The Venice Art Crawl Turns 7!

The Venice Art Crawl turned 7 years old last night with a party at Canal Club to celebrate! The back room was jam packed with artists and the people who love them and their work. The entire mission of the VAC is to keep ART alive in Venice, and these are the folks that are making sure of that.

The VAC was the vision of Danny Samakow, Edizen Stowell, and Mike Newhouse, who came together to ensure that Venice as an art destination would remain so. They, along with tireless board member, Sunny Bak, were honored last night with a well-deserved certificate from the Venice Chamber of Commerce, and a big old 7th birthday chocolate cake.

A raffle was held all night, with winners claiming art by local artists, among other great loot prizes. Danny Samakow was sporting the bright pink VAC shirt from when the event was a monthly deal, and shared with me how happy he was to see how far it's all come.

Fun and familiar faces of Venice enjoyed themselves all night (and do be sure to check out the watermelon margarita across the street at James Beach while it's in season - delish!), and all looked forward to the next installment of the VAC in September for the Venice Afterburn - always a highlight of the year!

Happiest Birthday to the Venice Art Crawl, and endless thanks for all of your hard work to keep the art world in Venice not just alive, but thriving! Much, much love!

Next Venice Art Crawl - September 21st! 

 

A Proud Weekend In Venice

Well,  that was fun! Venice Pride took over Venice for the weekend, and it was a celebration of diversity and inclusivity for the entire town. Venice has always been a place to be yourself, no matter what, and this past weekend brought that fact into sharp focus with a street party for the ages.

After a ceremony on Thursday (that I missed) to dedicate the rainbow lifeguard tower at Brooks Avenue and that stretch of sand to be officially known as Bill Rosendahl Beach, the real party went down on Friday night with an epic dance party in the street at Windward Avenue in front of the Venice sign.

Venetians of every make and model turned out to support their LBGTQ brothers and sisters (if they didn't identify as that themselves), and those brothers and sisters got DOWN. DJ Victor Rodriguez got the whole thing started at about 5 pm, and kept the party going in the streets until 11pm, when people dispersed to the many after-parties.

The crowd was huge, and beach balls were batted around overhead, in true beach party fashion. Each speaker's comments about the wonderful people and town of Venice were met with massive roars and applause, and you could tell that absolutely everyone was in the mood to blow off some of the steam this crazy world of ours has built up over recent weeks/months. That steam would have blown the roof off of the place, had their been one, but we were partying under the stars, and under the rainbow lights of our Venice sign.

The whole proceeding was family friendly, and many youngsters were spotted in the crowd, creating wonderful memories and building support for EVERYONE from a young age. I was so encouraged to watch my little friends loudly cheering and pumping their fists for every declaration of unity and love for all ... it gave me real hope for the future, watching them with their rainbow-sprayed heads of support. It was truly a night of One Love, and beautiful to behold.

Mike Bonin spoke, of course, as did Pride spear-headers Grant Turck and Danny Samakow. The celebrity sign lighter was Venice fixture, Lori Petty (star of Point Break, Tank Girl, and Orange Is The New Black), who spoke about how she came to Venice from Hollywood, saw naked, wet Red Hot Chili Peppers here, and decided never to leave. She talked about how everyone here is beautiful, and diverse, and how we stick up for what's right. How it's special here, and no greedy landlords or corporations can change that, no matter how hard they're trying. And you could feel exactly that.

All gathered yelled their agreement, and all the camera phones went up to count down from 10 to light the sign. When the rainbow bulbs lit the sky, the crowd went wild. Photos were taken, dancing re-commenced in the streets, and all was well in Venice, California. First Fridays was happening over on Abbot Kinney, but that's for tourists. If you wanted to see and know the real Venice, we were all on Windward Friday night.

The street party was so fun, and every time the streetlights changed, it was another dance-a-thon right there in the diagonal crosswalk under the Venice sign. Strangers danced together, high-fived, hugged, and generally thanked our lucky stars that we're living in a place that not only accepts all, but rejoices in our differences. It was truly an awesome sight to see.

After a while, people took off to all the various after-parties (I'm told the official one - "Gaywatch" at The Birdcage on Main Street was beyond packed, and went OFF). We just carried on dancing around in Venice, feeling happy that our gay friends once again had a place to celebrate on the Westside.

