welcome our daughter, Elle, as assistant winemaker and production manager. She’s already proving to be a valuable asset to our business.

What groundbreaking products do you offer?

We produce outstanding and highly rated wines from premier vineyards that don’t break the bank and are thoughtfully made for everyone to enjoy. Our wine club is a fun way to enjoy our wine, perks and curated gifts throughout the year.

SEAN MINOR WINES

21481 8th Street East, Ste. 1, Sonoma, CA 95476 707.226.1414

hello@seanminorwines.com

www.seanminorwines.com @seanminorwines

ASHLEY HURD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR // MARIN FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATION

Offering stability and support for vulnerable children.

MARIN FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATION

55 Mitchell Boulevard, Ste. 2, San Rafael, CA 94903 415.507.0557

info@marinfostercare.org

www.marinfostercare.org

/@marinfostercare

/@marinfostercareassociation

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

As executive director of Marin Foster Care Association and a foster parent myself, my focus is on bringing stability and hope to our community’s most vulnerable children. We strive to empower caregivers with support services and deliver resources that their foster children need to thrive.

What groundbreaking resources do you offer?

My goal is to remove any barriers for foster parents, so that they will continue saying “yes” to a new foster child placement. Our Community Resource Center carries everything that a child needs to settle into a new home — for free.

How are you thinking outside the box?

Marin’s Community Resource Center delivers critical support to families, so we have worked with local teams to replicate the model in Sonoma, Contra Costa, Solano and San Francisco counties. Now, hundreds of resource families can benefit.

IVANA JAGODIC // POSTPARTUM SUPPORT CENTER (PPSC)

Local nonprofit providing free evidence-based programs and services concentrating on the well-being of pregnant/ birthing people, their partners, children and support teams.

POSTPARTUM SUPPORT CENTER

www.postpartumsc.org

info@postpartumsc.org

415.320.6707

4162 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA 94903

/@postpartumsupportcenter

/facebook.com/postpartumSC

You established the Postpartum Support Center five years ago, what inspired you to do so?

During my own challenging battle with severe postpartum depression, I discovered a significant lack of accessible help and support in Marin County, which led me to realize the pressing need for a safe haven where families could receive the necessary support without any cost. My personal experience fueled my determination to ensure that others wouldn’t feel as isolated or helpless in their journey as I did.

What impact has PPSC had on the community?

PPSC is currently supporting over 500 families each month through our counseling services, education, prevention and providing basic necessities for moms and babies. Our annual “Walk for Moms” event raises awareness and funds, uniting the community in support of Maternal Mental Health. Our efforts have not only improved individual family well-being but have also fostered a more informed and supportive community overall.

HEIDI IMBUS // NANNIES BY THE BAY

Qualified and vetted professional care for your children and personalized family needs.

NANNIES BY THE BAY

1240 Bush Street, Ste. 11, San Francisco, CA 94109 415.676.7084

info@nanniesbythebay.com

www.nanniesbythebay.com

/ @nanniesbythebay

What is it about you that sets you apart from other nanny placement agencies or resources?

My continued dedication to an old-school approach of one-on-one connection with the nannies and families. Sourcing qualified and vetted, professional care for your children is not something to be taken lightly or fast tracked. In today’s world of quick fixes, I am committed through Nannies by the Bay to ensuring our systems and processes allow families to make an informed decision with the peace of mind they seek.

What makes women so effective at business?

I believe women have a keen sense of understanding for unmet needs in a marketplace and the intuition, empathy and creativity to find the solutions to meet those needs.

What groundbreaking services do you offer?

What truly sets Nannies by the Bay apart from other agencies in the domestic staffing industry is our commitment to building relationships. I am committed to investing time into understanding each candidate and each family’s unique story and how they came to be who they are today before offering a potential match.

MAUREEN CARR // TUTOR DOCTOR OF MARIN COUNTY

Add another member to your child’s educational support team.

