In Sept. 2018, A Steering Committee made up of Marin community and business leaders launched the public planning process known as 'ARTS, CULTURE, ACTION, MARIN!'

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This was in response to data that showed diminishing performance and exhibit opportunities. The lack of opportunity causes the remaining resident artists in the creative community to be driven out  in search of affordable, arts-friendly communities. Marin’s low-income and minority communities, which have yet to be equitably reflected and served in the creative sector, are among those who face some of the hardest challenges when looking for creative opportunities.

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The Coalition, determining that Marin can no longer afford to leave its endangered arts resources to chance, decided it was time to take action. The Marin Cultural Association — a nonprofit under the umbrella of the MARIN DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL SERVICES — obtained grant funding and employed the expert CULTURAL PLANNING GROUP to lead the development of a comprehensive arts and culture master plan for Marin. This plan, formally adopted by the Board of Supervisors on May 14, 2019, was built from community input.

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(Click photo to view the plan)

The Marin Cultural Association oversees the docent-led Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture tours of the historic Marin County Civic Center. Public tours are given every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year; private and school tours by appointment. 

 

Tickets can be purchased on-site before your tour, or in advance through the Marin Center Box Office.

 

Self-guided tours are available through our app for Android and iOS.

 

We have developed curriculum-based lesson plans and school tours aligned with Common Core standards for grades 3-5. Call us 415-473-6934 to book a tour for your class today!

The Marin Cultural Association hosts a number of performing arts presentations annually in the Showcase Theater including The Best of SF Solo Series and the IJ Lobby Lounge Live. 

 

Presenting Series Partnerships:

• Marin Independent Journal - Paul Liberatore curates the "IJ Lobby Lounge Live." This partnership gives young Marin musicians an opportunity to perform live at the Showcase Theater. A select few from this program are chosen to perform at the Marin County Fair and some of the young performers have gone on to national acclaim. .

• Brian Copeland Presents - Brian Copeland brings The Best of SF Solo Series to the Showcase Theater. This series provides a space for six culturally diverse solo artists to perform for Marin audiences. Performers have included Copeland, Don Reed, Marga Gomez, Irma Herrera, Diane Barnes, Josh Kornbluth, and more. 

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MCA has also produced a select number of special performances including a site specific presentation of Mother Lear by We Players, Windham Hill's spiritual Winter Solstice Concert, and Neil Berg's popular 50 Years of Broadway in the Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium. 

The Marin Cultural Association presents over 15 exhibits a year by Marin County artists in three distinct galleries throughout the Marin Center and Marin County Civic Center campus. The Bartolini Gallery, the Redwood Foyer Gallery and the first and third floors of the Civic Center building showcase a wide variety of art including painting, photography, works on paper, sculpture, fiber arts, and much more, all by local artists.  

 

The mission of the exhibits program is to present a diversity of artworks by artists from every corner of Marin County. Recent noteworthy exhibits have included Black Beyond Borders featuring works by Marin City artists; Inside Insights: San Quentin Arts in Corrections; Dia de Los Muertos: Transformations Between Life and Death; 80 Over 80: 80 Works of Art by Artists over the Age of 80; and Found In Our Own Back Yard, showcasing artists who use trash and found objects to create their works, just to name a few. 

 

Community partnerships are an important part of our exhibits program and have included exhibits with groups such as Youth in Arts, the Marin Photography Club, the Multicultural Center of Marin, Marin City Arts and Culture, the Agricultural Institute of Marin, the Marin Watercolor Society, and many more. 

MCA is committed to arts advocacy throughout Marin County. In 2018, we spearheaded the development of an ambitious cultural plan aimed at ensuring an artful future for every Marin resident. 

 

Our current efforts include: developing a public art toolkit for the varied municipalities in Marin who seek guidance in the public art process; creating a database of all public art in Marin County with the goal of developing a guide for those seeking cultural tourism opportunities; convening city and arts leaders to identify and address shared arts needs and opportunities; expanding representation of minority and disadvantaged residents in the Marin Center’s artistic programming and exhibits; developing dedicated arts funding through a local tax initiative; identifying and delivering priority services for Marin’s creative community; and transforming the Marin Center into a vibrant, multi-faceted arts epicenter for all Marin residents and visitors.

 

We believe Marin arts should be by and for everyone!

Marin Cultural Association’s Community Access Ticket program offers a robust ticket distribution to Marin County nonprofits whose clients would otherwise not be able to attend our performances. If you are a nonprofit interested in participating in this program, please contact us.

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