Community Service Saturday!

This past Saturday was all about the Community in Venice. You can feel Summer's approach, and everyone was out and about doing their weekend thing. A few different groups were having events to continue to work on our sense of that community, and maybe grow a bit more empathy for each other while they were at it. The first stop (after coffee at The French Market, of course) was the Venice Community Housing Chalk Art Festival in the parking lot between North and South Venice on Pacific Avenue. I could hear drumming in the distance as I walked down Venice Boulevard, and it made me kick it up a notch, so I was practically race-walking to get there to see what was happening.

What was happening was a fantastic female drumming group called Bloco Obini, who were brightly dressed in African fabrics and banging their hearts out, watched over by the mural of Abbot Kinney - who I'm pretty sure would whole-heartedly approve. They were drumming next to the beautiful chalk mandala that Gary Palmer had created with kids and other members of the community at this event meant to bring awareness to trying to solve the homelessness problem. It also served to spotlight the fact that Venice is meant to be about ART (stay tuned for another awesome art situation Gary and I have in the works!) - at every level.

There was a giant chalk message spelling out "We Are All Venice" - Truth! - and that was also the message on the buttons that the VCH Arts Collective were handing out. Taylor Barnes was also there, creating a chalk Goddess of Venice, and it was all just lovely, and exactly what you want to see going down in Venice on the weekend ... Art plus FUN!

Next stop was the Ladies Jam contest at the Venice Skatepark, where big crowds surrounded the Skatepark to watch the girls have the place all to themselves - and they RIPPED.

It's mesmerizing and inspiring (and makes you super jealous) to watch the strong, talented ladies tear it up just as hard as the boys ... and more gracefully. Skater girls are the best, and it was a joy to see them all get their moment in the sun (and the clouds, but still!). The Skatepark is another gem that means the world to so many of the youth (and grownups too), that gives them their own sense of community, and keeps them out of real trouble. What a treasure!

I could have stayed all day to watch the female skaters, but spots on the railing were at a premium, and I had to get over to The Brig parking lot before their event for S.P.Y. (Safe Place For Youth) was over. The parking lot was packed with people there to support the work of S.P.Y. and meet, greet, and congratulate the youth who have been through their program and come out the other side. We have worked with S.P.Y. on our documentary 90291: VENICE UNZIPPED, and I can tell you that I have seen first-hand the special place that this is. I honestly don't know what so many young people would do without them. They provide food, showers, clothes, check-ups, computer training, job outreach, and so much more they really deserve the accolades being presented to them at this event.

I again couldn't stay that long as I had even more things to get to (not in Venice and off the record), but was encouraged to see such a large crowd there yes, to enjoy the day drinking at the outside bar (tended by former S.P.Y. attendees), but also to applaud and hold up the great work being done by S.P.Y. for all to see.

Thank you to David Paris for hosting the event, and for letting me know about it!

As I was taking off, I thought it was appropriate to see that the homeless Abbot Kinney had been painted on to the side of The Brig, needing money for the now outrageous Venice rents - like many of the S.P.Y. kids, like the people that the VCH serves, and like myself. We're all doing our best to stay in the place that we love, and there isn't enough thanks for the people and organizations that still care about their community being housed. Hopefully events like these will serve to kick the ones in the pants that still need to get it. That we're all in this together, and that we know the problems all day - yet some strive for solutions, and do their best to implement them the best that they can. They're doing SOMETHING ... which is a lot more than a lot of people can say.

I felt pretty good about our Community as I went off to start my evening, because there are clearly still so many good people doing so many good things. That's the way I want to be, and that's what the world needs the very most right now. No more bad news. Let's concentrate on how good we CAN be. Please join us, won't you?

Happy Monday - and the opportunity to do more good this week!

The Art Of Gary Palmer - Depth And Magic

It's a rainy day in Venice, perfect for reflecting. And for writing about - and reading about - the meditative art of my friend, Gary Palmer. I first got to know Gary Palmer as a friendly Irishman who was also a regular at The French Market. Then I got to know his art. And then I wanted to know more, so after years of friendship and coffee (and one memorable champagne all day marathon) run-ins, we finally sat down to chat about his whole story and his art.

