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As part of our mission, we collect works by import

As part of our mission, we collect works by important California artists. We are pleased to share this recent acquisition.

Clare Rojas is an internationally celebrated artist known for her distinct style that references folk art, gender roles, and magical realism while at the same time celebrating the abstract. Her paintings often blend narrative imagery and dramatic, geometric shapes of color, as seen here in this dynamic example featuring a woman holding a flower. Animals such as birds, deer, and rabbits play important symbolic roles in much of her work. In addition to her paintings, Rojas creates large installations, folk tableaus, videos, street art, and children’s books. She is also a musician and songwriter, performing under the name Peggy Honeywell.

This piece was purchased by the museum through the generous support of museum donors in honor of our former Executive Director, Jennifer Gately, and her nearly ten years of leading the Bolinas Museum.

San Francisco-based Rojas was active in the popular Mission School of the 1990s. She earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is held in the permanent collections of such institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center, the Berkeley Art Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and featured in a main gallery exhibition at Bolinas Museum.

You can read more about our recent acquisitions at the link in the bio. ⬆️

Image: CLARE ROJAS, "Feelings, feelings," 2022, Gouache on paper, 20 x 16 inches. Museum purchase in honor of Jennifer Gately, 2022.14.1

In Memory of Nick Nicolaus (1940-2022) We recentl

In Memory of Nick Nicolaus (1940-2022)

We recently lost a beloved member of Bolinas Museum, Edward A. Nicolaus III. Nick, as everyone called him, was a current board member – having served for over 20 years – and on the museum’s Collections Committee. He was always a lively participant in museum events, a tireless volunteer, and a collector of local art. Intelligent, kind, and enthusiastic, his friendships in Bolinas were many and diverse.

Nick’s family roots in Bolinas began in the 1880s when his paternal great-grandparents traveled by wagon from Sacramento for a stay in Bolinas. Later his maternal grandparents honeymooned here. In 1946 Nick’s maternal grandfather bought the family house on Brighton Avenue in Bolinas. Nick and his sisters grew up as part of the “summer colony” – families who spent weekends and summers in Bolinas, many going back generations. Nick remembered how his mother would pick them up on the last day of school in Sacramento, the car already packed, and head for Bolinas.

Born in 1940 and raised in Sacramento, Nick graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1962, then earned a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan. His business was based in San Francisco. He designed exceptional gardens during a fifty-year career and carried his fine aesthetic into all aspects of his life. He divided his time between the city and the Bolinas family home, still beloved by his sisters, Patsy Raven and Nancy Zacher.

As an active Bolinas Museum volunteer Nick was essential to the production of the museum’s annual auctions in the Peace Barn. At parties, he loved to serve at the bar, and even when walking with a cane, he stayed to help clean up. Nick and Nancy Tully started the Bolinas Museum’s annual 3rd of July Cocktail Party—which each year honored someone who served the community and the museum, such as Mimi Griffin, Ewan Macdonald, Ralph Camiccia, Sally Robertson, Marty Griffin, Sean Thackrey, and others. In 2019, the crowded party enthusiastically honored Nick Nicolaus! We miss Nick, but we celebrate the pleasure of having known him and all he contributed to the museum, his community, acquaintances, and friends.

This morning Elia Haworth toured students around o

This morning Elia Haworth toured students around our current ocean health exhibitions on view through December 31. Bolinas Museum offers free curator lead tours to student groups through the generous support of the Gruber Family Foundation and the West Marin Fund. Please be in touch if you’d like to schedule a tour for a student group!

This Giving Tuesday, we hope you will consider giv

This Giving Tuesday, we hope you will consider giving a gift to Bolinas Museum so that we may continue to collect, preserve, and share local art and history. As a small community-based non-profit, we count on the generosity of neighbors and friends who value Bolinas Museum's meaningful contribution to their lives.

Our exhibitions and programs are vital in understanding our shared human experience and creating community. Your donations immediately impact our ability to collect, preserve and exhibit the art and history of coastal Marin and to present a diverse range of stimulating exhibitions and fun, informative, educational events that are always free for all!

A gift of any amount makes a difference. If your employer offers a matching gift program, consider doubling your donation by asking them to match your gift.

To make your tax-deductible contribution today, go to the link in our bio or mail your donation to Bolinas Museum, P.O. Box 450, Bolinas, CA 94924.

#givingtuesday #bolinasmuseum

Artist Spotlight: Laurie Mahan Sawyer Laurie Ma

Artist Spotlight: Laurie Mahan Sawyer

Laurie Mahan Sawyer dedicates her art to engaging viewers in the wonder and complexity of the natural world. Her current exhibition, “Seeing the Unseen,” on view at Bolinas Museum through December 31, presents fine art and scientific illustration focused on species and habitats of the marine world.

