By E.M. Fredric
Venice, CA (The Hollywood Times) 5/22/19 – On Sunday, May 19, the Venice Family Clinic Annual Art Walk & Auction, hosted the community event at Google LA, raising more than $1,000,000 in support of the clinic’s mission to provide quality health care for people in need. They’re still counting and the fundraiser has raised over 21 million for aid, since its inception. Those in need cover all bases and walks of life.
Contemporary art, tech, and entertainment industry leaders gathered together last weekend at Google’s LA headquarters to raise money and awareness for Venice Family Clinic at the 40th Annual Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction.
Seeing actress, Camryn Manheim is always a joy. It has been a few years since she was at a screening for the short film – Shorty & Morty. (It’s a comedic representation of a small portion who need Venice Family Clinic) She’s a single parent, and like so many at the event, is a vocal advocate for human rights. Manheim’s activism has included work with the ACLU, RAINN, Planned Parenthood, and the American Cancer Society. She is a breast cancer survivor herself.
The beauty of the event were the kaleidoscopic colors in the tapestry of the crowd – that ebbed and flowed – who came to support and return yearly, as they gain new supporters.
“For 40 years, the Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction has been so much more than just a fundraising effort,” explains Elizabeth Benson Forer, CEO of Venice Family Clinic. “The Art Walk is an event for the community as well as its artists, many of whom have been contributing artwork to help support the clinic since the beginning. It is the longstanding support from the community that makes it possible for us to provide quality health care to people who might otherwise have nowhere else to turn.”
The 40th annual silent art auction featured significant pieces from Laura Owens and over 200 emerging, mid-career, and established artists which included: Charles Arnoldi, John Baldessari, Gary Baseman, Billy Al Bengston, Andrea Bowers, Matthew Brandt, Rosson Crow, Guy Dill, Laddie John Dill, Sam Durant, Timo Fahler, Shepard Fairey, Amir H. Fallah, Kim Fisher, Sam Francis, FriendsWithYou, Piero Golia, Ramiro Gomez, Alexandra Grant, DJ Hall, KAWS, Toba Khedoori, Edward Kienholz, Kelly Lamb, Dash Manley, Mike Miller x RETNA, Jennifer Moon, Andy Moses, Laura Owens, Raymond Pettibon, Vanessa Prager, Robert Rauschenberg, Ry Rocklen, Ed Ruscha, Alison Saar, Analia Saban, Gregory Siff, The Haas Brothers, Austyn Weiner, and many more.
40 local artists will opened their studios to benefit the clinic for Venice Art Walks Artist Studio Tours which included: Austin Art Projects presents Doug & Sharon Britt at the Chuck Arnoldi Studio, Jim Budman, Laddie John Dill, Jean Edelstein, Greg Falk, Alejandro Gehry, Tanja Skala, and more.
Notable guests at the fundraiser included Molly Shannon and Fritz Chesnut, Paul Lieberstein (The Office), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Simon Pegg, Camryn Manheim, Gary Baseman, Ivy Kagan Bierman, Rosson Crow, Laddie John Dill, Timo Fahler, Kim Fisher and Florian Morlat, Honor Fraser, John Geresi, Jane Glassman, Kellie and Jeff Hepper, Cathy Konrad, Kelly Lamb, Alice Lodge, Jamie Manné, Yassi Mazandi, Shulamit Nazarian, Soraya Nazarian, Jason Olive, Kristi Paulson, Krista Raine, Dr. Bill Resnick and Michael J. Stubbs, Ronnie Rubin, Leslie Rubinoff, Ry Rocklen, Azadeh Shladovsky, and Billie Weisman.
About the Clinic: The Venice Family Clinic (VFC) funds quality health care services for 27,000 people in need at the Clinic’s 12 locations and through street medicine teams across Los Angeles regardless of income, insurance or immigration status. All VFC Art Walk & Auction proceeds support the clinic’s health care services at 12 locations as well as homeless outreach units across Los Angeles. Since its inception in 1979, when a group of clinic supporters gathered with local artists (many of whom were clinic patients), the Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction has raised over $20 million to help the clinic provide comprehensive primary care for people in need.
Information: venicefamilyclinic.org.
