Community Outreach

Some of our recent projects include:

Park Improvement

Over the years, the Festival has contributed towards enhancements of Old Mill Park that can be enjoyed all year long, not just during the Festival. Some of the projects are the Main Stage seating area, improvements to the stage itself, the cement ramp located in the lower park, and (importantly!) the restrooms.

Children's Art and Activity

Core to our Festival is helping children learn to find joy in, and appreciate the power of the arts. We believe part of that is letting them "get their hands dirty". In 2017 we established an interactive children's art activity program that lets hundreds of children each year experience excitement of art creation.We are always looking for more opportunities to deepen our impact and improve our diversity. If you have ideas, let us know!

Emerging Artist Scholarship Fund

In 2010 we established a scholarship program for Tamalpais High School students who excel in the visual arts. $500 awards are given to two senior visual arts students along with the opportunity to become one of our Emerging Artists. $250 awards are given to two juniors. Unlike most scholarships that go to the institution, our awards go directly to the student to be used for tuition, art supplies and encourage them along the path to becoming artists. All scholarship winners’ work is also featured in our merchandise shop with proceeds going to the scholarship winners and donated to Tam High Foundation.

The 2023 Scholarship recipients. Their stories:

Ava Wolf (Senior)
Check back soon...

Nicole Everage (Senior)
My artwork has always been a very direct reflection of my imagination, and having a very vivid imagination since I was young, has led me down a path of a whimsical, yet eerie exploration. Most of my art is not "planned out" in a traditional manner. For many of the paper dolls I make, I don't even begin with a sketch. When inspiration hits me, whether it be from a movie, something in real life, or a wave of nostalgic memory, a sketch tends to dampen the original energy or mood I intend to portray with whatever I am creating. Evoking a sensation with my art is very important for me, and while it is a skill I have just recently begun to grasp, I believe that that detail in my work is what completes it. As I previously mentioned, a sketch may sometimes dampen the original feeling of inspiration I wish to evoke, but not always. In most of my larger pieces, whether they be larger paper dolls, or drawings on a singular piece of paper, I feel that a sketch helps my process. When a piece is smaller, I feel that the movement and flow of the piece are more crucial, while on a larger piece, the composition and detail tend to be noticed more. I like to incorporate both aspects into both my larger and smaller pieces, but I find focusing on the different, more notified and acknowledged aspects, tends to please a viewer more often. When working on making a piece that has a goal of making a viewer feel a certain way, inspiration is everything. While I am inspired by many other artists and concepts for the base work of my pieces, for the individual creations, sensations and overall compositions of each piece, music is some of my favorite inspiration. I enjoy music as inspiration because it's something that, for me, can easily transport me to another world, and listening to certain kinds of music while I work does wonders for my imagination, as well as my part process. So even though much of my art may come from a whim of inspiration out of nowhere, I have always had the type of vibe I want my art to give off, in every piece I create, and try to incorporate it in every step, whether it be sketching, inking, cutting or connecting, and that's something I try to push the boundaries of every time I get to create.

Anna Rimas (Junior)
"I find that art is my way to push myself out of my comfort zone. In many aspects of my life I am very detail oriented and a bit of a perfectionist. With art attention to detail can be good, but it can also be constricting. This is why I enjoy doing art because I almost force myself to let loose a little, something I’m not used to doing in most other areas of my life. By doing this I’m teaching myself to broaden my perspective in a way, and not just see things I create as good or not good, because it’s so much more complicated than that. Looking at the art that I have submitted, I have varied materials and focuses but my favorite subject is people. I think I’m drawn to portraits because there are so many ways to interpret them other than simply what they look like. Also, all of the references I use are photos I have taken myself, so I enjoy the fact that I can express my deeper understanding of the captured moment in my painting."

Quinlyn Kennel (Junior)
"Art is deeply personal. For me, it’s a way to gather the abstract emotions and concepts drifting in my brain and force them to commingle on a page. This process inherently exposes a part of my identity, which can make sharing artwork a vulnerable and terrifying affair, but also exciting and crucial to feeling truly understood by those around me. Artwork can exhibit emotions and sensations impossible to articulate. It’s very important to me to connect myself to my world by drawing people I love and capturing the emotions they raise in me in a tangible way. Beyond close ties, art also helps connect me to broader communities. Making posters for my drama class, for instance, allows me to be a team player and support the program while maintaining my own sense of individuality."

We are always looking for more opportunities to deepen our impact and improve our diversity. If you have ideas, let us know!