Bye, Cabrillo.

Well. Here we go again. Another sketchy situation I have to move out of in Venice. Today is my last day at my Cabrillo Avenue pad that I've lived in since 2013. I have no idea where I'll live next ... or even if it will be in Venice. Obviously that is the hope, but with things going how they are here in our quickly changing - for the worse - Venice ... everything remains to be seen.

My first Venice landlord, the disgusting Phil, decided it was fine for him to enter my place on Venice Boulevard whenever he wanted. He would engage in fun activities like going through my underwear drawer, hanging out on my bed, all that good stuff. When confronted, he lowered my rent without admitting any guilt - other than lowering my rent. He didn't share with his parents - the real owners - why he lowered my rent, so they decided to evict me for not paying what they thought to be the full amount. His criminal activity was not on the docket in our civil trial, so I lost, and had to be out of my home of over a decade in 30 days. It sucked.

We had to move out of the next place because it was under constant jack-hammering construction for months downstairs, and then when it was finished, they told us they were going to put in wall to wall carpeting over our wood floors so we wouldn't disturb the new, posh downstairs neighbors. My friend's dog would have ruined that carpet in one day, so out we were - again.

I've been living in harmony on Cabrillo now since 2013 ... until today. Last year, when my dear friend roommate decided to move to Oregon, I had to get a new one. I found a girl from New York who would only be here part time, because she had a restaurant out there. Great, right? Not great. She went behind my back to the landlord to try to rent out her room while she was back in NYC, which is strictly forbidden. When told no, she decided to break her lease. The landlord told her she could - if she found a replacement for herself. Now, at the time I was working on a tv show that had long hours and I was never home. The NY girl found another girl, and she seemed ok enough. We had a trial period - that I was always gone during - and then she signed a new lease here. And it has sucked ever since.

Psycho Susie the Squatter. This little piece of work would bust into my room so often, I had to get a lock on my bedroom door for the first time ever. She didn't even have her own spoon, so was constantly using everything of mine. She ate my food. She set up a home office in the living room. Since the eviction notice appeared, I have returned home FOUR times to the stove burners left on high for hours, like she's trying to burn the place down to get out of it. She never paid a utility. And then I recently found out she hadn't been paying her share of the rent either (we paid separately). For five months. Now SIX. I only found out because I came home to an eviction notice on the front door. As I HAVE paid my rent every month, I figured great, let's get this girl out of here and I can get someone new in here that actually is a responsible adult that pays their rent, etc. But nope. The landlord, an elderly woman from Minnesota - so I automatically thought she had to be cool - was over it. She didn't want to have two people here anymore, and as it's not a rent control building, that's her choice not to renew my lease. But I didn't do anything wrong! I've never called her to fix anything, always taking care of things myself so as not to bother her. I never complained when our water has been shut off for months at a time due to plumbing problems. I shoot the breeze with her. I thought she got it, she was from the Land of 10,000+ Lakes! But nope. A neighbor told me she asked if they thought she'd get in trouble if she maced a sleeping homeless man in the alley behind the building. Not at all Minnesota Nice. More like cruel. Heartless.  And that's how she was on the phone the other day when she told me I needed to be out on July 1st. When, meanwhile, the squatter roommate is still here until the sheriff comes for her! And I'm out. Wow. Just wow.

Thank goodness I have a wonderful brother and mother who helped me throw my whole life in boxes in two days. Thank goodness my brother has a garage I can put them in. Thank goodness I have friends who love me and have my back, and so far, I don't think I'll have to sleep outside. This all comes at a time when freelance work is extra hard to come by, so it's ultra stressful, believe me.Yet, somehow I feel like things will be cool. The second I hung up with this cranky, inhumane lady, I was done. Like, BYE. I don't need this. I've put up with a hell of a lot the last year, and now it can just be in the past. The place is nowhere near worth it, and I was killing myself to hang on to it with my claws, when it's actually a bit of a dump. Venice has us all paranoid that we have to hang on to places that are so sub-par, just because nothing else is affordable. My friend in Minnesota has a beautiful, massive house with a giant pool, that costs less than my crappy Venice digs. And I don't want to give one more dime to someone that lacks humanity. We can all do better, for ourselves and each other.