Palmer was born in Belfast in 1968, "When the troubles began." He attended a school that was a mix of Catholic and Protestant kids, which made him interested in what created peace and reconciliation. Art became a way for him to retreat into his own little world as an escape to a place where people weren't fighting. He was also fascinated by the street paintings he would see, that to him led to underground magical worlds, and saw those artists as local heroes. He kept winning art prizes throughout his school years, but didn't want to attend art school, because he didn't want to be told how to paint. So he studied theoretical physics at Edinburgh instead. And got a Masters in Architecture. No big deal.

A gig with an architect in Australia got Palmer even more into street paintings, and he began doing his own chalk art with a 3D perspective. He attended street art festivals all over the world, and following the sun led Palmer to Los Angeles. He published a book of his chalk art called A Carpet Of Dreams in the 90's, and kept attending festivals. His first studio was in Hollywood on Cahuenga, where he started doing paintings on canvas for a living, as people would walk by and want to buy the paintings off of the walls. It was his mother's dream to live in California, and soon Palmer's family joined him in L.A. He did some street painting in Venice, and "liked the vibe" here. When Bush Jr. took office, it freaked Palmer out so he took off for a six month meditation retreat in Mexico, and when he came back, Elwood Risk offered him his studio space in Venice. Palmer leaped at the chance, and was soon ensconced on Vernon in Venice, working on meditation paintings that incorporated his thoughts on gravity and physics, which "are tied to understanding nature."

Street painting adventures in Italy led to a trip to Africa from Malawi to Zanzibar, where Palmer enjoyed observing how diverse people can come together and all get along. This became a dominant theme and inspiration for Palmer, as he began to explore how different cultures interact with each other. Paintings feature such diverse subjects as Masai warriors and the Lacondon (Ancient Mayans who never cut their hair), as Palmer would travel to observe peaceful indigenous peoples living in harmony with nature. Narrative paintings with accompanying writings and abstract expressionism works make up his Memories of Zanzibar series (with a limited edition monograph "life diary" boxed set put out by Fathom Gallery).

Back in Venice, living on Flower and working on Sunset and Vernon, was a grand old time for Palmer, with music and art and parties and creative juices flowing ... until last year when he got the boot out of the artist studio building on Vernon due to massively increased rent (the sad and all too common story around Venice these days). Fortunately for Palmer, a friend was leaving Venice and offered her studio space right on the Boardwalk to him for an actually affordable (fair) price, and now he gets to work with an ocean view. Things have a way of working out sometimes.

More recently Palmer has been doing these great meditation pieces, that he says are "Saying something ABOUT nature, instead of being a picture of it. The meditation pieces reflect the breath." I dig that. "You get bored if you do the same thing all the time, you have to EXPLORE. You make a diary of your life, and even the installation is part of it." This makes sense then that after a relationship with a Japanese woman, Palmer is now doing abstract landscapes with sumi ink that you can view at the Tarryn Teresa Gallery. They remind me of the art where you blow the ink around with straws, so again you are reminded about the breath - and to take a moment to appreciate it and breathe.  During all of this creativity, Palmer is also at work on a book, On The Nature Of Nature - bringing him back to his physics roots. He's an impressive cat.

On Venice and its draw for artists, Palmer says, "There is a good tradition of art and painting, and the 'Space and Light Movement' here in Venice, with Ed Moses and Larry Bell ... people see different things here." A big sigh was exhaled while reminiscing about old Hal's and the Venice West stories. "That's part of the heart and soul of it all ... it's still here, but it's changed a lot. I'm nostalgic about it all. The next generation is all about tech, and the spirit of talking to each other at a bar is much less. But there's still a hell of a lot of positive, so I don't like to gripe." He still frequents the "pale shadow" of Hal's, because there is still the art and our people and jazz, and James Beach, the LA Louver, and The French Market remain his mainstays - and mine.