The weekend was super June gloomy, but that didn't dampen any spirits. There was a beach clean-up ("Beach Please") on Saturday morning, and then an all day party at Muscle Beach ("Status Is Sexy") with performances by singers and dancers, speakers, and all the Boardwalk tourists getting a taste of how we support each other down here by the sea.

Pride shirts were for sale, with proceeds going back to the Venice Pride organization to do it all again next year, even bigger and better. I want to shout out to the L.A. Rams and the L.A. Chargers for both so publicly supporting Venice Pride by buying up many of the light bulbs for the sign, and taking out ads voicing their support. For such a typically homophobic organization such as the NFL to come out in support of celebrating the wonderful diversity of Venice indicates a real sea change, and true progress for ALL. Super cool. *I do not want to shout-out Snapchat, who did not chip in, even though they could really use the good p.r. Just beat it already ... you're not wanted here. Thanks.

Sunday was pretty much a day of rest, as it felt much quieter everywhere. We basically kicked it with George at The Townhouse, having bloody marys inside to wait out the gloom and discuss how much fun everyone had had the nights before. An enormous THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this very prideful weekend in Venice, from the organizers to the partiers! The world is always watching, and we showed them that Venice continues to be a place of wonder and acceptance and a real good time. Pride is a great word for it, as I'm super proud of Venice when it comes together to support everyone like this.

Keep up the good work, everybody! xoxo

The Spring Venice Art Crawl - Mini Edition

The Venice Art Crawl went down last night, and this time was centered up and down Venice Boulevard, in what I like to call "The Cultural Corridor". This time out was a lot smaller (with the annual Art Walk also happening this weekend, it's a lot), and I'm not mad at that. There's always so much ground to cover that you can never see it all anyway, so this more bite size version was actually pretty user-friendly. I had woken up to the news that the world lost Chris Cornell, so was feeling a bit melancholy, but also very eager to get out and live myself.

                                                                                                  *this piece by Jennifer Verge

We started the evening in the window seats at Wabi Sabi as the sun went down, and it was like looking at art just watching all the people walk by ... and all the girls taking selfies out in front. Wabi Sabi was also a stop on the Art Crawl, so we hit two birds with one stone (and a few glasses of wine got hit as well, if I'm honest). Barbara Lavery had her show Before They Go up on the walls, a series of photos of Venice artists working in their studios - while they still have them. It was poignant, and great, and shone a light on the fact that Venice is really nothing without its artists ... and that's what the Art Crawl is all about.

As the daylight waned, we headed over to the Beyond Baroque and SPARC complex to see what was happening, but it appeared to be a big crowd for an AA meeting. We probably could have done with staying and listening, but there was still a lot of art to see. We walked over to the home studio of Flavio Bisciotti, which was nearly totally ruined in a fire last year. Fellow artists came together to do a show comprised of all works done on charred remains of things from the studio.

The "Art From The Ashes" show was a great success, and also incredibly inspiring. Artists coming together to make something new out of the old, and supporting each other through it all. It's a beautiful thing, as are the objects that were created out of it. My favorite was the chandelier made from bits and pieces of wreckage, that came together to be more beautiful than any of it had been before. There's a good lesson in there ...

Bisciotti has a wonderful attitude about it all, and appears to be even more inspired himself. He has made chairs that are see through and contain more wreckage, that were very cool, and again, wouldn't have happened without that awful fire. This man has truly become the phoenix.

There were drinks and good conversation there, but there was also a whole bunch more art to see, and we'd already killed a lot of time. We had more Crawlers join us as we aimed for the beach down Venice Boulevard. It didn't seem like much was happening at the Venice Library, so we went on over to Sunny Bak's place to see her, and the silent auction going on there to benefit the Art Crawl Afterburn in the fall.

Sunny does SO much for this Art Crawl, and one of the reasons this Crawl was small, is that she does most of it herself, it seems like. She needs help, volunteers, artists, venues, money ... HELP. It takes a whole community to pull these things off, and we need to all be in it together. One of the best ways to combat gentrification and tech company take-overs is to PARTICIPATE in events. Be SEEN in your Community. Many people I talked to yesterday weren't even aware the Art Crawl was being held last night, though there are banners up all over town, and promotions all over social media. C'mon, Venice. Time to re-boot the school spirit. Thanks!