Venice is a trip. Last week, I was the Neptune Queen on Saturday, having the time of my life. This Saturday, I was sweaty and in tears, moving my whole life to who knows where. Bukowski said, "What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." So, I'm planning on strutting through this fire, without a glance back. The absolute perfect Venice palace might make itself available to me, or I might have to actually live in Neptune, under the sea. Or some awesome travel opportunity may make itself known, now that all my stuff is packed away. Or ... or ... or ... it's wide open.

I hope that I will be able to remain in my beloved Venice and tell its stories, and I humbly ask your help in that endeavor. If you hear of a decent place, or an actually cool landlord for once (Unicorn?) - not the ones that are just trying to suck all they can off of the gigantic, gentrifying teat, or a writing gig in Spain, a Circus to run away to, or anything remotely cool at all, I'm all ears. Thank you for your continued support and love, dear people of Venice. We gotta stick together now more than ever.

Bye, Neighbors! Thanks and love ... and please keep our hummingbird nest safe. That was the best part of this place.

Peace out. 

Farewell To The Venice Freak Show ... A Spirit, Not A Building

Yesterday was a roller coaster of emotions all day long. It was the final day of the Venice Freak Show (I don't call it Venice Beach, because Venice is called Venice) in their Boardwalk location, due to the corporate greed of Snapchat and purely evil gentrification. Sunday was an all day celebration and protest, to show the Freak Show how much we love them here in Venice, and to make our voices heard against the awful tech companies attempting to decimate the spirit of Venice. The equally outraged, sad, defiant, and proud citizens of Venice turned out in force to show that the spirit of freaks, and of Venice (where we're all freaks of some kind, proudly) cannot be found in a building, but in the hearts and souls of the members of the community. But still ...

It was a hot and sunny day, in what would be a glorious day at the beach if not for the sinister component that we were all there fighting against. The Boardwalk was packed with supporters, from the front doors of the Freak Show all the way to the sand. One side was the Freak Show happenings with a bumping D.J. Him, while the other had booths organized around protesting the awful yellow ghost of Snapchat.

Venice Dogs (locals outraged about the community turning into a corporate campus) manned bullhorns ("Evil Spiegel wants everyone to know that Snapchat is just for rich, white people!" - he really said that.) and held signs all day ("Make your kids delete Snapchat. It's the #1 site for child pornography!"), letting all the tourists know that if they dig Venice in any way, they should really be deleting that immature, ridiculous app that contributes nothing to society in any way but wasting time. I honestly think less of people that use it ... like they just don't care about what this lame company is doing to a historic town.

 I also place rightful blame on the people that are selling to them. Like, really? You can't see the bigger picture? That soon there will be no reason for people to come to Venice, when it's just as homogenized and douchey as every other "White male imperialist" town, as one bullhorn speaker said. We cannot allow this to stand. There is nowhere in the world more suited to hosting the Venice Freak Show than than the Venice Boardwalk. Period. And now it's gone, to make way for even more Snapchat offices. Because you know tourists love to come and stare at office buildings. Idiots.

Todd Ray is the Ringmaster of the Venice Freak Show, and even if you'd never stepped foot inside (which I'm now finding many locals had not - "I'd always meant to, I just assumed it would always be there!" - and are now painfully regretting), you will miss his voice impelling you to stop and see the two-headed turtle, or to come inside (the best $5 you'd ever spend on the Boardwalk) and see all the other animals, oddities, and performers like Larry the Wolf Boy, Morgue who feels no pain, Richie the Barber, whose face is permanently tattooed like a clown, or Jessa the Bearded Lady, or any of the fantastic characters/Family seen on their AMC show's two seasons. I wrote about them shortly after they opened, and it was the first article featuring the new Freak Show on the Boardwalk. I even got them all a gig opening for Jane's Addiction at The Roxy a few years back, which was excellent. We became friends for life on that interview day, and I've carried wisdom that Todd and his wonderful wife, Danielle, shared with me ever since. Like, deep, spiritual, meaningful wisdom. It seemed like they'd always been there from the moment they opened, and people were right - it did seem like they'd always be there. Until Snaphat began their takeover, that is.