What makes women so effective at business? Women are naturally gifted communicators with the ability to actively listen, engage, plan and act effectively. As skilled multitaskers that can juggle a million balls in the air, women can get things done while still practicing empathy toward others.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female leaders?

Tutor Doctor believes in the importance of holistic support beyond academics. Our tutors serve as mentors and role models to young women, offering guidance on study skills, time management and overall academic success strategies.

How are you different from other tutoring services? We foster a collaborative attitude with your child’s teachers. I always tell parents that with Tutor Doctor you have another member of your child’s support team. We offer regular reporting to your child’s school and are always available to meet with your child’s teachers to ensure we are all on the same page and supporting each other’s efforts.

TUTOR DOCTOR OF MARIN COUNTY

415.870.0848

mcarr@tutordoctor.org

www.tutordoctor.com/marin-county

/@tutor_doctor_of_marin_county

JENNIFER BRINN, FOUNDER // UNALOME, REIKI & WELLNESS

What is it about your business that makes it groundbreaking?

We’re one of the only wellness centers in Marin with highly skilled practitioners who specialize in the energy healing modality of reiki.

What makes women so effective at customer relations?

As women, our superpower is our empathy and intuition. This helps us read people, situations and anticipate the needs in any client setting, ultimately helping the client to feel seen, heard and supported.

Are you doing anything special to nurture the next generation of female business leaders?

We see many women coming through our reiki trainings. I’m grateful to guide and mentor them whether it be as a professional healer or simply for their own personal path. Reiki for balance and well-being.

UNALOME, REIKI & WELLNESS

ROSS & SAUSALITO

415.430.5813

unalomemarin@gmail.com

www.unalomemarin.com

@unalomemarin | @jenniferbrinnreiki

Tell Your Story

JUNE ISSUE: Local Trailblazers

In our June issue Marin Living will spotlight Local Trailblazers. How these professionals conduct business exemplifies their passion, commitment and love for what they do. They are creative, innovative and resourceful. They steer clear of mediocrity and boldly pave their own path when it comes to providing exceptional services, products and connections. As Local Trailblazers, they set the pace in their industry.

Does this sound like you? We’ll tell your story in a custom print profile aimed at a readership demographic that perfectly suits your marketing needs. In addition, Marin Living will provide a marketing support campaign with a sponsored article on our website for one year, newsletter promotion to 16,000 opted-in subscribers and social media posts.

Contact Jessica Cline for more info: jessica@marinlivingmagazine.com

follow us on social @marinlivingmag + subscribe to our newsletter at www.marinlivingmagazine.com/newsletter

www.marinlivingmagazine.com

going places.

Courtesy of Nomada Hotel Group

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

A Sausalito-based shipbuilder; a hotelier who is breathing fresh air back into the travel industry; a closer look at the origins of Marin Open Studios.

The Farmhouse Paso, part of Kimberly Walker’s Nomada Hotel Group.

CALLED BY THE SEA

A passion for boatbuilding is being transferred to the next generation courtesy of a replica tall ship.

By Lili Weigert

AS A BOY, Captain Alan Olson would build a raft every spring and sail it on his family’s pond in rural Minnesota. “I had a vision to go out to sea,” he says. “I just didn’t know how to do it.”

At 20, Olson started building his first ship, a 40-foot catamaran that came in a kit for $600. His parents let him use their backyard as long as he kept working on it. “It took me two

years, but I was never intimidated,” he says. “Even if I didn’t know exactly what to do, I figured I’d figure it out.”

Olson and his wife, Martha, arrived in California in the mid-1960s but the plan of him starting medical school was put on hold after the war broke out in Cambodia and his school closed. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to be a doctor,

I don’t want that life. I’d rather go sailing.’ ” Olson dropped out of school and built his second boat, Stone Witch, outside of San Jose.