Sawyer grew up by the ocean in Malibu, found her passion for marine biology in high school, and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with a degree in illustration. She moved to Point Reyes Station in 1988. Her husband, Terry Sawyer, is co-founder/owner of Hog Island Oyster Company on Tomales Bay; he is a leading voice for sustainable aquaculture. Laurie creates artworks for special projects at Hog Island Oyster Company. In 2017, she returned to school and earned a degree in science illustration from California State University, Monterey Bay.

Recent collaborations include NOAA, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Marin Resource Conservation District, among others. In 2022, she and her daughter Marilyn Beck created a vibrant mural to celebrate nature and community at the Dance Palace building in Point Reyes Station.

Q. What creative project are you currently working on?
A. After focusing on ocean-related images, such as the Kelp projects and illustrations for our new Hog Island Cookbook, I have recently been increasingly involved in creating terrestrial imagery. I have current projects with the Walker Creek Ranch Outdoor Learning Center, Heidrun Meadery, and The Marin Fibershed. I'm grateful for these community collaborations with organizations that are furthering the vital message of care for the natural world and the awareness of our unique place in West Marin.

Q. Do you have any rituals related to your creative practice?
A. Gardening and cooking are significant parts of my life. Creating delicious local seasonal food from our yard and fully partaking in the richness of our local farms (including our own at Hog Island) is always fulfilling. Again, I cannot underestimate my gratitude for these gifts of land and sea.

Read more at the link in the bio. ⬆️

Image captions in comments.

Tomorrow! Great Minds Panel Discussion on Ocean He

Tomorrow! Great Minds Panel Discussion on Ocean Health and Climate Change with Dr. Peter Gleckler, Ellen Litwiller, Joe Mueller, and Terry Sawyer
Time: 4 - 6 PM
Location: Bolinas Community Center, 14 Wharf Road, Bolinas, CA 94924
Free and open to all!

Concurrent with the "Pacific Rise: Ocean Health" exhibition, please join us for a fascinating conversation with experts who bring insights into both local and global issues as we consider climate change and the health of the ocean waters that cover 71% of our planet.

Dr. Peter Gleckler, a Bolinas resident, works internationally, contributing to the cutting-edge understanding of climate change and ocean warming. He has been a leader and contributing author on multiple scientific assessments prepared by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for international leaders, policymakers, and the public.

Ellen Litwiller combines her fine art and scientific knowledge in her career by creating murals, models, illustrations, and exhibits for natural history museums, from the California Academy of Science to the Smithsonian. She grew up in Muir Beach and graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Joe Mueller is a 30-year professor of marine biology at the College of Marin, with in-depth knowledge of West Coast ocean habitats. An Inverness resident, he has served on the Bolinas Lagoon Advisory Council since 1992 and is also an educator for SeaTrek Bali in Indonesia.

Terry Sawyer is the co-founding partner of the renowned Hog Island Oyster Company on Tomales Bay. Trained as a biologist at UC Santa Cruz and with decades of hands-on experience in local waters, Sawyer is a leading voice for sustainability in aquaculture and addressing climate change.

Please consider registering at the link in the bio ⬆️ so we can anticipate attendance. There is plenty of room and drop-ins are welcome!

TOMORROW: Please join us for "Views Through a Micr

TOMORROW: Please join us for "Views Through a Microscope with Jenny Jacox, Janai Southworth, and Friends" on Saturday, November 5, at 1 PM.

Look through a microscope into a drop of water drawn from the edge of Bolinas Lagoon, and a profusion of jewel-like life forms is revealed. Plankton drifts through the ocean; the plant-like phytoplankton create some 50% of the world’s oxygen, and zooplankton, microscopic animals, include the larvae form of crabs, barnacles, jellyfish, mussels, and more. By setting up microscopes, some attached to larger screens, Jenny Jacox (Ph.D., Ocean Sciences) and artist/naturalist Janai Southworth will give us a fascinating window into this tiny world. Their breadth of knowledge is formidable, and they’ve created an atmosphere of discovery, fellowship, wonder, and appreciation of all things microscopic. This free event will fascinate people of all ages!

Image: Jenny Jacox, "Sun (centric diatom) and Moon (the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula)," 2021, Photograph on metal, 11 x 16 inches, courtesy of the artist.

Mirta Guzman and her crew of helpers are putting t

Mirta Guzman and her crew of helpers are putting the final touches on the annual Día de Los Muertos altar at the Bolinas Community Center. This beloved local tradition moves back inside the hall this year! The event takes place today and tomorrow, November 1- 2. Mirta will be in the kitchen cooking her famous pozole.

