Venice Art Crawl Fundraiser At The Lantern House - An Eclectic Arty Party

There was an extra-fun fundraiser last weekend for the Venice Art Crawl held at The Lantern House on Milwood that both showed everyone a great time and got funds raised for the big "Afterburn" edition of the VAC that costs a pretty penny to produce.

If you've never been inside The Lantern House, it's really something to see, and a truly Venice experience. There are all of the lanterns and chandeliers hanging in the trees lighting up the night, but there are also several bungalows making up the whole, all full of art and curios that beg for their stories to be told. (And we're having a fundraiser there on June 16th for a documentary I'm working on about income inequality in Venice/America - please message me if you'd like to come!)

There were speeches made by the VAC's Sunny Bak and Andrea Tan, and a welcome from our host, Scott Mayers, who also offered up a 12 person meal in his wonderful home for the silent auction (And you may still donate and/or bid HERE any day, to ensure that we get to have this super awesomely fun and cool Afterburn event this fall and keep the art in Venice all the time!)!

The theme for the event was "Eclectic", and to that end, there were beautiful mermaids and painted ladies (and even a blue-eyed wolf) making the rounds, and people were dressed up to impress (especially Amy Kaps in her art performance dress!). It was also really fun because I got to meet several people I'd either only previously known by name, or not at all. New friends!

There was food, drink, and merriment to be sure, but there was also entertainment. There was a magician named Danny Wolverton (aka "Special Head"). No one knew that the old man who looked like Gandhi that roamed around in our midst was really the entertainment, and would soon be levitating in the living room.

Levitating! I'm sure there's a trick to it, but we saw no wires and I believed. Wolverton had a ringer in the audience who yelled "Do it naked", and soon he transformed from a little old bald man into a young "naked" (he was in a sheer unitard) man, who could grow roses out of thin air! It was rad.

As was the whole party. There's not a lot better than an evening of mingling with Venice locals and artists for the great cause of keeping locals and artists IN Venice. Unless you get to follow it with a perfect focaccia (and meal) at Felix with some of your new friends you just made. Thanks, Ira & Gail!

Please support the Venice Art Crawl all year round. It's one of the best events we have here in Venice, and it really is all about the art and the locals. The next one is May 17th with a focus on the Cultural Corridor of Venice Boulevard. Please join us for yet another excellent evening of art in the neighborhood!