This is a family's lifelong effort and dream come true. Todd Ray knew from the age of 12 that he wanted to have a Freak Show one day, after attending a show featuring Otis Jordan, the Human Cigarette Factory. He could roll a cigarette with no arms and no legs, and told a young Todd that if he could do that with no limbs, Todd could do anything. That set his future in stone, and he's spent a lifetime accumulating incredible oddities for his future Freak Show vision ... that are now all in storage, waiting to see what happens. If the Rays can find a new space for their cavalcade of curiosities - though there is no place better than the Boardwalk, with all its foot traffic passing by.

And that foot traffic yesterday got an earful. It seems that many people who use Snapchat had no idea of the complete destruction this nightmarish corporation has been raining down on Venice, so we told them - and urged them to delete that app right there in front of us. The Freak Show went on all day, this time with a free show outside on the steps. Ray told the assembled "We lost our space to corporate greed and development in Venice", which drew loud boos. They passed around buckets for donations (and a donation site will be put up online asap), because this rug was pulled out from under the Rays with no real time to act. It costs a whole bunch of money to reconstruct a new Freak Show somewhere else - plus they were threatened with a huge lawsuit if they didn't vacate the premises by today. How kind. Snapchat really doesn't see to get how badly their actions reflect on them. There's this thing called karma though - they will.

There was one last day on the beach to see Asia Ray (Todd and Danielle's daughter) perform her sword swallowing act. We saw Morgue put a meat hook through his face. We saw Bob the Bubble Boy rip his shirt off in triumph over his skin disease, to uproarious applause. We saw Señor Stretchy Skin put clothespins all over his face, including his eyelids. We saw the beauty behind it all, as each of us are unique and one of a kind, none more so than these brave in every way people. The Freak Show has always celebrated that above all else. What a beautiful lesson every day they were there.

We also saw the wedding of Jessa the Bearded Lady to her new husband Craig, there on the steps of the Freak Show. Thousands of well-wishers were in attendance, guaranteeing them a happy life together, for sure. Jessa's voice broke when she said her vows, and I broke then too. It's all so very sad, watching our Venice being demolished by greed, and the emotion of a wedding got to me. Tears ran down my face, and then laughter came when Todd asked if she would take Craig to be her husband, and she said, "Damn Skippy, I do!" To which Craig, replied, "Hell yes, I do!" It was great.

When Todd asked Jessa how she felt after it was official, she replied, "Fucking awesome!" And I think we all did in that moment. It was beautiful, it was fun, and it was complete solidarity together as Venetians. A truly special, though terribly poignant and nostalgic, wonderful day.

There was a makeshift reception outside the Freak Show and I shared cake with Jessa and Craig while offering my congratulations. They were both beaming so hard, and so happy, you could absolutely feel that it was true love. I wish them so much happiness in their future, and with such a wonderful ceremony, cheered on by thousands of strangers, I think they're good. Real good.

So was this lady who nearly knocked me over to catch Jessa's bouquet ... that HAS to be good luck!

With all that's going on, Todd and Danielle still waded through the crowd, handing out sandwiches and chips and drinks to people standing around. They're still caring about the well-being of others while their whole life's work is being crushed. At one point, Todd thanked "The Dirty Kids on the Hill" and had the entire crowd turn around and applaud the travelers that hang out on the grass near the Freak Show. "They're the freest people you'll ever meet, and they've always supported the Freak Show." It was pretty touching, as I'm sure those kids have never been applauded, and they reveled in it. The Rays are wonderful people, and great friends of mine, who I love. I take this personally. More so because a day after Todd said to the crowd that this could happen to any one of you in Venice - it's happening to me. Yep. I got the letter today saying my lease wouldn't be renewed in July, I guess to make room for fancier people. I can't believe it. I can't accept it. I will fight it, though it's getting harder and harder every day. Please keep me in mind if you hear of any reasonable lodging around town. UGH.

