Maggie moved to Orinda 40 years ago.  Over these 40 years Maggie has spent countless hours volunteering her time and skills to help bring art to the citizens of Orinda.  She also helps local artists make their work available for the public to appreciate.  

She has been the volunteer curator for the art gallery at the Orinda library for the past 18 years. The art gallery displays works by local artists and changes every month. Maggie finds the artists, corresponds with them to help them select and display their work as well as holding artist receptions at the gallery.

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As soon as she moved to Orinda, Maggie started teaching music and art at Del Rey School where she taught singing, recorders, plus the infamous Singing Socks, where she taught her students to work together by having them put their handmade “singing” socks through holes at the appropriate time to the music.  Always a crowd pleaser.  After six years of instruction, her students were very enthusiastic and appreciated all types of music and art.

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Maggie has been a member and supporter of the Orinda Arts Council (now Lamorinda Arts Council) for the past 40 years, where she has been president and vice-president. She is currently involved with organizing a fund raiser for the Arts Council as well as a 75th Anniversary celebration for the Council.  She also was a Member and President of the Contra Costa Music Teacher’s Association.

Maggie’s greatest accomplishment in the arts is “Artify Orinda”. She started this project in 2019 after seeing painted big bellies and other surfaces in Walnut Creek, San Ramon Lafayette and other cities. She approached the City Council about doing this in Orinda, and made a presentation to them.   You have all seen the results of her hard work throughout Orinda in the form of the original paintings on utility boxes, big belly trash cans and on a few spots on buildings. It was not an easy path for Maggie, coordinating the artists, the City Council and the merchants. 

The Council wanted to see proof of concept, and to approve the art that would be on city property before it was displayed to the public.  To get approval of the concept she got agreements from Mash Gas Station and CVS Pharmacy to display art on their buildings.  She had local artists paint panels of the correct size to fit four places on the CVS building and one on the Mash Gas Station. The City Council approved the concept and so the process for painting utility boxes and Big Belly trash cans started. Maggie selected artists and had them supply photos of their work for City approval. Through Orinda Arts Council Maggie obtained donations from the public to get the art printed and installed as well as getting the artists paid for their work.  Besides the murals on the Mash gas station and CVS there are now over 20 additional pieces of art on the utility boxes and Big Bellies.  Maggie continues to be the driving force behind these displays of public art and is working to get approval from Cal-Trans to have more utility boxes painted.

Maggie also volunteers her time and talent to many local organizations such as the Singing Messengers, a volunteer group that travel to convalescent homes each week to provide song and entertainment to the residents. She has been involved with the group for 18 years lending not only her singing voice but helping organize programs and playing piano.

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As many people like to sit and view some of the public art in the Library lower plaza, Maggie led fundraising to purchase a bench in honor of the late Orinda resident Anne Parr, who had taught pottery at the community center for many years. Maggie got approval from the city for the location and design of the bench which was procured and installed by the city in the plaza near Café Teatro.  Maggie had a plaque made and installed it on the bench in a ceremony with other donors. Maggie’s efforts for the citizens of Orinda also include serving as fire captain for her neighborhood and Firewise committee for 70 homes. She has also helped community service projects through St. Stephens Church, Acalanes chapter of DAR and the Orinda Rotary Club.

Maggie has enriched Orinda as she has initiated and followed through on r many large and small projects.