MUSEUM HISTORY

The Bolinas Museum’s complex of historic buildings date back to the late 1850s.  They were built at a time when Bolinas was a little port settlement centered around a wharf.  Busy schooner traffic commuted between Bolinas and San Francisco carrying lumber and food products to the growing city. 

The original structure, a saloon and boarding house, (left) was built with it's front door to the main street. In 1908 the little butcher shop on the right was moved behind the main building and now serves as the Photography and CMA galleries. Years later a hotel was built on that spot. In 1935 Henry Hoirup had his meat market in the main structure. He turned the building 90 degrees and joined it to the old hotel creating the configuration that we know today.

The museum’s buildings have served many purposes since the 1800s including a saloon and boarding house, meat market, antiques store, library, restaurant, gallery, shops, studios, offices, apartments and more. Today the buildings house the museum’s five galleries,a suite of offices, conservation and archival storage room, a gracious courtyard and spaces rented to other Bolinas businesses.

The beginning of the Bolinas Museum:

David Van Duesen and Craig Ayliff
founded the Bolinas Memorial Museum that grew up to become the Bolinas Museum.  They conceived of the idea of a history museum for Bolinas and in 1983 they established an incorporated museum, housed in a tiny structure that is now the Bolinas Laundromat.  Townspeople responded by contributing historically significant objects, photos and memorabilia.  Much of of the collection in the Bolinas Museum archives today came from those early days of the museum.

Craig Ayliff

David Van Duesen

Though the museum was in a very small space, Craig, as Director/ curator, mounted sophisticated exhibitions of both historical objects and 19th Century art. He did extensive research and wrote fine papers on each exhibition, and organized events and educational talks. David gathered histories and objects for the collection, raised money and awakened people to the importance of preserving the town’s history and supporting a venue for exhibitions to share the history with everyone.
Joan Bertsch stepped in to manage the museum’s finances. Joan served the museum in that capacity until she moved out of Bolinas in 2006. Margi De Greeve and Peggy Duncan opened a delightful thrift store to support the little museum.  Margi De Greeve was a staunch supporter of the museum, including  contributing treasures from her grandfather Captain Petar, and serving on the Board of Directors.

Ray Moritz and Dotty Le Mieux
founded the Bolinas Historical Society
About 1982 Ray Moritz and Dotty Le Mieux became interested in collecting and preserving the history of Bolinas.  They founded the Bolinas Historical Society and it immediately attracted active members. The group’s time-consuming efforts resulted in an invaluable collection of images, oral histories and materials.  They also produced the lively Bolinas Historical Quarterly newsletter. When the Bolinas Memorial Museum became established, the Bolinas Historical Society decided to donate their collection into the museum’s archives.  Moritz, Le Mieux and the society’s members continued to contribute to the history collection.

David and Craig put in countless hours and much of their own money into the Bolinas Memorial Museum and established it as a thriving entity.  Eventually both Craig and David were ready to move on to other projects and ultimately each of them moved to other areas of California.  They left behind a remarkable gift to the community and all of its visitors. Their creation evolved into today’s Bolinas Museum.

During the transition to the next chapter of the museum’s development, Margi De Greeve and Sandy Madgid, both dedicated members of the museum’s Board of Directors, held the museum together. 

 Joyce Clements and Linda Samuels led the transformation of the Bolinas Museum.
Joyce Clements was the next energy force for developing the museum as President of the Board and Director of the museum.  She knew that there was a wealth of talented artists in Coastal Marin that needed a venue.  She also saw that making it both an art and history museum was an avenue to bring in financial support for the museum.
In 1988 the museum expanded its mission statement to include featuring Coastal Marin artists in a program called The Living Artist Project that exhibited in a small room of Gallery Route One until the mid 1990s. Joyce invited Linda Samuels to be the little museum’s curator. Though the museum was housed in a building that was approximately 8’ feet wide and 15’long, Samuels curated both art and history exhibitions that drew a growing audience.

Ewan Macdonald saved the historic buildings that are today’s Bolinas Museum. In 1988 the complex of historic buildings at 48 Wharf Road were in desperate disrepair and for sale.  Someone might have torn the derelict structures down to build something new, thereby losing the historic architectural integrity of downtown.  However, Ewan Macdonald purchased the complex with a vision of total restoration for the buildings.  Ewan hired Roger Peacock to do the massive project.  The result is the handsome, carefully restored 19th century buildings we know today as the Bolinas Museum complex.

Ewan offered space in the new buildings to the little museum.  The move was a definitive moment for the  organization. It meant committing to becoming a professional museum. When the Bolinas Museum had its grand opening in 1989, a handsome exhibition space was revealed. The adjacent building was rented for the Thrift and Gift store to continue to help support the museum. Sara Pusey, Superintendent of Bolinas-Stinson School, stepped in to archive the museum’s collection of history materials. Linda Samuels created exhibitions that ranged from fine art to environmental issues and established a tradition of popular fund raising events that have continued into the 21st Century.  In the early 1990s Linda left the museum to pursue other career interests.