We were down there all day, and it still wasn't long enough, but the time finally came at sunset to truly bid farewell to the Freak Show. A little tiny girl took the mic and said simply, "Thank you!" That's all you could really say. Todd gave a touching, heartfelt speech as the day's finale, and I'm pretty much still choked up as I re-live it. "Venice is magical and chaotic, with incredible people where everyone can be themselves. This will never be a Robotville Silicon Beach, because we're not going to quit. We do it for you. I've stood here for 12 hours a day talking on this microphone (and he did his whole mic schtick to everyone's cheers), and we do it to keep wonder alive. You're all wonderful and magic yourselves. Hold that in your heart. And when someone tries to put you in a box, tell them to kiss your ass! Normal is dead (they actually held a funeral procession for "Normal" last Summer), there is no such thing as normal. That is not a slogan, that's a way of life. Remember that, and you'll keep the Freak Show alive."

There were many tears (and shouts of righteous anger) and cheers for that, but more when Todd said, "This is our last moment here. We'll see you all at the new Freak Show!" We all cheered for each performer, the entire Ray family (including son Phoenix, who will one day take over the show), and also for ourselves. We are the real Venice community, who will keep both the Freak Show and Venice itself alive, through actions, words, and memories. For sure.

"In this business, we don't say Goodbye. We say we'll see you down the road. I love you, Folks!" That demanded a chant of "Freak Show, Freak Show!" and no one wanted to leave. No one wanted to admit that it was real, and this was truly the last day of this iconic Venice treasure on our Boardwalk. But it was. As I was saying goodbyes (or see you down the roads), I heard a man tell his friend, "All this fun? ... Gone."

Not all. Not yet. As yesterday showed yet again, the people that really, really care are still here, and we are standing up to it. But we can't do it alone. Others have to realize that money isn't everything, and that one of the last places on Earth to be free and different and special is in serious danger, and it's only about greed. Please stop and look at the bigger picture before you bend over and take the evil tech money. Think long and hard about JUST the fact that the Freak Show on the world famous Venice Boardwalk is now gone, only to be boring offices. Little kids don't want to see office buildings on their first trip to the Boardwalk in Venice ... they want to be amazed and dazzled and have lifelong memories like the Freak Show provided. I heard one little boy, shocked to hear it was the Freak Show's last day, say "Where can I make a sign?", wanting to join the protest himself, which he did. Even little kids get it, Snapchat fools. Why are you so slow?

It's truly shameful, and very clear to see whose hands are bloody in it. I'm so mad and sad and bothered and outraged and now nervous for my own future in Venice, that I don't even know how talk about it anymore today ... so I'll just be like that little girl for now, and say a profound THANK YOU - from the bottom of my heart, where I truly will keep the Freak Show alive for always.

Best of luck, any help I may offer, and eternal love to the Ray Family and their extended Freak Show family. You helped make Venice even more special, and you'll never be forgotten. See you down the road, Friends!

*Stay tuned for where the Freak Show will re-open!

** Happy May Day, Workers of the World!

A Farewell Bash For Attaway's Studio - Where Art Meets Eviction

There was a bittersweet party last Sunday ... more of a wake, really. Bill Attaway is being forced out of his studio space on Sunset Avenue, where he has worked and created his Venice landmarks for decades. It was dreadfully awful and superfun all at the same time. 

Awful because ARE YOU KIDDING ME that ATTAWAY of all people is being given the boot out of his legendary space and will now have to do his art in ALHAMBRA?!?! Where even is that? No more taking a break to ride his bike up to the Boardwalk and visit both his friends and his iconic mosaic obelisk next to the kid park at the beach. No more having people ride by his studio and stop in for a chat or music or who knows what fun may have been going on. No more. Superfun because it's a party at Attaway's ... and nothing more has to be said.

