Marin creatives come together to raise money for community leader

James Henry succinctly sums up the sentiment under which the Marin arts scene rallied to help Oshalla Marcus after her stroke: “In a community, when someone falls down, we should help pick them up.”

The percussionist is one of the artists performing at a forthcoming benefit for Marcus, executive director of Marin City Arts and Culture, who suffered a stroke last June that left her without control over the left side of her body.

The evening is billed as “The Art of Healing,” so it’s no surprise that the bill is headlined by Marin resident and new age pioneer Steven Halpern, who was one of the first artists to promote their work as a tool for spiritual healing. Other artists on the bill include Henry’s band Hands on Fire, Zimbabwe-born mbira player Piwai and her Bassmint Quartet, local handpan virtuoso Gary Yost and cabaret performer Craig Jessup.

“The evening is designed as a journey of healing, where sound and music become medicine,” said Elisabeth Setten, co-organizer of the event and executive director of Art Works Downtown in San Rafael. “Music becomes a pathway to wholeness and resilience and connection.”

When Jessup called Setten to let her know their mutual friend had suffered a stroke, the two began rallying their resources to help fund their friend’s recovery. In collaboration with Erma Murphy, executive director of O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley, Jessup and Setten began mobilizing artists to show their support. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Throckmorton Theatre at 142 Throckmorton Ave. in Mill Valley. Admission is $53 to $103; the funds will go toward her long-term rehabilitation and therapeutic care. Get tickets at throckmortontheatre.org.

“Oshalla has given so much to Marin’s cultural life,” Setten said. “And when we found out that she needed funds for her rehabilitation, the concert was one way of surrounding her with the same care.”

Marcus is a third-generation Marin native; her grandfather came to Marin City in 1945 to work at the shipyards. Trained as an actress, Marcus expanded her artistic endeavors over the years to include yoga and Pilates instruction, spoken word poetry and dance.

“I was always engaged in the arts,” Marcus says. “That was just something I was doing from a very young age.”

Most recently, Marcus founded the Marin City Arts and Culture and its MC Arts Gallery during the pandemic, creating a space for local artists in the heart of Marin City’s central shopping mall.

“It was a beautiful thing that I was able to step in and have an art gallery in the shopping center during that time,” she said. “I was able to provide space for other artists, not just in Marin City, but also in Marin County in general. Essentially, I stepped out of just my own individual career as an artist to become more of a community artist.”

As a dancer and choreographer, Marcus has traveled all over the world, including to the former Soviet Union while working on the teen musical “Peace Child” as part of a United States-Soviet youth exchange in 1990. Alongside tango master Jean-Pierre Sighe, she’s taught classes on the African roots of that distinctive South American dance form.

Following her stroke, it’s likely she’ll never dance again.

“This was a very serious injury to the brain,” she said. “I’ve had broken ankles, broken toes and sprained my wrist. I’ve had body injuries, and they’re normal to me. Pain is something that I’ve been accustomed to, but this is very different. I’m not able to dance — I’m still learning how to stand up.”

Yet Marcus has found some peace in her situation by leaning further into the role of a community facilitator, focusing on creating opportunities for other artists rather than centering her own work.

“It’s not just about me,” she said. “This happened to me so that I can understand other people’s experiences, because this is pretty serious. I would never have thought this would’ve happened to me, and most people would’ve never thought it either. So I feel that there’s a higher purpose to everything that happens.”