"There is a depth and a magic about the place. There are still nuggets of that here every day. An artist sent me a letter offering me her space just as I was about to move it to Inglewood! People see it differently. One person's idea of what it's about here is totally different than another's." And that's what keeps it interesting, I suppose. One very cool thing that Palmer is working on is to get an annual street art festival up and running in Venice. "Venice is crying out for a street art festival. It would be a nice way to bring the past into the present." To start out with a chalk art festival, and add the whole gamut, like tattoo artists, muralists, graffiti artists, all of them is the goal. "It's a bit more Venice to have ALL of the street art together." I'm all over it. Palmer has had a section of the Abbot Kinney Festival each year dedicated to a community mandala chalk art piece, and it's always one of the highlights of the day. They've been denied that space (?!?!) for the next one, as the want it for more commercial space. Blah.

Palmer mentioned that Hinano's approached him about maybe making it happen down on the Washington Square, and I can't think of anything more awesome, with all the chalk art and murals and everything extending all the way down to the end of the Venice Pier, with everyone working together on a big mandala in the circle part of it above the ocean waves below. And the Geobender can make sand ones alongside it!

I say that because the very day I interviewed Palmer, I walked down the beach afterword, and saw the sand mandala by Geobender there in the sand - more meditative art, and  another beautiful example of the depth and magic of the place! Kismet. Let's help get that festival going, but also continue to search for those special qualities of this place as an every day reality.

Like Gary Palmer does.

A Full Moon Mandala

Yesterday was a complete delight here in Venice. I ran into all sorts of old friends all day long, and ran into beautiful surprises as well. It was all kind of magic, like when my old friend, Pete, called and said, "I'm at the basketball courts", and I just happened to be walking by the basketball courts at that very moment. I left them and headed down the Boardwalk toward Hinano's on a burger mission, but had a few moments to kill before my friend would arrive. I took the opportunity to stroll out on the Venice pier, and there on the sand below, two guys were creating a spectacular mandala on the beach.

The Virgo full moon would rise soon, and Andreas Hoenigschmid - known as "The Geobender" - and his assistant for the day, Vikram Vasan, were out there on the sand, just two dudes and their rakes, creating something of beauty, in a lovely reminder to appreciate the moment.

It was rather cosmic as I had just been talking to Gary Palmer about sacred geometry, and meditation, and numbers, and his chalk art that washes away, and here was a living example of that exact conversation, like an hour later. It felt special - especially as it was the day after I saw the green flash at sunset!

To make things even better, I went over to Hinano's after chatting with the guys a while (but not wanting to keep them from their work, as light was waning and the full moon was rising), sat down and ordered a freezing cold Red Stripe to enjoy while I reflected and waited for my friend. A few minutes later, Kelly Slater (only the all time greatest surfing champion in the world, for those who might not know) walks on by. The coolest.

I was telling everyone I could to get out there and look at this amazing art on the beach, and I think it made everyone's day. By the time we had our burgers and beers, and then some more friends and fun at Mercede's Grille, the mandala was already being washed away.

Hoenigschmid told me that he's out there every full and new moon, as nature creates a new low tide canvas twice a month. All are welcome to join, or simply behold the magic as it is being created in front of your eyes ... and then it all disappears. What a metaphor for living your life!

The moon was fully full on my way back, and there was a mystical, orangey corona crowning this Virgo in her glory. It was hard to look away. I hope you got to see it, and I hope you are able to find some magic of your own today. It's raining now, and one could feel low and bluesy, but I'm thinking about the surprises in life that make it awesome, and those thoughts sustain you until the sun shines again.

Happy Weekend, Friends. Make it a good one.

The Art Of Being Home

I was still pretty steamed up this morning over the whole Adidas "Defining Venice" thing (I can't even believe that stupid sign is still up after the Community outrage it's stirred up) as I was on my morning walk. I was thinking about a lot of the comments I got, about how Venice is already dead, and it's a lost cause, and remember the good old days, and all of the cool stuff is gone, and hipsters and techies and billionaires are taking over, and all that ... but you know what? All of the comments were from equally outraged, equally longtime (almost) or native people that are still here, that still care, that still LOVE it here ... so how can it be over? The answer is it's not. This encouraged me as I walked along, and I decided to take a different Canal home today, just for fun. I crossed a bridge and some color on a house up the way caught my eye, so I walked over to investigate.

