With heavy hearts we say goodbye

It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we say farewell to our dear friend Marilyn Crilley, who served on our board since 2017 and died on November 3, 2020. Marilyn brought years of experience as a dedicated arts board member, a passion for social justice through the arts, a brilliant mind and generous heart, not to mention her trademark dry wit. We are grateful for all of the support and advice she provided us through the years, including her words of wisdom as we reimagined our mission and grew the scope of our organization. 

Marilyn always offered thoughtful insights about race and inequality, and while she was a private person, she shared her experiences with the incarceration of Japanese-American families during World War II and identifying the ways that prejudice and racial injustice persist. We promise to carry her commitment to unearthing and overturning inequality and injustice through the arts, as we carry her in our hearts.

We will miss her very much and send our heartfelt condolences to her husband George Rowbottom (a dedicated arts advocate as well) and her family and friends.  

We will post Marilyn’s obituary and any information on her memorial service once we know more.