There was live painting happening outside at Sunny's by Ana Escobar, and the bright colorful pieces brought some fun and vibrancy to the night - plus it's always fun to watch people work.

Time was ticking, so we raced over to the C.A.V.E. to see the beautiful show Sixth Extinction by Louis Masai. It features colorful animals that are endangered or extinct, and is centered by a bee hovering over some flowers. I love Masai's work, and first saw it as a mural behind the G2 Gallery on Abbot Kinney. It's up through May, I believe, and well worth your time to check out on your way to the beach.

We were too late to see Deb Louck's new work at Small World Books, as we found the doors locked. Bummer. It's all still up though, so I'll still go see it and so should you. I love her stuff. We didn't make it into Sidewalk Café either, as now we ran into friends that were on their way to the Canal Club. There was a ton of fun art in the back room there, in a show called "ARTravenous" by James Berkowitz, with various artists showing. There was a big crowd there, and everyone was clearly having a good time.

This was a fun Crawl, as I rolled around with Venice lady legends, Greta Cobar and Suzy Williams - two of my all time favorite Venetians. Laughs were had.

It was vital that we cross the street to James Beach with Danny Samakow, both to see all of his beautiful paintings that were featured on the dining room walls ... and to do shots of some crazy rum together. Why not? (I poured a little out for Chris Cornell. Respect.)

There was still a lot going on all over town, but now it was getting late and people had to work today. It was great to see all the people out and about, on foot and bike, enjoying the sort of holiday feeling that comes with an event like the Venice Art Crawl. We are lucky people. We are alive and creating and sharing and celebrating art and each other in Venice, California.

Amen.

Venice Solidarity With Orlando - Enough Is Enough

There was yet another candlelight vigil last night in America ... this time in Venice to show our solidarity with the shooting massacre victims in Orlando, Florida. This time it happened in a gay nightclub, but it doesn't matter who it happened to, because it happened to all of us. Again.

It doesn't matter either what you think about guns ... no person in their sane mind - whatever their position is on arms (and I think they're only for pussies that can't use their words, but that's just me) - can make an argument for everyday people having access to assault weapons. NO ONE needs one of them. The NRA is a travesty, and any organization that has the President Of The United States saying that he's not "allowed" to even do a STUDY on gun violence, clearly has too much power and must be dismantled. Relax - that is not the same thing as saying take away all guns - though I'd be totally fine with that too.

So, once again, concerned and upset citizens gathered together to make ourselves feel better being together with like-minded friends and neighbors, and also to make our voices heard. Last night was for pain and comforting ... today is for action.

Venice met up at the Windward Circle, where a rainbow flag and flowers had been placed on the Robert Graham statue (that I call the Black Dahlia) that filled in as a memorial site. Candles and flowers were placed at its base, along with a big sign reading, "STANDING WITH ORLANDO".

Those in attendance (and I'm actually surprised the entire town wasn't there - apathy in this country is one of the biggest problems we have - PARTICIPATE!) were hugging and crying, filled with both sadness and righteous, justified anger. People took turns speaking and getting things off their chests and minds, and I think Daniel Samakow said it best when he said that one of the happiest days of his life was 11 days earlier when the Venice sign had been lit in rainbow colors and the streets filled with a dance party for Venice Pride, and now here we were overwhelmed with sadness, with many of the same people in attendance. "The beauty that comes out of this pain is this. Our community coming together to show that we stand for diversity." He was right. It was beautiful as we all stood together, holding candles aloft in solidarity, not just with the Orlando victims, but for better laws and gun control. There HAS to be. Samakow added that we were standing together at the Graham statue, because he had said that the statue was meant to symbolize "Strength, courage, and sexual freedom". And together we ARE strong.

Grant Turck read of the names of all of the people murdered in Orlando, and it was terribly sad to listen to them all and know that they were just people out together for a good time, fully innocent in this nightmare. Again. Someone said that their friend had been scared to come out to the vigil, that someone might target this group of mourners. If something happened to me while I was out showing my support and love for my fellow citizens, I guess I'd be ok with that. WE have to keep living, and speaking out, for the people that no longer can. It's our DUTY.