Finally, in the early 2000s, Olson bought the plans for Galilee, a historic tall ship originally built in the late 1800s. He wanted to build a smaller replica to add to the fleet he used for Call of the Sea, a nonprofit

Benson Lee

he’d founded in 1984 in Sausalito to educate Bay Area youth about the ocean and sailing.

It took until 2013, when Call of the Sea merged with the nonprofit Educational Tall Ship Inc., for Olson to start building. “The right people showed up at the right time. The money showed up at the right time … mostly,” he says. Olson and his crew, including some 70 volunteers who donated more than 200,000 hours of their time, set up a tent outside the Bay Model and got to work. “Lots of them were extremely skilled,” Olson

says. “Lots of them still help out.” The total cost of the ship was $6 million, which included construction and development of educational programs. Ninety percent of the funding came from Sausalito residents.

In 2017, Olson launched the Matthew Turner into the San Francisco Bay. Named for Galilee ’s original designer and builder, it is 132 feet long, has

The land melts away and so do your land worries and concerns.”

a 100-foot mass and holds up to 80 people. Depending on the season, between 10 and 15 crew live on the boat, which sleeps 38, a combination of students, program managers and sailing professionals.

All summer, the Matthew Turner is booked with camps, community sails and private charters. Students of all ages can participate in different programs and events, join sails and races, or learn about the marine environment, maritime tradition or ship navigation. During the school year, Matthew Turner goes out up to eight times a week — educational sails during the week and community sails on the weekends.

Community sails are open to the public. “Anyone can buy a ticket and come out for a sail,” says Sylvia Stewart Stompe, who manages the scheduling for Call of the Sea. “It will be educational because our crew is always teaching and engaging, but it’s not structured.” Educational sails, such as Scout troops and school groups, follow choreographed lesson plans. “We get a lot of scholarship-funded schools with students who are afraid of the water,” says Stewart Stompe. “They’re timid when they set out, but when they return they’re all bubbly, singing and laughing. It’s amazing to see.

“We’re so lucky to get the experience of getting out on the water,” Stewart Stompe says. “The land melts away and so do your land worries and concerns. When you’re on the water, you’re just there.”

Educational sails also include a “quiet middle,” when for five minutes the students just sit and listen. “It’s a powerful experience that you can’t explain unless you’ve been there,” Olson says. “For all the preface, that’s really why we’re here doing this.”

From top: Students on a multiday voyage trimming sails with the crew; constructing the frame

Julie Zimmerman (top); John Skoriak (bottom)

ACCIDENTAL HOTELIER

Nomada Hotel Group is expanding rapidly and helping turn California’s Central Coast into a destination for design lovers and creatives.

By Casey Hatfield-Chiotti

CALIFORNIA NATIVE Kimberly

Walker didn’t plan on becoming a hotelier; after exploring a career in screenwriting in Los Angeles she decided to move to San Luis Obispo (SLO), where her family had a vacation home. She began renting office space in a 1920s building downtown and became so enchanted she decided to open a wine bar there called Granada Bistro. When the landlord lost the deed to the bank and the historic building, a former hotel where actors and artists congregated during the vaudeville era, was

slated for demolition, Nomada Hotel Group was born.

“We were at Burning Man, sitting around this fire reminiscing about all the great times we had at the bistro, and somebody said, ‘We should just buy it,’ and we did it.”

The group, which includes Walker and other entrepreneurs and artists, opened Granada Hotel & Bistro (from $179 per night; www.granadahoteland bistro.com) in 2012, helping breathe new life into downtown SLO. A half a dozen projects have followed, including River Lodge

Courtesy of the Nomada Hotel Group voyager.

I love color and texture and things with stories.”

(from $209 per night; www. riverlodgepaso.com), a Wine Country escape that opened in April at the base of the Paso Robles wine trail, and Pozo Saloon, a historic watering hole and camping resort reopening in Santa Margarita in the fall.

Walker, who serves as Nomada’s creative director, oversees the design and development of every Nomada project. Her signature bohemian style captures the “SLO life.” Inspired by road-trip travel of the past and far-flung destinations, her Central Coast hotels feature

an eclectic mix of furniture and art from around the world.