Dolores Richards developed the Bolinas Museum as we know it today. After an interim, in 1995 Dolores Richards became the Executive Director of the Bolinas Museum. Dolores proved to be a visionary who continually developed and refined the museum.  When Ewan Macdonald offered to sell the property that housed the museum and other businesses, Dolores led a capital campaign that had legendary success.  Many people gave significant donations to ensure that this goal came to fruition and the museum now has its own home and footprint in downtown Bolinas.

Richards created five galleries in the museum including the Coastal Marin Artists gallery dedicated to showing regional artists as an evolution of the Living Artists Project.  Specific financial gifts also facilitated creation of beautiful new galleries. 

Susie Russell Buell, who spent much of her youth in Bolinas, supported the establishment of a room dedicated to Bolinas history, the Floyd Russell Family History Room.  Phil Frank created the history room exhibitions and continued to create lively history exhibits and give history talks until 2006. The Helene Sturdivant Mayne Photography Gallery was the gift of Lesly Mayne. The family has owned a home in Bolinas since 1901. Helene was a noted pictorialist photographer. The gallery exhibits six exhibitions a year of fine art photography.  The Margaret Greene Permanent Collection Gallery is supported by a generous gift from the John A. Sellon Family. It is named in honor of a remarkable woman who inspired many in Marin County and had a home in Bolinas. The gallery exhibits selections from the Permanent Collection. The collection was established by Dolores Richards, and continues to grow, including relevant work from the 1800s to the present.  The Wintersteen Courtyard is a gift from James and Beth Wintersteen, long-time supporters of the arts.  The lovely courtyard is a welcoming place for locals and visitors to relax and for courtyard events. The Japanese maple trees and their surrounding benches were gifts from Herman and Leah Schwartz, David and Mary Bromwell and Margaret Greene in memory of her son Rogers Greene.  David and Mary Bromwell gifted the museum the handsome fountain by Welton Rotz that has become a centerpiece for the courtyard.  The stone-sculptured bench is a gift from the artist Welton Rotz.  Friends of Jeffery Ruesch provided the entry gates as a memorial to him, commissioned from metal sculptor Carl Dern, who in turn gave his sculpture “Chair” as a permanent installation.  Gina’s Patio, between the main gallery and the photography/Coastal Marin Artists gallery, is a gift from the Dr. Marty Griffin Family in memory or Gina Marin Monaco.  The Macdonald Family gave the handsome benches that invite visitors to sit awhile. In front of the street-side double doors, handmade bricks display the names of generous donors who contributed to the capital campaign to buy the building.

In June of 2006 Dolores Richards retired as Executive Director of the Bolinas Museum, after twelve years of remarkable leadership. Richards guided the museum from a small-town museum to its current polished standard of professionalism, with a reputation for excellence.  The handsome galleries, quality of exhibitions, the financial success and dedicated support of our Bay Area membership reflect Richards aesthetic, management skills and attention to detail.

Vandy Seeburg & Dolores Richards

In 2006, Lucy Van Sands Seeburg (Lucy) stepped in as Executive Director of the Bolinas Museum. Long time Bolinas resident Vandy Seeburg, was selected by the Board of Directors to become the new Executive Director. With a background in the arts, Seeburg brought heart-felt dedication to the continued excellence of the Bolinas Museum.  In the spring of 2007 Seeburg had beautiful hard wood floors laid in both the Permanent Collection Gallery and the history room. A financial donation in the memory of Amy Jordan, who loved Bolinas, the museum and the history room was used by  Seeburg to renovate the history room.  She designed the new exhibition walls and created a beautiful light filled room, thereby reinvigorating attention to the importance and pleasure of knowing the history of place. Long-time Assistant to the Director and History Curator Elia Haworth created the new history room installation. Marisa Willow and Sara Pusey set up a professional archives and registration for the collection. Seeburg has also enlivened the use of the lovely courtyard with a series of dynamic events that draw in members of the local communities and visitors from all over the world.

The success of the Bolinas Museum has been made possible by the efforts of the many people who give their support in diverse ways.  Membership in the museum continues to grow from local people and people from throughout the Bay area and beyond.  Donations, whether as major donors, single memberships or a dollar in the donation box, are generous affirmations that the museum is valuable to enriching people’s lives. 

From the beginning, the success of the Bolinas Museum has been nurtured by generous volunteers who give their time and skills. 

They serve as Board Members, docents, event volunteers, researchers, historians, guest curators, organizers, project workers, exhibitors, and much more. Families and individuals have generously given historic objects and information to be preserved by the museum for all to enjoy for generations to come. And artists, when invited to contribute to the Permanent Collection, have given outstanding artwork.  Those hired to work on the museum buildings bring their exceptional skills.  The small staff works hard to bring high quality exhibitions and events to the community and visitors. And certainly, every visitor is part of the success of the museum.