Another speaker was a transgender girl, who also said she almost didn't come to the vigil either, but was so glad that she did, because seeing that people really care helps to make you feel better about it all. She said that she would now be even more out and vocal, because the people that died in that club just trying to be who they were, no longer can. One man got up and told a tearful story about gays being persecuted in the past, and just when you think you've made all this progress, something like this happens. But I don't see it as a gay issue at all. Many in the crowd were gay, but just as many were not. It was all just concerned and activism-minded members of humanity, wanting things to be better for everyone. No one should have to die - or even lose friends - over lifestyle or political choices. You don't have to agree with each other on anything other than the fact that all humans matter. Pretty basic stuff. Golden rule.

As tears fell hearing the seemingly endless list of names, the sadness turned to anger and action. The next speaker, Michael, urged everyone to yes, feel sad, but to DO SOMETHING. "200 people here now is 200 actions tomorrow!" From calling your local representatives and congress and letting them know they will lose their jobs if they don't do something to signing petitions to ban assault weapons to simply being there for your community - something must be done. He got a laugh when he said, "Gay people are not going to be quiet!" - and I hope he's right. Another young man got up and thanked everyone there for making it real for him. Seeing all this news on your phone or t.v. is one thing, but being there together with people in real pain and concern is something else. "Thank you for letting me feel it." Because we all definitely felt it, the pain and the hope - that together we can make some kind of a difference in all of this madness.

Local Councilman, Mike Bonin, got up and said, "Things are fucked up in this country. I don't think it's the most respectful thing to have moments of silence, I think we need to be loud and pissed off !" And he's right. Silence will do nothing. "Our capacity for love is our strength." Also true, and also very much felt there in the Circle together ... gay, straight, young, old, all races, all religions, all political leanings ... our love makes us strong. But bullets don't care. Something must be done.

My friend, Beth Greenwald, got up and said that she's kept waiting for another Gandhi, or another MLK, Jr., or SOMEONE to come along and lead in all this social injustice and mayhem we've been dealing with as a country, until she realized that it's US. The People have always had the power. I think we just forget it sometimes when things feel so awfully messed up. That we CAN change it. We HAVE to.

The entire group then walked up Windward Avenue to the rainbow-lit Venice sign, where we all raised our candles and were NOT silent. We yelled and cheered for change, and for love, and on this night, for Orlando. Photos were taken to be sent out into the world to show that we indeed stand together, and stand STRONG for change. There were hugs and more tears, and then people needed a drink. And to mourn. And to strategize. Because today is that day of action. Our country has become a violent joke to the rest of the world, and I'm not ok with that. We all know we can do better ... and we all know that we MUST do better.

PLEASE stand up and make your own voice heard, in whatever way you can. And please never forget that we're all in this together. And please, PLEASE just love each other. It's really not that hard.


*Group photo by Venice Paparazzi

Venice Pride - Rainbow Bright!

When The Roosterfish very sadly closed last month, it left a very large void. Not only for cool dive bars in Venice, but really for any other gay venue on the West side. That all changes tonight, when Venice Pride kicks off with a rainbow lighting of the Venice sign and a dance party in the street on Windward Avenue!

Danny's Deli owner, Daniel Samakow, long an social justice activist and champion of Venice, realized that something had to happen, or all of the gay West side would essentially be "forced on to the internet and back in the closet," without a venue designated as for the LGBTQ community. Grant Turck, another major champion of Venice, did a bunch of research about declaring The Roosterfish as a historical monument, but that didn't get very far, and he agreed with Samakow that something new had to be created.

With help from Councilman Mike Bonin and George Francisco, they began with the idea to close off Windward for a Venice Pride dance party (TONIGHT! 7-9:30!) in the street with D.J. Victor Rodriguez (a popular spinner at Akbar in Silver Lake), and a changing of the Venice sign lightbulbs to rainbow colors in honor of our diversity. "Venice has been a center for diversity - ALWAYS," Samakow explained. "Venice has always had the spirit of bringing people together, and that's what we're going to do." That's right. Oh, AND there's going to be RAINBOW GRILLED CHEESES served up in the street tonight, courtesy of Chomp Eatery. Cool. The entire night will also serve as a fundraiser for the Trevor Project, and will honor both transgender youth organizer, Shear Avory, and the late Venice Councilman (and openly gay), Bill Rosendahl.