The space is filled with special oferendas (offerings) to honor the dead and provide comfort for their journey on the other side. The sweet scent of marigolds mixed with delicious aromas from the kitchen fills the air. The world has experienced such losses these past few years; may this and many other altars created in the Aztec-rooted tradition provide some comfort.

#diadelosmuertos

Please join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 29, at

Please join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 29, at 2 PM for a talk by Michael Stocker on the Wonder of Ocean Sounds! Free and open to all.

Sound and vibration are essential for marine life communication, from whales to tiny barnacles. Besides the wonder of discovery, marine bio-acousticians are urgently calling public attention to increasingly devastating noise pollution from military, industrial, and recreational human intrusion. Michael Stocker, founding director of Ocean Conservation Research, is an internationally recognized expert on marine acoustics. Also a musician, author, and interdisciplinary thinker, he is gifted in conveying complex scientific issues in understandable terms. He uses his skills for scientific research, education, informing ocean policymakers and working with various organizations such as museums, George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Hollywood studios.

Learn more at the link in the bio. ⬆️ 🌊

Image left to right: Photo of Michael Stocker by Peter Joseph; BRYANT AUSTIN, studio: cosmos (detail), 2006, Photograph, 30 x 37 inches, courtesy of the artist.

“Maps: At the Edge of Land and Sea” opens in o

“Maps: At the Edge of Land and Sea” opens in our History Room today. Like the geologic makeup of the Bay Area, the seafloor along the Marin County coastline is complex and often surprising. The Bolinas Museum History Collection was recently given several maps that depict the off-shore coastline of the Point Reyes National Seashore. These fascinating maps show seafloor characteristics from Bolinas to Tomales, created through multi-beam echosounder technology, taking millions of depth soundings from onboard a ship. Also on exhibit are maps representing expected changes to our coastline as we experience rising sea levels.

Swing by this weekend and see this and our other exhibitions, “Pacific Rise: Ocean Health” and “Laurie Mahan Sawyer: Seeing the Unseen,” all related to the theme of climate change and the sea.

Museum Hours are Friday 1 - 5 pm and Saturday - Sunday 12 - 5 pm. Admission is always free.

Image: Point Reyes National Seashore Seabed Classification Map Series, color-coded Bathymetry with contours.

#bolinasmuseum #pacificrise #oceanhealth #climatechange

From the Archives: Healer, Humanitarian, and Busin

From the Archives: Healer, Humanitarian, and Businesswoman Juana Briones de Miranda

Juana Briones (1802-1889) was a healer, mother of twelve, humanitarian, and highly respected businesswoman. She lived through pivotal times in early California history and is remembered today with an elementary school in Palo Alto and a city park named after her. In Bolinas history, her brother’s family was the first non-native settlers, including her namesake niece, Juana Briones Smith, who lived in Bolinas all her life.

Juana Briones de Miranda (her married name) was born into the world of Spanish colonialism and a family serving the Spanish mission system, so she witnessed its destructive impact on indigenous peoples. Her family left Monterey to be among the first settlers of what would become San Francisco. After marrying at 18, Juana established herself as a skilled, entrepreneurial businesswoman, including in the hide and tallow trade, likely supplied by her brother’s Rancho de Las Baulines at Bolinas, despite an abusive, alcoholic husband. During the era when Alta California was part of Mexico, she acquired land in the presidio and later successfully defended her ownership in court when the Americans took over California. Eventually, she purchased 400 acres of land in today’s Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Palo Alto, becoming a well-known rancher.

She may be best known for her humanitarianism, and for helping people without discrimination, perhaps due to her own Spanish and West African heritage. She learned to be a curandera from her aunt and became a renowned healer. She taught her nephew Pablo Briones, who went on to serve his community of Bolinas as a doctor.

Bolinas Museum loaned Briones family artifacts to the California Historical Society in 2014 and the Los Altos History Museum in 2018, when each presented extensive and fascinating exhibitions on the life and times of this strong, innovative, compassionate Hispanic woman, Juana Briones de Miranda.

Learn more about Juana Briones via a timeline of her life from the California Historical Society, visit the link in the bio and read the book “Juana Briones of 19th Century California,” by Jeanne Farr McDonnell.

We are excited to participate in the Marin County

We are excited to participate in the Marin County Free Library’s StoryWalk® happening now through November 10. This fun, family-friendly outdoor activity is where book pages are placed along a walking route. Each stop along the way displays one page of the book.

“Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water” by Jorge Argueta tells the story of the water cycle from the perspective of one little droplet. The story is written in English, Spanish, and Nahuat.

Read a story together as you enjoy a walk through Bolinas or another route in Marin. Pick up a route guide from your local library or go to the link in the bio. ⬆️ 📖

Happy trails!

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