The Briarcombe Institute

The well-hidden coastal town of Bolinas is an enclave of artists, poets, musicians, filmmakers, bon vivants, fishermen, woodworkers, surfers, charlatans and astrologers. Recently they have been joined by the technorati, for better or for worse. It has been called “an altered space” and “a different dimension.” It has long been a haven for artists, writers, and freethinkers seeking inspiration, community and beauty.

Known for a preponderance of geniuses, visionaries and eccentrics, Bolinas is a place where the natural beauty of the landscape blends with a history of art, environmentalism, regenerative agriculture and rock and roll. The town's history dates back to the early 1900s, when it was a smuggler's cove hiding bona fide pirates, and began attracting artists and writers drawn to its rogue nature, cool and gorgeousness.

The land surrounding the residency is a forest full of California Live Oaks. During peaceful moments animals wander through, including wild turkeys, coyotes, bobcats and foxes, and there are many fruit-bearing trees, such as apple, lemon, plum and persimmon as well as some anemic Valencia orange trees struggling mightily to thrive in a non-Mediterranean climate.

The Briarcombe compound offers spaces for gathering and nooks for personal reflection and work. It was designed as an artists’ retreat starting in the 1970s. It is one of the more elaborate products of the “California Modern” or “Handmade houses” movement that originated on the West Coast in places like Bolinas and Big Sur in the 1960s. It took its inspiration from such diverse sources as sacred geometry, Buddhist architecture, The California Craftsman movement, the I Ching, Scandinavian cottages, LSD, Maybeck, and Jung. Briarcombe has been described as “Shinto meets the Shire.” The residence has spacious common areas and private studios ideal for creative work. There are gardens, decks, patio and benches scattered around the place.

The Briarcombe Institute supports artists, thinkers and cultural organizations working in fields such as music, visual art, film and video, spiritualism, writing, philosophy, psychology and performance.