One of the houses had a mural painted (by Venice treasure, Gary Palmer, I found out!) across the top of their place, spelling it all out for me. "The Art Of Being Home." With a beach and lifeguard towers! How perfect for Venice! It's an art just living here. It is our HOME. The only reason I/we get so riled up about things like a corporate behemoth thinking they can come in and define our Venice is because we chose to make this beach Community our HOME. Through history, that has always been the thing most worth fighting for ... one's home. It has always been special here, so special that many of us left our own hometowns and families because we were madly in love with this magical place called Venice. It was worth it to us to create our own new lives here far from our loved ones and places. It meant a lot to be accepted into the Community, but that happened because I got involved. I volunteered. I met my neighbors. I made friends with everyone from the most homeless of the homeless to the millionaires (this was pre-billionaires). I went to Neighborhood Council meetings. I shopped locally. I greatly respected all who came before me, and appreciated their welcome. I started this blog to tell all of their stories. To have this place now threatened with becoming like everywhere else is a call to action, a call for principles, and a call for our Community to stand up to it and say ENOUGH.

It's not over. It's not too late. Thousands of you feel the exact same way that I do, and told me so yesterday. I'm clearly not giving up. Neither should you. It's (past) time to stand together to preserve what we have left ... to maintain the wonderful art of being home in Venice.

Thank you all for letting me know you care like I do. We're still here. I love you, Venice - in complete solidarity.

Venice Art Week Kicks Off With Venice Art Block - The Best

There are a lot of great days in Venice, but yesterday was particularly so. Venice ArtBlock kicked off what is being called "Venice Art Week", with the trifecta of Block, Crawl, and Walk all going down in the same week this year. I'm partial to the Block, because it's all local artists, all opening up their (still) local studios, it's all free to attend, and you see everyone in town. All of the Art events are wonderful, but the  Block is grassroots, and all about keeping Venice not only about the ART but about the COMMUNITY. Which is awesome.

The May grey cleared out by about noon, and it was the most perfect day imaginable to be out and about looking at art and partying with your neighbors. Our first stop was to see dear friend Amy Kaps, who had just won the award for Best Experimental Film at the Fine Arts Film Festival at Beyond Baroque the night before. Kaps is a local legend, and her performance art pieces are some of the bravest and most thought-provoking things you can see. We clinked a glass with Kaps and her darling mother, Joy, and talked about how creative lives can sure be hard, but the Universe really lets you know when you're on the right path, and it sustains you. Somehow. Thank Goodness.

From that lovely visit, we crossed the street to check out the studio - and margaritas - of Rohitash Rao, Alexandra Dillon, Marlene Elise, and Jack Herzog. This might have been my favorite stop of the day, for the great art and for the great conversation. Rao's art is some of the wittiest work around, always with some biting commentary about our society, and painted on found objects, anything from an old fence to a champagne bottle. We talked about art and life and Venice and I felt so lucky to be surrounded by so many like-minded creatives all day. It's extra inspiring to know that so many people really are doing their best to make their lives be about what they love.

I also think Rao is great for having recently done this piece. Of course.

Dillon's dreamy work was great to see, as I'd only really seen her jewelry before, so to know that she also has gorgeous paintings up her sleeves was a delight to discover.

We were all happy to see Rao's young intern not only show his art for the first time. but to make his first sale! That's another angle to this kind of day and people ... people actually WANT to help and support each other. I didn't hear a word of competition or really anything but mutual admiration all day long. That is SPECIAL.

Also special is just how great the people of our community are. Hugs and waves were exchanged everywhere we went, and many times I was threatened to be left behind because my conversations were all going so long at every stop. That's because they were so great! I don't think I engaged in hardly any small talk at all, each chat was in depth, and I'd go so far as to say soulful. I got chills, I got tears in my eyes, I laughed my head off ... everyone was just being REAL. How great, but also how rare these days. I floated off to the next yellow flag, aware that the clock was ticking and there was still much to see.

