Tiburon commission revises 2025 reception calendar; discusses sale and commission procedures

The Tiburon Heritage and Arts Commission voted on Jan. 28 to shift the scheduling protocol for upper-gallery artist receptions and discussed the town's procedures for art sales during gallery shows.

Commissioners approved a motion to move the reception nights for the final two upstairs gallery exhibitions in 2025 to the second Tuesday of the exhibition month (September and November). The commission also authorized offering artist Yuan Zhang an option between a first-Tuesday or second-Tuesday reception in May; staff will confirm which date the artist prefers.

The meeting included an extended discussion about reception logistics and how sales are handled. Several commissioners reiterated existing practice: the artist typically provides food for receptions, the commission provides wine, and the town does not process sales payments on the spot. As explained in the meeting, when artwork sells during an exhibition, staff record the sale and the artist remits the town’s standard 25% commission at the end of the show. Commissioners said they prefer to keep that consistent across shows and not to take cash receipts on behalf of artists during a reception.

Commissioners also discussed the calendar timing around holidays. Because the first Tuesday in September is the week of Labor Day, the commission agreed that the second-Tuesday rule reduces scheduling conflicts and likely improves attendance. The motion to change the two reception dates and to offer Zhang a choice of May dates was seconded and approved.

Separately, commissioners confirmed that some individual reception dates will also be coordinated with artists and staff (hang dates, banner logistics and publicity) and that staff will circulate a final 2025 reception calendar.