But the fun doesn't stop there, or tonight. The new venue for the LGBTQ community (and friends! All are welcome!) will be Danny's Deli, who will be happily accepting the torch on behalf of The Roosterfish. Danny's will host tonight's official after-party (with D.J. Jason Strommer), but also will host former Roosterfish customers on Margarita Wednesdays (featuring the famous Roosterfish $4.00 Margarita!) and Surf's Up Fridays with both live music (Miss Jessica! Suzy Williams!), hot D.J.'s,  With live music, it might actually wind up being, dare I say, BETTER than the Roosterfish - and right at the beach!

Speaking of the beach, there's a gay beach in the works too, just like the old days when the gay (and nude) beach was open for fun in the 1970's. The new LGBTQ beach will kick off this Saturday and Sunday, between the Breakwater and Tower 21. Look for the rainbows out on the sand from 11 am - 8 pm/sunset. The hope is that it will catch on and once again be a destination for this community at the beach, and that the entire event "will inspire other people to come and help fill the void," said Turck, who has really spearheaded the whole thing. His enthusiasm is infectious, as he went on to say that, "Venice has always been known for acceptance, and this is a celebration of equality and inclusiveness for everyone." Amen! Awomen! Aeveryone!

So, tonight the Venice Sign will be rainbow bright (and will be all month long!) and the whole world will see what the Venice community is all about. Turck told me that he's been quoting Kinky Boots as a way of explaining what both Venice Pride, and Venice itself, are all about, and I think it's a great summation:

One: Pursue the truth
Two: Learn something new
Three: Accept yourself and you'll accept others too!
Four: Let love shine
Five: Let pride be your guide
Six: Change the world when you change your mind!
Just be. Who you wanna be.
Never let them tell you who you ought to be.
Just be. With dignity.
Celebrate your life triumphantly.
You'll see.
Its beautiful.
You'll see

Its beautiful.

Cheers to Venice Pride! It's beautiful.

Mermaid Mural

I noticed a mural on the wall outside of Canal Club a while ago, and as it features a mermaid, I loved it, of course.

I asked Canal Club co-owner Danny Samakow who the artist was, and he wasn't sure, because it was painted for the Bruce Willis movie that was shot in Venice this Summer, Going Under. The film crew left, but the mural stayed, and we're all fine with it.

Keep a look out for Going Under when it comes out, and see our Venice featured in the cinema once again.

Thanks for the Mermaid!

A Venice Easter Weekend

Easter weekend 2015 was all about family, friends, and family friends here in Venice. I had my dear Krsniks/Hendricksons here and we did all the usual L.A. tourist stuff (and had an Easter miracle finding a lost purse - with cash and everything still in it! - at Hollywood & Highland. Good humans.) which is always fun to do with people ... and then it was time to simply relax (after all the cooking was done).

First there was some worship and gratitude, then Easter Bake and Monkey Bread were consumed Sunday morning. That had to be followed by a brisk walked to the beach to digest. There we saw the Venice Easter Bunny, delighting kids and me alike.

Danny Samakow was out and about, making sure that everyone was having a good time, and keeping the holiday spirit pumped up - as he does for just about every holiday.

People were lounging about on the sand, and displaying their own Easter egg hunt treasures by the graffiti walls, also looking as if it was post-brunch laziness for them too.

As it was both Easter and Passover this weekend, there was a lot to observe. At the beach, even the Hare Krishnas made a strong showing on a Sunday they might otherwise have been overshadowed by.

Then it was time for another holiday meal with dear friends, followed by another Easter egg hunt, with still more candy to be found.

We kept saying, "It's just once a year" to justify all the sweets and over-stuffing ... but still. When you see little faces looking this happy over some candy in a plastic egg, you just laugh and hope for the best.

With Easter 2015 in the books, Sunday night was pretty much all about crashing for everyone I know. I hope your weekend was spent with your dear ones too, and that none of us see another Peep for an entire year. Thanks Easter Bunny! Bawk Bawk.

