Reimagining the Future

Do you want to be of service? This question greeted the earliest people who came to work at Commonweal.

For 50 years, Commonweal has followed that calling and developed organically, more like an ecosystem than an institution. We have grown deep roots in our physical home place in Bolinas, California,  as we also developed a global network connecting fields of work as diverse as cancer care, environmental health, youth justice, and the arts. The ecosystem that has developed around us has created more than 80 programs, cultural impact, and policy change that has touched hundreds of thousands of lives.

When you begin a journey, you have no idea where it will take you. That has certainly been true for Commonweal. This exhibit looks at the wild and unexpected growth of our work, the mycelium beneath the surface, and the tools and values that have naturally developed in our community.

It is a challenging time to be a human, but we find strength in looking back and seeing that a shaft of light on a cloudy morning in 1975 became the living, thriving workshop called Commonweal. We offer this reflective exhibit to remind ourselves  that, with dedication to service, we have the power to build resilient bodies, minds, and communities—contributing meaningfully to healing ourselves and the Earth.