and look a little further back.
Not that long ago, San Rafael
was a shadow of what once was
and could have been with empty
storefronts and a closed movie
theater suggesting better days
now long in the past.
We can’t revel in this moment
of artistic glory and opportunity
arriving in San Rafael without
honoring those who laid the
foundation for it all.
Thanks to a small group of
enthusiastic citizens, who truly
cared about their city, initiatives
were taken, risks run, committees
and boards formed, and most
importantly – endless actions
taken. One person stands out as
the driving force in San Rafael
growing up and into a vibrant
art city: Phyllis Thelen. Phyllis
was the visionary and pioneer,
a compelling force according
to all who knew her then. Her
relentless commitment to bring
art to the forefront of San Ra-
fael is a true inspiration. Phyllis
was the founding force of Art
Works Downtown, Youth in Arts,
Marin Ballet, and the Marin Arts
Council. She didn’t do it alone,
of course, but her tenacity made
the growth happen.
I spoke with Phyllis, who is now
a grand dame up in age, but still
as vibrant as the results of all her
accomplishments.
Phyllis tells me of the humble
beginnings of Art Works Down-
town: this small group of 5
people: Phyllis and her husband,
Max, Joanne Dunn, Joanne
Green and Barbara Stuart, and
how they discovered a building
in 1995/96 that they envisioned
housing art and artists. It was
a sleep store, full of mattresses
downstairs. The price was rea-
sonable, as the whole downstairs
was not even counted. They had
to come up with $200.000 in 2
20
Marin Arts & Culture
weeks. With the help of her hus-
band, Max Thelen, an attorney,
they secured the building. The
small Macy’s store on 4th Street
gave Phyllis a key, and they fur-
nished the space with leftover
carpets, pieces of dressing rooms,
and other scraps they were al-
lowed to pick up from the Macy’s
store.
Phyllis muses: “We were so
innocent. We didn’t even know
you could just go talk to the City
Council members.”
At the same time as Phyllis and
her group were at it, Ann Breb-
ner and Mark Fishkin set out to
restore the old defunct movie
theater and turn it into the now
magnificent and internationally
known Christopher B. Smith Ra-
fael Film Center.
So what’s next?
Beau Blanchard, Corporate
Development Director of the
California Film Institute and Mill
Valley Film Festival, explains that
the next step is to figure out
how to combine the efforts of
the City, the arts organizations,
the Chamber of Commerce, and
others since no one organization
is in charge. The strategic plan
is expected to be in place by
mid-February.
O’Leary says: “Going forward we
want to focus on convening our
Arts District partners to build a
shared vision.”
By now you must be dying to
know what is brewing. So was I.
Talia Smith from San Rafael’s
Public Works is finalizing the
City’s new painted utility box art
program.
O’Leary is working with the City
Manager’s office to get murals in
downtown and to partner with
property owners of buildings
that have large blank walls.
Setten shared projects under
consideration:
• Art kiosks at the Smart Train/
City of San Rafael Plaza, a
mobile app with a map of the
district, transit center public
art, a community Latin Amer-
ican arts calendar for October
2018, a designated social me-
dia/executive coordinator,
• increased outreach for the
2nd Friday Art Walk events,
and interactive art installa-
tions throughout the down-
town corridor.
Blanchard tells me that Califor-
nia Film Institute is planning an
Oscar celebration, a 2nd annual
Documentary Film Festival in
May, but also a 3 day Environ-
mental Youth Forum, where 2000
local students will be invited
and bussed in to participate in
themed events such as climate
change, conservation, etc.
Non-anchor partners are also
building new momentum. Ri-
leyStreet Art Supply is starting
a lecture series, and again part-
nering with Bruce Burch on the
2nd annual Youth Poster Contest,
now a non-profit and endorsed
by the Marin County Office of
Education.
So imagine soon, driving north
or south on Highway 101, a Cul-
tural Arts District sign will greet
and invite people to take the exit
into San Rafael, a destination
for theater, independent films,
art exhibits, upscale and ethnic
restaurants, and live performanc-
es. As San Rafael will be listed
on brochures at visitors’ centers
around California, San Rafael’s
citizens will finally get to share
their artistically and culturally
rich town with many other art
lovers.