It feels really special to be working events in the same place my grandmother used to work, maybe 70 or 80 years ago. It feels somehow meant to be.

Some people have recently learned about Marin Art and Garden Center at events like the summer concerts or Edible Garden. Others have been visiting for years attending art shows, sending their kids to the Garden School, or having fun playing at Pixie Park. Still others, like Lisa Tsubouchi, have a lifelong connection to the property and know exactly how precious it is to the entire community. 

“My connection to Marin Art & Garden Center started long before I was born,” Lisa says. “My mother grew up just down the street in Ross, and my grandmother, Maja, used to work at the garden. Her office was what’s now called the Bottle House! She worked with, and was very close friends with, women like Caroline Livermore and Fenn Herrington Stratford. My mother has fond memories of Caroline and Fenn, as well, and came to the garden often as a child.”

It’s understandable that Lisa would have warm feelings about Marin Art and Garden Center. Given her mother and grandmother’s memories of Caroline Livermore and Fenn Herrington Stratford, she certainly heard all about their efforts to save the property, as well as their conservation work throughout the county and region. 

From before birth, through childhood, and into her teens, Marin Art and Garden Center remained a central part of Lisa’s life. The stories her mother and grandmother told, as well as her own special visits to the property, continued to draw her back and provide a new sense of wonder each time. As she witnessed people celebrate their most important milestone events among the beautiful and ever-changing landscape, she found inspiration and direction for her career path, as well. 

“Fast forward,” Lisa says, “and I am now a preferred vendor on Marin Art and Garden Center’s list of wedding planners. In fact, my business, Sachi & Maja, is named after my grandmothers.” 

As a floral designer and potter, Lisa is an artist at heart, and her brilliant sense of design helps her highlight the exceptional beauty of the garden to create a milestone event for her clients that they will remember fondly for the rest of their lives. 

“My team and I absolutely love working at Marin Art and Garden Center for so many reasons… 

The incredibly helpful and warm staff, gorgeous setting, and of course that personal connection that we have with the place. It feels really special to be working events in the same place my grandmother used to work, maybe 70 or 80 years ago. It feels somehow meant to be.”

More to explore

IRS Guidelines for Gifts from Donor Advised Funds to Support MAGC Events

Thank you for your interest in giving to the Marin Art & Garden Center events from your Donor Advised Fund (DAF) or Family Foundation.

We sincerely appreciate your generosity and support!

To ensure your gift follows the current IRS guidelines for DAF/Family Foundation support of an event, we would like to share the below guidelines with you.

  • Raffle tickets, tickets to galas and other special events, auction items, and benefits conferred in connection with a DAF/foundation grant are not permitted.
    • IRS has specifically ruled that fair market value associated with fundraising events cannot be separated, a practice known as “bifurcation.”
      • For example, with Edible Garden, if the price of the ticket is $200 and the FMV fair market value (non-tax-deductible amount) is designated to be $50, the donor must pay from sources other than her DAF/foundation for the full value of the ticket ($200) and not just for the non-tax-deductible amount ($50).
    • We recommend you confer with your financial advisor to confirm if any of these examples of how donors may still use their DAF to support an event would work for you:
      • A donor could sponsor the event, and not attend, and pay fully out of the DAF/foundation.
      • A donor could sponsor the event using DAF/foundation funds and attend by purchasing an individual ticket through non-DAF/foundation funds.
      • A donor could sponsor the event, join the event as a guest of another donor/table guest, and pay fully out of the DAF/foundation.
      • A donor could sponsor the event and host the afforded number of people at their chosen level as long as they pay for the seats at the lowest ticket price ($200 for Edible Garden) outside of their DAF.
        • As an example, a $1,500 sponsor that covers 2 guests, could pay for their sponsorship with $400 from a different source of funds, and then give an additional gift of $1,100 out of their DAF.

 

Please email Tod Thorpe, Director of Development at tod.thorpe@maringarden.org to discuss your gift to Marin Art and Garden Center