O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Names Co-Directors
Two dynamic individuals have joined our O’Hanlon family!
Our new Center Director is Kellan Christopher of Mill Valley. Kellan is in charge of facility, gallery, and center operations. Erma Murphy of Stinson Beach is new Director of Programs and Outreach, in charge of programming, special events, and community outreach.
Read their bios below and introduce yourselves when you come to the Center! As each of them works part-time, we will post their schedules on the office door. You may reach them via the Contact page. The office phone number is 415-388-4331.
STAFF BIOGRAPHIES
Kellan Christopher’s diverse background encompasses the performing arts, education, spiritual development, administration, hospitality, technology and property management. As a professional actor/singer, he performed in regional theatres, national tours, and on Broadway. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of MN, with further studies at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in NYC and SUNY Purchase.
Post-Broadway, he developed an industry-first Outreach & Education program for Actors’ Equity Association which was later emulated by SAG/AFTRA.
More recently in California, Kellan has been Project Manager for a private Trust, and has advised groups on organizational structure, efficiency and staff development. He created a powerful coaching practice supporting intuitive and creative development, and has recently provided website design and technology support for small businesses & non-profits.
Kellan enjoys photography, hiking, fiber arts and ceramics, and occasionally performs locally as a vocalist. As an avid believer in nurturing every individual’s unique creative process, he is thrilled to step into his new role at O’Hanlon Center for the Arts.
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Erma Murphy has lived in Marin since she was three years old. She graduated from San Marin High and received a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley. She is an events producer and community activist whose company, Murphy Productions, was honored with a Milley Award for Creative Contributions to the Community this last October. She has been a publicist for many arts and music organizations in the Bay Area for over ten years and serves as the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival Artist Liaison.
Erma loves to dance, study Tai Chi and hike on beautiful Mt. Tam. She sings with West Marin Common Voice and is a member of the Outdoor Art Club and Vimala Sangha. She is excited to share the offerings of the O’Hanlon Center with the community and to explore and expand her own artistic side with a special interest in photography and poetry.
A Special First Tuesday in January!
Our yearly O’Hanlon Center Members meeting, in which board, new staff, and members come together to meet one another and share news and ideas, will coincide with the First Tuesday January 6th opening of the Annual Members Show. The 4 p.m. Members Meeting in the Loft will last an hour. At 5 we will go into the O’Hanlon Gallery for our usual Artists Roundtable discussion. Refreshments will be served.
From 6 to 8 we’ll host our First Tuesday opening, during which Elaine James will lead an art activity in the Loft studio. The Members Show will be installed in three locations: the Loft Gallery, O’Hanlon Gallery, and Mill Valley City Hall.
Please tell your friends who are coming to the Roundtable about the change of starting hour to 5 p.m.
Center Director Kellan Christopher and Director of Programs and Outreach Erma Murphy, along with members of the OHCA Board of Directors, very much look forward to seeing you.
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Find the Perfect Gift—Artwork from the “Illuminations” Exhibit
The high quality of artworks shown at O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, and their affordability, make our galleries great resources for gift-giving. The current show “Illuminations: Art of the Spirit” contains many beautiful pieces whose themes are especially meaningful in this season of midwinter. The show’s last day is Saturday, December 20th, just in time for Christmas shopping.
As an added incentive, O’Hanlon Center gives more (70%) to the artist than a conventional gallery, while the 30% share we do take helps support our gallery exhibits and programs.
Drop-in for Annual Members Show—Some New Wrinkles!
Members should plan to submit FOUR artworks in any media this year, rather than the usual three—because our Members Show will be split among three venues: the O’Hanlon Gallery, the Loft, and Mill Valley City Hall. Everyone is guaranteed at least one piece in this tri-gallery extravaganza! Small to medium pieces encouraged.
Drop-off takes place Monday, Dec. 22 and Tuesday, Dec. 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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CONFIRM OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER
A ballot is attached to elect the newest nominee to the OHCA Board of Directors: Jeri Marlowe. Please return ballot to the office by Tuesday, January 20, 2015. Directions to submit are on the ballot.
Jeri Marlowe is a psychotherapist in private practice in both San Francisco and Mill Valley. While psychotherapy is her vocation and love of 35 plus years she has been active in the arts for at least that time. Jeri has exhibited both her paintings and photographs over the years. In the early 2000’s Jeri became interested in graphic design and for 10 years did the posters for the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in addition to album design and tour posters for varying artists. Jeri is a longtime member of Vimala Sangha, which meets on Fridays in the O’Hanlon Gallery.
IN MEMORIAM
We mourn the passing of former O’Hanlon Center Board member Les Lizama on Oct. 19, 2014. Les served a year on the board, chiefly heading the Facilities Committee. He was responsible for hiring our groundskeeper, Gabriel Magana, and upgrading the appearance of the property. Les’s duties as Director of the Homestead Valley Community Association became too pressing for him to remain involved at O’Hanlon, but he left his mark. Les was a performing musician and the longtime lighting designer at Ross Valley Players. A memorial service was held at RVP on November 22nd. Les was 65.
SUPPORT O’HANLON WHEN SHOPPING ONLINE
A simple way to support O’Hanlon is to register with AmazonSmile. If you shop online for your holiday gifts, designate O’Hanlon Center for the Arts as the non-profit you’d like to support and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to OHCA! Click the preceding link to register, or contact the OHCA office for more details about how you can give to OHCA using this program. The proceeds from these programs really add up! Let us know when you participate in one of them (Mill Valley Market—our number is 7078—is another one) so that we may personally thank you!
MORE TO COME!
We will follow up soon with more information about upcoming classes, new and renewing members… and special thanks to our recent volunteers who have continued to give generously of their time during this busy holiday season.
With warm holiday wishes to all of our members,
Abby Wasserman, Board President
Kellan Christopher, Center Director
Erma Murphy, Director of Programs and Outreach