Walker’s new website, Nomada Deco (www.nomadadeco.com), launched in January, is where handcrafted items found in Nomada hotels are for sale. Everything from handwoven Bolivian hammocks to mirrors framed in vintage tin ceiling panels is available. We talked to Walker about her favorite destinations for creative inspiration and how to get the Nomada look in your home.

Why preserve historic structures rather than start from scratch?

It’s so fun to design that type of project because you get to learn about the history and have something to start from. It’s fulfilling taking something in its worst state and bringing it to its best state, while still honoring what it was to begin with.

How would you describe Central Coast style?

It’s laid-back and casual. There’s a freedom to Paso. There’s this sort of anything-goes attitude, like innovator-meetscowboy-meets-winemaker. San Luis Obispo is the most cosmopolitan; it’s our biggest downtown on the Central Coast. Santa Ynez is the wine country of Santa Barbara. It’s very much like if the beach could meet the vineyard. If I were to try to put them all together, I think that the style is focused on outdoor living.

What is Nomada’s signature look?

I love color and texture and things with stories. I love to travel, meet the makers and incorporate those items into my hotels and home. So, when you’re having a dinner party,

The Skyview Los Alamos (opposite); Kimberly Walker (below) Silas Fallstitch

you can say, “Oh, this is the story behind this.” It makes your environment feel more intentional and more thoughtful, and it definitely makes for a better hotel experience.

What are your favorite destinations for inspiration?

You learn so much from traveling. I’m so inspired by the fact that someone in Tokyo can spend their entire life trying to perfect a cup of coffee. Mexico is an important place for design. There are so many traditional crafts, makers and artisans, and Morocco is so special. On a recent trip to Marrakesh, we worked with metalworkers to create beautiful door handles and nightstands for River Lodge. We also worked with a ceramicist to create planters and with artists

from Michoacán to create rosecolored candle holders. We’ll sell it all through the Nomada Deco website.

What’s your advice for achieving a boho look that feels fresh?

Look at your space and say, “What in here reminds me of something?” When you’re buying things, try to find out the story. I think we have to give ourselves the freedom to say, “Do I like this? I don’t need validation from someone else.”

I have this piece that I bought in Paris last year, a vase by Raymond Isidore, who is famous for making picassiette, essentially a mosaic of

old discarded porcelain and glass. It is a piece of art. When I look at that every day, it reminds me how much time this person put into this and all the items that were used to create it.

What is so unique about Pozo Saloon?

There used to be what they called enramadas: tents that saloons would rent out to people stopping on their way to some other destination. We’re trying to bring back some of that feeling but make it more modern with trailers, tents and parking for Sprinter vans, so people in motion can stop and stay for the night or a couple of nights and experience what it’s like to be out there; it’s magical. It feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere.

All images courtesy of the Nomada Hotel Group

Farmhouse’s interior features vibrant citrusthemed wallpaper.

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S TATE OF THE CIT Y AWARDS TASTE OF SAN RAFAEL

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 4th Street, San Rafael, 4:30 - 7 PM

Premiere Sponsor:

Join us for this celebratory evening and network under the stars with fellow community members. Enjoy delicious culinary delights from some of the best restaurants in San Rafael, including Lotus Cuisine of India, Los Moles, and many more.

Presenting: City Employee of the Year, Public Service Award, and San Rafael Businesses of the Year Awards.

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GREAT NOMADA ESCAPES

1. Nomada’s take on a classic roadside motel, Skyview Los Alamos (from $159 per night; www.skyviewlosalamos. com) off Highway 101, has 1950s architecture, midcentury and modern rustic style, and a working vineyard, gardens and the original pool.

2. Hotel Ynez (from $149 per night; www.hotelynez.com)  is a relaxed but sophisticated retreat in Santa Barbara wine country. The property’s slightly more restrained color palette complements the picturesque landscape with redwood trees, twisty oaks and bonfire pits. The 22 guest rooms have Fili D’oro bedding, vintage vanities and retro mini-bars.

