Rooted in Love – Starcross through the Decades

A powerful new exhibition chronicling nearly five decades of compassion, resilience, and spiritual devotion opens Friday, June 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Burnett Gallery at the Gualala Arts Center. Rooted in Love – Starcross through the Decades, presented by Sister Julie DeRossi, offers a poignant photographic journey through the history of the Starcross Monastic Community is a small, independent community nestled in the coastal hills of northwestern Sonoma County. Rooted in the contemplative tradition, this peaceful community has offered quiet encouragement and affirmation to gentle souls on all spiritual paths for the past fifty years.

Starcross began with three founding members: Tolbert “Toby” McCarroll, a passionate civil rights attorney; Mary Martha “Marti” Aggeler, a charismatic executive secretary; and Julie DeRossi, a dedicated teacher. Their paths converged in San Francisco in the 60s and 70s, where Toby founded a growth center in efforts to combine humanistic psychology with Eastern and Western approaches to spirituality. Marti and Julie soon joined the center and together the three of them discerned a desire to live in spiritual community and commit themselves to a simple life.  In the 1970s, they took monastic vows, becoming Brother Toby, Sister Marti, and Sister Julie. Not long after, a friend asked them to foster a pair of siblings with high medical needs, trusting in their ability to step in where others couldn’t. Thus began their long journey of fostering, adopting, and caring for children.

In the charge of many high-needs children, it became evident that a move from the city was in order. In 1976, the trio officially founded Starcross Monastic Community in Annapolis, CA, and embraced a rural life far removed from their urban roots. The early years were challenging, but they planted gardens, opened a one-room schoolhouse, wrote books, and supported themselves with a Christmas wreath business—all while maintaining a monastic rhythm and caring for many foster children. In the 1980s, as the AIDS pandemic emerged, Starcross was moved by the plight of children born with HIV/AIDS. They gained international attention and renown for pioneering care for these children in the home, offering them love, attention, and medical support. Their advocacy for children born with HIV/AIDS later expanded to Romania and Uganda, where the need was profound.

Today, Starcross continues its mission through land stewardship and conservation, organic farming, and local outreach to underserved communities. As the journalist Gaye LeBaron once wrote, Starcross is “a few people and their extended family, tucked away in the northwest corner of Sonoma County, saving the world in small segments.”

Exhibit Description: Rooted in Love displays a comprehensive history of the local Starcross Monastic Community for the first time ever. When the three founding members of this independent spiritual community moved from San Francisco to Annapolis, CA, in the 1970s, they were only looking for more space to care for their many foster children with high medical needs. Soon, though, the challenges and joys of rural life became evident, and they got to work raising cows, growing vegetables, and tilling the land, all while maintaining a monastic rhythm of life and raising exceptional children. After these foster children grew up and left the property, the founding members of Starcross thought they were done raising children—until they saw an injustice that they just couldn’t stand by and watch. Spurred on by empathy and anger at the way children with HIV/AIDS were being warehoused in hospitals and denied human touch, Starcross spearheaded efforts to care for these children at home, beginning with their residence here in Mendonoma County. Soon they were receiving national acclaim and attention for their efforts, and expanded this home-care model abroad to both Romania and Uganda.

A multimedia timeline of Starcross’ efforts over the past half-century, Rooted in Love immerses viewers into the winding history of this small but impactful community. Primarily featuring photographs, the exhibit is also interspersed with other archival materials, including newspaper snippets, internal documents, and haiku written by the Starcross founders. Their chronicle reminds us of the power of love and compassion to make an impact even in difficult circumstances, demonstrating humanity’s ability to continue growing after heartwrenching loss.  Showcasing photographs and multimedia materials from the 1970s up to the present day, Rooted in Love is an entirely unique retrospective of the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

The exhibition runs through July 5. Admission is free, and all are welcome to experience this moving tribute to the human spirit.