Abby O'Leary, the Reed Union School District's visual and performing arts teacher on special assignment, asked the Tiburon Town Heritage and Arts Commission on Oct. 28 to help the district expand community partnerships and public-facing displays of student work.

O'Leary said the position is funded through California’s Proposition 28 and described four program “buckets” guiding her work: arts integration in classrooms, arts enrichment (assemblies and field trips), community partnerships, and an arts task force. "I am the Vapatosa," she told commissioners, using the local acronym she said staff and others have adopted for her role.

She proposed several specific collaborations: bringing students to view Town Hall exhibitions, arranging visiting artists, placing student work in local businesses and public spaces, and inviting at least one commission member to join the arts task force. O'Leary said the task force will meet three times this year and that the first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 12, 3:30–5 p.m. She encouraged interested commissioners to sign up via a Google form she provided.

Commissioners spoke in favor of increased coordination and noted past student exhibitions at Town Hall that ended during the COVID period. Several commissioners and members of the public offered to help with outreach to businesses and with scheduling; one commissioner suggested the gallery calendar be set earlier to allow better promotion.

O'Leary said she has already arranged partnerships that place student work in the community and suggested a Town Hall student exhibition or school-hosted open-house tours as ways to increase public engagement. She also described plans to invite artists into classrooms, and she noted continuing work with the library and local galleries.

The commission did not take formal action. Staff and commissioners agreed to follow up on calendar planning and to publicize the Nov. 12 arts task-force meeting so commissioners can consider joining.

Looking ahead, O'Leary said the task force will help the district write a three-year plan that sets priorities for arts instruction and community engagement.