The Electric Lodge had Gary Palmer and his crew out making a chalk mandala that was beautiful, as well as a dance performance by Heather Rabun and Domonic Dean Breaux. I ran into Block organizers Francisco Letelier and Marybeth Fama there, which was funny because I was on my way to their space right then. I thanked them for all of their hard work, and we all just kind of smiled and beamed, because it really couldn't have been any better. Pedicabs and buses were shuttling people along to all the event locations, but we had the freedom of being on foot (or so I chose to look at it). You see more up close that way.

Cruising down 6th, we stopped in to say hi to Jules Muck. She was busy making t-shirts and giving them all away for free to anyone who wanted one. A little old lady from Moscow came by pushing her little dogs in a baby stroller, and left with new friends and a new outfit. You could tell her day was made. As was mine (I left with a shirt spelling "Disaster"!).

Off to Letelier's beautiful studio/yard, which was another location featuring a whole slew of artists (Letelier, Fama, Ruth Chase Boudreaux, Maude Tanswai, Martha Ramirez Oropeza, Ivo Vergara, Marianne Magne, Hagop Belian, Venice Arts Council, Andrea Bijou, Philip Folsom!!!). It was packed with a ton of friends to talk to, and also new ones to learn from. Like Leonardo Ibanez, who is from Peru and makes incredible masks from all recycled materials.

 He pointed out the everyday items that made up his creations, like wine corks and paper beads he makes himself, and also explained how he makes his pigments for his paintings from beets and egg yolk. It was pretty fascinating stuff, and I could have listened to him a lot longer ... but I could tell the sun was already altering its course.

We clinked a beer in the garden with friends in the sunshine and it was so nice. That's another great thing about ArtBlock, is everyone is in entertainment mode, and set up for a party at each stop. Like, we kind of had to pace ourselves if we were going to still be upright by the end of the day. There's also a lot of walking though, so it somewhat balances out. Cheers!

I chatted with Jason Hill about his Venice-centric work, and was happy to see people not only appreciating it, but hitting him up about buying it. As fun as the whole thing is, that really is the point - giving artists the awareness and the support to keep them here, creating and enhancing the entire town through their work. It seemed to be doing the trick. Everywhere we went.

There was also live music all day, with musicians setting up in the alleys, yards, parking lots and sidewalks along the way. The alley outside of Letelier's studio was particularly raucous, with passersby joining in on the sing-alongs with gusto. No one seemed self-conscious, no one seemed shy, it was just all fun. FUN.

Over on Vernon, we went through all the studios there, with excellent work behind each door. I was sad and disappointed there, however, because a big sign had been put up in the hallway saying it would be this location's last Art Block because the landlord wants to double the rent, in another example of greed failing to recognize the big picture. There were Sharpies attached for visitors to sign their displeasure and it will be rolled out on that person's desk soon. Hopefully they won't want to be remembered as the Bad Guy. Which they will be, should they really kick everyone out. ENOUGH!

This feeling carried over to Sunset, where I saw my friend, Bill Attaway, had set up his wares on the sidewalk outside of his old - now empty and unused - studio. Where he was kicked out of last year. It's just ridiculous. And maddening. But, MAN, was I happy to see him again, and know that he's still here creating, and that our Artists cannot and will not be stopped by someone else's greed. Ever. That alone is a triumph.

The Artiststore was packed with art enthusiasts, and it was cool to see not only Pamela Weir-Quiton's wonderful woodwork again, but also her fashion work, now being brought out and displayed.

This is couture style super creative stuff, and it was fun to see people trying things on and experimenting. You could physically see inspiration happening, as one would wear that orange jacket with their fabulous white skirt, etc ... and you heard the voices raise a notch with excitement. It was cool.