3. Nomada at Sea (from $43,000 a week for six people; www. nomadaatsea.com), a luxury catamaran in the British Virgin Islands, debuted in 2022. Offering the luxury of a superyacht in a more intimate setting, the 62-foot yacht, with Pierre Frey

upholstery and Janus et Cie furnishings, can accommodate up to 10 guests in five en suite cabins.

4. In Paso Robles, Farmhouse (from $129 per night; www.farmhousepaso.com) is a midcentury-motelmeets-country-style-hotel within walking distance of downtown. The 26-cottage property’s interior design is among Walker’s most colorful, with Moroccan rugs, jewel-toned bathroom tile and citrus-themed art and wallpaper.

5. Originally established in 1858, Pozo Saloon (www.pozosaloon.com) has hosted community gatherings and concerts for over a century, from Willie Nelson to Kendrick Lamar. When it reopens, in addition to hosting live music, it will offer guests a distillery, central pool, outdoor soaking tubs and luxe camping accommodations next to Santa Margarita Lake.

All images courtesy of the Nomada Hotel Group

HOTEL YNEZ

The California Collection

Why do we live here and what do we love about it? These iconic pendants in 14k gold with diamond accents and Sterling silver with white sapphires remind us of the places and landmarks that are so special. The Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Tamalpais, Stinson Beach and Muir Woods to name a few. All are unique to this region and admired by all. Why not collect them all? 1226 4th Street • Downtown San Rafael, CA • 415.459.5808 • stephanhill.com

FOR OIL PAINTER Kay

Carlson, moving to Marin in 1983 and settling in Woodacre was the best thing a novice artist could do.

“I was nurtured by a group of people in West Marin and we had a potluck every month to share art,” Carlson says. “That family is what prepared me to do Open Studios because I realized the value of gathering artists together, having them see each other’s work and supporting one another.”

To facilitate that idea on a larger scale, Carlson asked sculptor Tim Rose if he would like to partner on an event that would connect professional artists and the art-loving community. “He looked at me like I was nuts and I said, ‘Well yeah,’ and so we did it.” In 1993, the first Marin Open Studios (MOS, www.marinopen studios.org) took place and it has become a signature Marin gathering ever since.

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

The co-founder of Marin Open Studios says nothing beats the magic that happens when creatives and the public get together to experience art.

By Daniel Jewett

The event, held the first two weekends in May, has grown to include some 250 artists in fields including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and more. “I saw that artists in the region didn’t know one another and that they needed to make a living,” Carlson says. “The only way I saw for artists to make a living is if they became known to their community. And what better way to do that than to have an open studio?”

Some positive trends that Carlson is seeing

this year are more interior designers recommending clients choose MOS artists for their projects (there is even a portal where active artists can provide stylistic details for designers); continued partnerships with underserved artists from Marin City and the Canal district; more abstract and figurative art (see this year’s Open Studios guide cover by Kathleen Lack for the latter) than in years past; and a program to help artists find space to work in costly Marin County.

Carlson says that about 150 of the artists showing have each been with MOS for at least 25 years. “They are sort of the model for the emerging artists that start with us,” she says. “There’s an influencing going on between the professionals and the emerging, which is what happened for me as a newbie.” There are two great ways to see the art of Marin County. The first two weekends in May offer a chance to take self-guided tours and meet the artists at your own pace, while each artist will also have a piece in the Marin Open Studios Preview Gallery, April 22 through May 12, at the new Sausalito Center for the Arts.

As for what the public gets out of the event: “I think the experience of art making is fundamental to us as humans,” Carlson says. “An exposure to creativity is really at the core of it — the most important thing is to be able to transfer that creativity into their own lives.”

Courtesy of Marin Open Studios

Artist Nicki Adani (right) shows off her work.

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