After nearly 11 years as the County of Marin’s Director of Cultural Services, Gabriella Calicchio will step down from her role to embark on a new chapter as the fifth Executive Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Calicchio took the helm of the Department of Cultural Services in 2014 and has served as the founding Executive Director of the Marin Cultural Association since 2015.
Reflecting on her time with the County of Marin, Calicchio expressed her deep pride in the accomplishments she and her team have achieved.
“I am incredibly proud of the programs and achievements we have launched during my tenure with the County of Marin,” Calicchio said. “From establishing our nonprofit, the Marin Cultural Association, to adopting the County’s first Arts & Cultural Plan — Arts Culture Action Marin! — I am thrilled with our success in developing a more engaged, collaborative, and supportive arts ecosystem. We ensured that all arts organizations in the county had access to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) training and support; we created a fund to support hard-hit arts organizations during the pandemic; we developed the first countywide public arts map and database; and we established the groundwork to launch a new Arts Council for Marin.”
Calicchio’s influence extended beyond her primary role. She served as Interim Director of the Marin County Free Library from 2021 to 2022 and was involved in several professional networks including the California Arts Council, Californians for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, International Association of Venue Managers, Western Fairs Association, and International Association of Fairs and Expositions.
Her decade-plus of leadership has been filled with significant milestones:
· Adopting Marin’s first Arts & Cultural Plan, a landmark initiative for the county’s artistic growth.
· Establishing the Bartolini Gallery to host a robust exhibits program to ensure artists from all corners of Marin had a space to showcase their art.
· Presenting a series of programs and performances featuring local luminaries including Armistead Maupin, Brian Copeland, Josh Kornbluth, Marga Gomez, and shows by groups ranging from Willie K, We Players, and Windham Hill to Soul Street Dance and the Ten Tenors.
· Opening the Marin Center facilities and fairgrounds to shelter over 800 wildfire evacuees in 2017 and 2019, demonstrating a deep commitment to community care.
· Activating the Marin Center campus for the countywide COVID-19 response, serving as an important hub and increased access for testing and vaccination.
· Establishing a $100,000 fund to support arts organizations adversely impacted by the pandemic.
· Leading the Marin County Fair to win two prestigious Merrill Awards in 2015 and 2018 — the highest award in the industry – for the fair’s emphasis on health, equity, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of the fair programming.
· Overseeing the seismic retrofit of the Marin Center facilities including the Exhibit Hall, Showcase Theater, and Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, ensuring their safety and longevity for future generations.
“We are forever grateful for Gabriella’s contributions to the County of Marin for more than a decade,” said Eric Lucan, District 5 Supervisor for Marin. “She is a passionate champion for the arts and leaves a lasting impact on our entire community. In words most fitting for her next endeavor, parting is such sweet sorrow.”
As Calicchio transitions into her new role, a nationwide recruitment effort will begin to identify a new director for the Department of Cultural Services and Marin Cultural Association. The director will oversee a team of 13 full-time-equivalent staff and an annual budget of $4,296,867.
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