The Temple Of Mediclaytion was a crucial stop, not only because it was so great to see ceramic artist Patrick Johnston and his lady, Sam Savoia, again, but also because they were grilling up awesome burgers and dogs, and at this point in the day, that was extra appreciated. Thank you, TOC!!! It was also great to see the spark in someone's eye as they learned that they too could take pottery classes and it might be a whole new thing to love. Self discovery is one of the very best parts of art, right?

I made a quick hop inside Dustin Otterbach's rocket ship to say hi, and quick catch up with the dude that makes these real great metal bracelets, and also, you just have to jump in a rocket ship when you get the chance.

Bisco Smith and I slammed down some bones in his black and white studio, while Anderson Paak's exceptional Venice album played in the background. With frosty Tecates in hand, this stop was excellent - as is all of Smith's graffiti-influenced work.

Texts were coming in from all over town about where to head next, from rooftop jams to beautiful paintings I'd missed way over on the walk streets. The loudest music was coming from over on Hampton at John Mooney's Moonlight Glass Studio, so that's where we rolled to next. The Venice Street Legends were playing their bluesy tunes, the grill was fired up, and people were dancing in the streets (ok, the parking lots)! Tons of friends were here, so this really became a true party.

I hung with my bff, Erinn, there a moment, and thought that her perfect hat ribbon sort of summed up the day ... Love What You Do ... Do What You Love. Exactly. And everyone was doing it!!

By now the sun was setting and real parties were getting going. Maps in hand, we tried to squeeze in any more art that we could, but at the beach we were met by maybe the best display of the day ... Flags from around the world from every nation were stuck in the sand surrounding the Drum Circle. People were going off, drumming and dancing and yelling in celebration of what had truly been an exquisite day in Venice.

Along with the flags, just about every language could be heard talking and laughing along the way, and it was beautiful. Art and music and sunsets and color and dancing and smiles are all Universal. There were no barriers, just joy and community, and everyone having an equally great time ... right here in Venice, California on a sunny Sunday. And all was well, at least for the moment. Which is all we really have.

A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful Venice ArtBlock for an entire day of perfect moments!

The Venice Art Block - Celebrating Our Home

Sunday was the latest edition of the Venice Art Block, and it was maybe the best yet. Art just everywhere, with friends and neighbors out enjoying it all in the sunshine. A perfect way to let a Sunday happen.

I lucked out with my first stop being just a half block away at my friend Harry Gunderson's house. His beautiful house was decked out with his gorgeous paintings, most of which featured nude women in repose ... all of which I wanted.

Gunderson's partner, Russell Cletta, is a landscape artist, so their house and yard is as lovely as the art inside. This is one of the great parts of the Art Block, being allowed into the spaces where our artists create, as the tag line goes, "See artists in their natural habitat."

From there it was a quick zip over to see the lovely Amy Kaps, freshly back from her trip to Havana, where she performed one of her wonderful unraveling pieces for our Cuban friends. Her home is a beautiful reflection of the special talent that Kaps is. Love her.

This was another packed Sunday for me, so I sped on over to the main hub of the event at 4th and Sunset. There is so much to see during these art events, that you really have to use your time wisely. For me that also meant some real cardio, as we had serious ground to cover. Sunset is a good place to start, as long as you don't get sucked into the vortex of Gjusta and all that chaos. Though everything looked great, we didn't have the luxury of the time that place takes just to place an order. Onward!

Gary Palmer was showing new works made with red wine as the paint.

It gave me a whole new angle on what to do when you spill red wine, and it's always good to see what Palmer is up to in his studio. And keep your ears open to hear about his upcoming street chalk art extravaganza that will be a part of this year's Abbot Kinney Festival.

Jim Budman has his very cool studio open to show the work of Dennis Miranda, in a show titled Naturaleza Muerta (that actually opens tonight at WNDO - 361 Vernon). There is a bit of a Day Of The Dead skull quality to his pieces, some that are recognizable depictions, like Uncle Sam, but most of haunting, The Scream type faces.

Miranda is obviously prolific, with works hanging from floor to ceiling, color bursting out all over. Really good stuff, and someone to pay closer attention to, for sure.