The Third Annual Venice Sign Holiday Lighting - The Best.

Venice may as well have been Bedford Falls last Friday evening, when what seemed like the entire community came out to watch the Venice sign get its holiday outfit on. Windward Avenue was closed to traffic, a stage was set up and the whole area's halls were decked.

Though First Friday was going on over on Abbot Kinney with a "Holiday Stroll", it seemed like residents left that to the visitors, as seemingly everyone I knew was over on Windward - and in a great mood. The holiday spirit was contagious, and as friends and neighbors greeted each other under the almost-full moon, there was something special in the air.

Booths sold hot chocolate and cookies, and/or gave out information about various community organizations.

One smart entrepreneur had a brisk business going, selling Santa hats from his bike. There were a lot of takers, even though the night was unusually balmy.

Snowflakes were projected on to the surrounding buildings, making it all the more festive - even if it's the only kind we're going to see around these parts.

The Venice Symphony Orchestra played a nice sampling of seasonal songs (and some '80's metal!), from "Hava Nagila" to "Silent Night" and even had a choir to accompany them this year. My favorite was when the entire crowd sang along to John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" on the War is over, if you want it ... part. It was pretty moving. Actually all of it was, seeing everyone together for the sake of fun, not protests, in these super-charged times. Conductor Wesley Flowers voiced his vision of seeing a similar gathering for Fourth Of July, with maybe the VSO playing at the end of the Venice Pier. Everyone yelled their approval, so let's make that happen!

Councilman Mike Bonin did the usual political m.c. speech, and gave a certificate to Danny Samakow, honoring him for his creation of the holiday sign lighting and wonderful stewardship of our town, or as Bonin put it (in an unusual for a politician turn of phrase), "He likes to make shit happen." Gotta love Venice. Samakow chose not to dress as Santa this year, and said, "Go see the LAPD Santa, he's around somewhere." Comedy - and yes, the LAPD Santa was cruising around town on his "Sleigh" earlier in the evening.

Bonin next introduced this year's celebrity guest light switcher, Pink, holding her daughter, Willow. I've seen Pink around for years, and think she was a great choice. Even greater when she said that she moved here when she was 20, but wanted to run away here when she was 9. (Me too!). She chose to live and raise her daughter here because "There's room for all of us, to live and love as we want ... I love the feistiness of it, the creativity of it ... I'm just madly in love with Venice. Merry Everything!"

With that, Pink and Willow pushed the button and the Venice sign blinked on with it's Christmas red and green lights, and the crowd went wild. They really did. It's kind of great to see a whole community get jazzed just by six letters turning on, but it's more than that, isn't it? It's the feeling of loving where you live, and celebrating that with the people around you that feel the same, and want to keep our part of the world special.

Special it was, as you couldn't move two feet without bumping into yet another old friend to hug. Or new friends, as I became a true tree-hugger with my new friend, The Tree Man.

The crowd slowly dispersed (after the obligatory photos in the intersection under the sign!) for the various neighboring watering holes.

We hightailed it back over to The Townhouse, where the Repeal Day party, pig roast and lecture was already in high gear. Owners Louis and Netty Ryan hosted their biggest party of the year, celebrating the end of Prohibition in 1933.

This meant a giant pig roast (and delicious sides) courtesy of  Oscar's Cerveteca, all free of charge as a thank you to patrons. It was great.

Downstairs, the cocktail historian again gave his interesting and humorous lecture, accompanied by the drinks of the era.

Speaking of drinks, upstairs when the bell rang (and another roar from the crowd), the drinks were at 1933 prices for an hour. Bedlam ensued, trying to get to the bar, but all was good-natured and a blast as you just chatted up the people next to you as you waited.

After a night of carousing, the streets emptied, but the sign kept the holiday spirit going all night ... kind of like the Christmas tree in the living room of the whole town. Venice as Bedford Falls? There really are Christmas miracles. Thank you to all who made this wonderful event happen so beautifully again ... even if you were just there singing along. All lives matter.

Let us all remember that as we enjoy our holidays together, and try to go for that one really big miracle ... Peace on Earth.