Shana Nys Dambrot
The Venice Art Walk has been a staple of the spring art season for some three decades, both as an essential benefit for the Venice Family Clinic’s work serving the local community. The clinic had operated for 50 years, with a special emphasis on women and children, and sees over 28,000 patients a year. It might go without saying, but given the current health crisis and the economic devastation it is causing, these kinds of services are more crucial than ever.
But of course, those same conditions made it impossible to have the full Venice Art Walk as planned — a combination of a buzzing auction, an extended program of off-site events, and the main attraction itself — the opening of dozens of artists’ studios in the Venice community. With many hundreds of people streaming through dozens of eccentric spaces in the course of a few hours, the reasons it had to be called off are the same reasons that made it such a memorable social and cultural experience. But here we are. The auction, however, is going strong in the online sphere, because everyone — especially the artists whose generous donations make it possible — still want to help.
So in support of the benefit auction (live now through May 19 on the Artsy website) and in an effort to recreate some of the core experience of meeting artists in their studios and immersing yourself in their Venice community, VAW has been organizing livestreaming art talks among artists and art world figures, each highlighting special guests and their auction-pick favorites — and this week they have three really good ones coming up.
Wednesday, May 13, 5pm: Art advisor Jacquie Israel of Art House L.A. picks some favorite works from the auction and chats with artists, Jens Lucking and The Art of Chase.
Thursday, May 14, 5pm: Tessa Blumenberg of Gagosian Gallery and art writer Jonathan T.D. Neil will discuss their favorite pieces. As Blumenberg said in a recent Artsy interview, “It felt nearly impossible to limit our selection to five, but I am most excited about the works by Enrique Martínez Celaya, Jeremy Shockley, Carissa Potter, Kelly Lamb and Corinne Chaix to name a few.”
Friday, May 15, 5pm: Michael Hulett and David Jones of Peter Fetterman Gallery, an eminent classic and modern photography destination anchoring Bergamot Station, share tips on collecting photos, and of course their own favorites from the auction’s impressive selection of historical and contemporary photo-based work.
All the talks are free, register now at the Venice Art Walk website.
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