I went to check out the work of Kate Wolfgang Savage from a friend's tip, and climbing the stair up to her studio was well worth not skipping. Her landscapes and people in rustic, wooden frames were some of my favorite pieces of the day. I have my eye on one lazy river scene that has continued to haunt me since Sunday. I'll be going back there.

Eric Schwabel's studio was a real highlight, with people standing in line to get their photograph taken by Schwabel as you stood with an umbrella under an indoor rain storm. I have to say, I was conscious of the drought as the water beat down over my head, but there was a money jar to offset the water use (I told myself), and the pictures came out super cool.

Schwabel had a purple light on behind the subject. so when the shutter snapped, it created a very saturated aura of color surrounding the person with the umbrella. It was fun, I dug it, and was happy to be turned on to such a cool new (to me) talent.

All the galleries along Sunset were open, but time was limited so there was only time for a quick visit and a beer with William Attaway. It was great to see my friend Attaway, but I was extra saddened to hear that he too is going to be evicted. Attaway - whose mosaics and sculptures are prominently featured all over Venice - will have to be working out of Alhambra this fall. ALHAMBRA!

There is a popular Venice t-shirt by Christopher Gallo around town that says, "Venice - Where Art Meets Crime". Gallo's dear friend Attaway has amended that to say, "Venice - Where Art Meets Eviction" - which in itself IS a crime. I'm even getting sick of myself talking about it, but we have to. We have to keep talking about it, and fighting it, or wonderful days like these are certainly numbered. There will be no more artists left to have Walks and Blocks and Crawls for, because they'll all be in fucking Alhambra or somewhere. Is that what you really want, landlords? You're the ones responsible for all of this mess, and we won't forget it.

Again, onward! Attaway has some gorgeous new works in progress, and it's always just fun to hang out and see all the locals coming through to pay their respects. Believe me, there is going to be one BIG Eviction Party when that dark day arrives (probably at the end of August). Ugh. But we were all happy together on this day, just living in the moment.

And then we were REALLY happy because we headed on over to the studio of Francisco Letelier, one of my favorite Venice artists, not only for his beautiful art, but also for his activism. When we rounded the corner of 6th to head into Letelier's space at Indiana Court, I saw what was my very favorite installation of the day.

Already Home is the project founded by Letelier that speaks to home, homelessness, community and what that means to all of us.

The alley is adorned with photos (reproduced from Charles Brittin, who photographed Venice in the 1950's and 60's), drawers with poems and thoughts engraved in them (from a set of drawers Letelier found in the alley), nests, little paper houses, tipis, anything that people thought represented home ... and the fragility and preciousness of that word and its meaning.

The installation is meant to be portable, public, and collective ... art for everyone. Home for everyone. Venice for everyone.

That is the idea behind the installation being mounted in the alley. While out of town money and insane greed (INSANE! This is VENICE - where none of these money people with ZERO vision ever wanted to live before, kicking out people who have lived, loved and created here for decades) are taking over our streets ... Letelier's idea is to take over the alleys. Venice has so many beautiful alleys, that no one really utilizes, and certainly don't beautify. With the welcome addition of Already Home, that's about to change.

Once inside Letelier's space, it is a haven of art and beauty. Kids were drawing their own art for the alley at a picnic table.

Leonardo Ibanez showed his masks, Mary Beth Fama displayed her work. An acoustic guitarist was regaling the visitors with lovely, flamenco kind of tunes, and enchanting doorways invited you to come in and take a look.

I know that I missed a lot of this Art Block, and I apologize to anyone I was unable to get to, but if I could only see one thing on that day, I'm so glad I saw the Already Home project. It's exactly what people need to see - and to contribute to - right now, especially here in Venice. OUR Home. To people (or more likely the corporations they work for) who would choose to raise rents to unlivable, unworkable, unattainable rates that threaten to turn our fair town into a white bread mall in the name of their sickening greed, I'd just say, too bad. We're already home. And we'll fight you for it.

Thank you to all involved in the absolutely great Art Block .... where the art is for everyone, and all are welcome.