Oblivious day trippers standing in line down the street at Gjusta had no idea what was going on. Why longtime - some lifetime - members of the Venice art community and neighbors for decades and friends for years were spilling out on to the sidewalk, jam packed within the fences on a blazing hot day, wanting only to be even closer to each other one last time in this special place.

I first really got to know Attaway when I wrote a story about him a few years back. He invited me in to his studio, where we wound up spending an afternoon rapping and talking about how much we loved living and working in Venice. NEVER did I think I'd be writing a story about a party for him having to leave. Never.

In a recent Wall Street Journal story on the dorking out of Venice by Google and Snapchat, longtime resident and film director, Tony Bill (in fact, he directed the first movie I ever worked on, Untamed Heart) was quoted saying some smack about how Venice has never been for starving artists, it's for "Accomplished Artists", and that if you're accomplished, you can afford the rents here. Seriously, Mr. Bill?! Everyone I know in town has their blood simply boiling over that statement, and the fact that Bill Attaway is being priced out of his studio shows how very false, inaccurate, mean spirited and downright dickhead that crack was. Bill knows well how it's always been and that the very artists who ARE now accomplished (I'm sure he's thinking of Moses, Bell, Lodato, etal) ALL moved here in the first place because of the cheap rents, so respectfully, give me a BREAK.

If all the great artists are priced out of Venice, all you've have left is a bunch of tech zombies in skinny pants going to the same chain stores they go to in other homogenized places that were already taken over by the corporate greed machine. And who wants to hang out in a place like that? Not anyone crammed into Attaway's party on Sunday, I can tell you that for sure.

There was some live music by Sleep Sleep (aka our friend Brandon) that was awesome. People laughed and hugged and told stories and pretty much tried to avoid talking about the ridiculous reason for the party. Guys were hauling in kegs and vats of food and it was a big old neighborhood style potluck that nobody wanted to ever end.

The bad news for me was that it was also Bob Marley's 70th Birthday Concert starring his sons at the Hollywood Bowl, and I'd had tickets since May and look forward to Reggae Night at the Bowl each and every Summer. I couldn't stay to see the real end of Attaway's studio, and in a way I'm glad. This kind of stuff is very hard for me to take, and I could see myself getting rebellious that night. I got to see all sorts of beautiful, talented, ACCOMPLISHED friends and artists all coming together to honor one of their own with one last hurrah.

I finally tore myself away to get in the car to the Bowl, and as I walked down the sidewalk, there was Attaway, sitting quietly outside with his little boy, having a moment to themselves. I couldn't find him inside to get a statement about it all, but when I saw him outside alone, no words were needed at all. We both knew damn well how we were feeling. We hugged and kissed and meant it, and I said goodbye. Not to my friend Bill Attaway, but to a time and place that we all held downright sacred in our hearts.

Anyone making ridiculous money from this kind of devastation to a culture and a groovy way of life should be first ashamed of themselves, and then punch themselves in the face so I don't have to. It's disgusting. OF COURSE there's going to be change, but have some mercy. Have some creativity. Have some VISION. Because if you think you're cool because you just moved to Venice and booted out someone awesome to take their rightful place, you just made your house the most uncool place in town. And people know it. Venice is cool because of the people and the art and the music and the surf and the skate and the culture and the PEOPLE that made it that way. The moment that's gone, so is your big property value. Gross.

But we have to also celebrate that time EXISTED at all, while fighting like hell to preserve it. So Attaway went back inside. I went to the Bowl.

An entire amphitheater of the most diverse audience ever sang along at the top of our voices to "One Love". Everyone was up and dancing. Everyone was sharing everything they had. One guy in our section was throwing out individual jello shots he'd made to people all over. Beach balls were bouncing overhead, with everyone chipping in to keep it going. It was so fun you could hardly process it. It was also extra inspiring ... and the perfect antidote to the sadness I'd earlier felt. It IS possible for everyone to co-exist, and everyone really knows somewhere within themselves what is right. It's our collective job to make sure we bring that best out in everyone, the best we can, to truly live One Love.

Attaway ... you'll be back. We love you.

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.