The Art of Healing concert, benefit for Marin community healer Oshalla Diana Marcus

January 18, 2026

Oshalla Diana Marcus, a third-generation Marin City native and community arts leader, is recovering from a life-altering stroke, prompting her community to organize a benefit concert in her honor. Beginning her work at age 14 teaching poetry to younger children, Marcus has spent decades using creative arts as a healing tool throughout Marin County and beyond. She founded Marin City Arts and Culture, the county's first gallery dedicated to Black artists, and developed numerous programs including Art in the Park Rx and Prison to Artistic Freedom to bring creative healing to underserved populations.

Who is affected

Oshalla Diana Marcus (stroke survivor and benefit recipient)
Black artists in Marin County
Young creatives and children in Marin City
Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists
Families and elders in Marin City neighborhoods
The broader Marin City community

What action is being taken

The Art of Healing benefit concert is being held on January 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley
The community is responding to support Oshalla's recovery
Oshalla is continuing her own healing journey following her stroke

Why it matters

This event demonstrates the principle of reciprocal community care—showing how decades of service to others creates a support network that responds when the caregiver needs help. It reinforces the transformative power of arts-based healing programs in underserved communities and validates the long-term impact of grassroots cultural work. The benefit also serves as an intergenerational lesson about sustained community commitment, illustrating how one person's early dedication to creative healing can create lasting change that eventually comes full circle.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper