Venice Arts Council

Featuring Bob Weick as Karl Marx 2 WEEKENDS ONLY ,

July 11-29, The Electric Lodge, Venice Ca.

ABOUT THE PLAY

  Marx launches into a passionate, funny and moving

defense of his life and political ideas in Howard Zinn's brilliant, timely play, "Marx in Soho." The play is an excellent introduction to Marx's life, his analysis of society, and his passion for radical change. Marx uses current news and events to show how his ideas still resonate. "Why are you   building more and more

prisons," he asks. "Yes, capitalism has triumphed. But over whom?" American education,   America's super rich

ruling class, corporate mergers, prisons, and the media are some of the issues Marx confronts during the course

of the play. Zinn's dialogue doesn't preach, rather it is full of mischievous humor.

I am excited to be able to invite you to my next show at Robert Berman's gallery, July 26th.  Shepard Fairey (of Obey Giant fame) is going to D.J. and my good friend, Yarg Noremac, will be having an opening in Robert's other gallery at Bergamot Station on the same night. So please come, drinks will be served and it will be a lot of fun. I promise.

The info:

Cameron Gray
We're all Doomed
Robert Berman Gallery C2
2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, California
Saturday, July 26th 2008
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Hope you can make it,

Cam

50% of the sale of prints will benefit Venice Arts.

Dogs of Venice
An exhibit of photographs


Susan Rennie


Artist's Reception:
6-9pm, July 12, 2008


Open through
Aug. 9, 2008

1702 Lincoln Boulevard
Venice, CA  310.392.084

Joyce Lieberman

Summer Florals at The Rose Cafe

July 8- August 24  Rose Cafe, 220 Rose Ave., Venice, CA

Curated by Karen Black     Weekdays 7-5, Weekends 8-5

"Moonlight and Roses UNStill Life" 4x5'

"Sunset" 5x4'

"Light n' Airy" 4x3'

"Parlor" 5x4'

"Le Chambre" 3x4'

"Summertime UNStill Life" 3x4'

"Bids and Butterflies" 3x4'

"Picnic" 38x67"

"Big Morning" 5x4'

joycelieberman.com

Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars.

The Venice Art Walls Program is in jeopardy of ending as soon as July 1, 2008 due to potential funding cuts by the City of Los Angeles. The program is currently funded in equal parts by ICU Art and funds secured by Councilmember Bill Rosendahl’s (CD11) Office. We have been informed that, due to the pending City of LA Budget crises, we may not be receiving any funds from the City beyond June 1, 2008. Although we appreciate the funding that has been given to the program so far, we feel it is the City’s responsibility to continue funding this important program. You can encourage Council Office 11 to continue funding for the program by sending emails to Arturo.Pina@lacity.org. You can encourage the Department of Recreation and Parks to fund the program by sending e-mails to the General Manager of the department at Jon.Mukri@lacity.org. Without a program in place to manage the area, the walls are in jeopardy of being removed.

3 July, Thursday - 7:30 PM
The Night Before The 4th - A Patriotic Preparation with LESLIE PERRY, LINDA POLLACK, ROSS ALTMAN, SUSAN GRIFFIN, and CODE PINK
Why does patriotism have to be the refuge of scoundrels? We suggest some patriotic alternatives. LESLIE PERRY is a modern day griot and will reprise his one person show, "Frederick Douglass Speaks.” LINDA POLLACK will perform from her “My Daily Constitution,” an ongoing project of art and educational interventions across the country. She recently curated “Patriot Acts” at Highways. ROSS ALTMAN writes for the L.A. folk music magazine FolkWorks and just released his 12th album, High Crimes and Misdemeanors (Grey Goose). SUSAN GRIFFIN is a recipient of the MacArthur Grant for Peace and International Cooperation. Her books include A Chorus of Stones, Bending Home: Poems Selected and New and, as co-editor, the forthcoming Transforming Terror: Remembering the Soul of the World. She'll read from her new book Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy: On Being an American Citizen (Trumpeter/Random House). CODE PINK and JODIE EVANS, who have carried out patriotic actions across America for years, will present a skit “I Miss America” and readings from Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

26 June, Thursday – 7:30 PM
M.E.S.S. Sessions: GERRY FIALKA Interviews ORSON BEAN
As part of his Media Ecology Super-Sessions series, GERRY FIALKA interviews Venice's ORSON BEAN, one of the founders of Pacific Resident Theater a few doors down from Beyond Baroque and one of the city’s most important theater venues. BEAN has been a film, television and stage actor, and author of numerous books. Best known as a long-time panelist on To Tell the Truth, his wit has graced The Tonight Show, Twilight Zone, Anatomy of a Murder, and Being John Malkovich. Suggested donation $7 but no one turned away.

Greetings of peace,

Attached please find a copy of the L.A. Catholic Worker and AFSC's sponsored event for July 4th. I thank you in advance for anything you could do to promote this event. This would be of great help. Blessings.

Peace and love,

Mike Wisniewski, for the LACW -
323-267-8789 (Jeff Dietrich)

"There can be no real peace without justice. And without resistance there will be no justice. Today, it is not merely justice itself, but the idea of justice that is under attack." -- Arundhati Roy

"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people." -- Howard Zinn

additional $5 to first 50 people to RSVP for any of the shows!  

As these shows are 2 & 3 months off -- please consider organizaing a group event!  

    Parlor Performances @ Steinway Hall Summer Update!

 Please forward to friends who would also enjoy!

In a nutshell (more details in boxes below)... 

Social Satirist Emily Levine

Sat. Aug. 2, 8pm * Sun. Aug. 3, 4pm * Tu. Aug. 5, 8pm * $25 / $20 w/ RSVP by July 15

"Go see Emily Levine at the risk of blowing your mind, splitting your sides, and exiting a better person." Norman Lear

An Evening with acclaimed Jazz Wit Dave Frishberg

Wed., Aug. 27, 6pm & 8:30pm * $35 / $30 w/ RSVP by Aug. 1 

"Scathingly funny. Equaled only by Sondheim."  New York Times 

Update on the indomitable Carla Zilbersmith

Parlor Classifieds

Parlor Performances presents...

Social Satirist Emily Levine
Five Easy Steps to Metaphysical Fitness: They Actually Work!

Sat. Aug. 2, 8pm * Sun. Aug. 3, 4pm * Tu. Aug. 5, 8pm * $25 / $20 w/ RSVP by July 15  

"Go see Emily Levine at the risk of blowing your mind, splitting your sides,
and exiting a better person."  Norman Lear

Hailed early in her career by Newsweek as "one of the new queens of comedy", the Harvard-educated, brainiac comedian has long mined the interface of science and society for comedic gold. Her first show, Five Easy Steps to Metaphysical Fitness, took her audience on a wild, hilarious ride through the paradigm shift: from Isaac Newton's rational, predictable law-and-orderly universe to the wildly improvisational universe of quantum physics, chaos theory and complexity theory.  Levine's trenchant social commentary made the connections between science and society both funny and real.  But no sooner had Levine begun turning the show into a movie than she went through her own paradigm shift.  A rare and long undiagnosed disease tossed her into a universe for which the words "wildly improvisational" are woefully inadequate. Thanks, however, to her own Five Easy Steps, Levine's alive to tell the tale. That's exactly what she's doing in her newly revamped show:  Five Easy Steps to Metaphysical Fitness: They Actually Work!
 
Steinway Hall @ Fields Pianos * 12121 W. Pico Bl. (1 door w. of Bundy * Level P2) * Park free! *  RSVP: Jeannine Frank @ (310) 471-3979 * Jeannine@FrankEntertainment.com     

Sri Dance Company presents:
Vrihatnala, The warrior becomes a dancing girl

The great warrior, Vrihatnala, seeks refuge from the horrors of war in a harem of dancing girls.  Can he escape his role as a soldier and remain in peace?  Sri Dance Company's newest work interprets a story from the Mahabharata to address contemporary issues of identity and conviction.

Who:  Choreography by Sri Susilowati

Original music by Paul Humphreys

Original text and reading by Robert Earle

Performances by Debby Engel, Hector Garcia, Peter de Guzman, Febby Satyaputri, Ayuko Sato, Miraya Surya, Sri Susilowati, Annie Tucker, Rusti Yastrorejo, and Fatima Zulkifli.        
When: June 6, 7, and 8, 2008
    Friday 8 pm / Saturday 8 pm / Sunday 7 pm
Where:  Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice, CA 90291.  Free parking available
Admission:     Tickets available at the door (cash only): $20 general, $15 seniors, students, and DRC members.
Reservations:    310-823-0710, press 2#

NEWS

Time flies! It's been seven years since the inception of Hen House Studios and we are more excited then ever at the opportunity to bring you independently produced media. I know it's been a while since you have heard from us but this is not because we haven't had anything new to share with you, rather we have been working hard overhauling the Hen House Studios web site and creating new media just now coming to its fruition. I want to thank you for sticking by us and we looking forward to a productive future.

Harlan Steinberger - Director of Hen House Studios

Podcast Poetry Show - “It Might Not Be Poetry” - Hosted by Grammy/Pulitzer Prize poet Michael C Ford

Why call this radio show “It Might Not Be Poetry”? Because it suggests that what we will be doing here might just not be what we have learned to accept as the narrow standard the poetry establishment may have pre-defined for us. The program title is a fait accompli giving us a blank check to present elements of all current art forms. Some previously advertised as language art, speech art, or perhaps even touchstones within the framework of international film culture and in very specific terms music culture.

Episode #1: Allen Ferguson co-founded a band with five of his compatriot musicians who were inadvertently connected with the Stanford University Music Department. Because of a distinctive engagement between the classic elements of chamber music and the melodic structures in American contemporary music, Ferguson named his experiment the Chamber Jazz Sextet.

Maria Vidal  - New Mp3 Single and Upcoming CD Release

Internationally renowned singer/songwriter Maria Vidal new single “GREEN” is now available for download.

Soon to be released is Maria’s long awaited full length CD entitled “Radical Radiance” which features warm textual vocals and deeply blended instrumental arrangements. We will keep you updated!

- More information at MariaVidal.net

New CD and Music Video from Reggae Sensation Trevy Felix

Trevy Felix’s (Boom Shaka) new acoustic reggae CD entitled “African Roots” is now available. The featured track “Missionary” is a collaboration with the world famous Indian actor, musician, and activist Floyd Red Crow Westerman.  This is one of Floyd’s last creative works as he has recently passed on. He is greatly missed but we are happy to be able to share his thoughts through this video.

www.HenHouseStudios.com

info@henhousestudios.com

Get your Summertime groove on Saturday, May 24th! Joselyn Wilkinson
of ADAAWE (7 women of the drum & voice) will lead a spirited drum
circle and workshop on the 24th, from 3-5pm in Venice. No experience
is necessary, just a sense of humor, rhythm and a drum if you have
one. Entrance to the circle is free, and all tax-deductible
donations raised will benefit Joselyn's participation in the AIDS
LifeCycle Ride: bicycling 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles
the first week of June to raise money for AIDS treatment and
prevention. So come drum with us! We'll learn a new rhythm for
Summer, share some refreshments, and get our groove on. Please RSVP
today to info@joselynwilkinson.com, and let us know if you will bring
your own drum. After you RSVP, we will send you the address and
directions!

. Saturday, May 24th, 3:00-5:00PM
. Arrive early for street parking
. To RSVP call 310-962-6534, or email info@joselynwilkinson.com
. Pledge online at Joselyn's webpage at www.aidslifecycle.org/5494 to
support the ride of a lifetime (donations accepted online until May
30)!

Ah when all of Venice is an Art Gallery…sigh…well…except for those Venice Artists with long professional resumes who get turned down for the ArtWalk.

Did you notice that neither Beyond Baroque nor SPARC were on the Artwalk Map!

Does ArtWalk spell officious exclusive bureaucracy for you?  Many of our local artists feel excluded.  What can we do about it? 

Here is my Flickr photo set from the ArtWalk

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/venicevandal/sets/72157605156502745/

Venice Eco Fest Meeting Wednesday

Venice Town Council May 23

Mural Policy Hearings at Downtown LA City Hall.

Jazz Funk Fest June 14

Brave New Films: The Real McCain

Alfred Johnson, Paul Litteral ++ June 14 at Blankenship Ballet Studio

beyond baroque schedule

Original Plays at Inside Out – June 14

Venice Art Walls

I Gelsoi at the Powerhouse Theatre

Seven Dudley Cinema Schedule

=========================================

Dear Friends and Supporters of the Venice Eco-Fest,

Many thanks to all of you for your interest and support of our upcoming festival (June 28th). 

I am calling a community meeting regarding the Venice Eco-Fest 2008 this Wednesday, May 21st, at my home in Venice.  It is actually a sub-committee meeting of the Environmental Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council.  The purpose of the meeting is to update everyone and to mobilize our energies into concerted actions to make the first annual Eco-Fest a spectacular event. 

Our posters are done, and our major PR campaign is beginning.  Sales of booths are underway, and we continue to bring in sponsors.  The response so far has been great, and our staff is truly excited.  This will be an opportunity to meet with staff and network with other Venice eco-folks so that we can build a great team effort in the many diverse areas of the festival. 

The meeting will take place this Wednesday, May 21st at 6:30 pm at 635 California Avenue in Venice--please come through the driveway to enter into the garden.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours on Earth,

Stephen

Venice Town Council

Imagine a community body where all Venetians

have the equal right to speak and vote.

Where issues of development, art, culture,  inequality and quality of life

can be discussed and voted on by the community

without any nightmarish bureaucracy.

In the 1970s and 80s, Venice had such an organization,

which was independent and fiercely Venetian.

It was the Town Council.

It was a forum where everyone in town could come,

listen to their neighbors and try to find consensus

about the burning issues of the day

(which are much like today's issues).

Be a part of history and a new day for Venice,

just by showing up.

7:30 PM, Friday, May 23

2210 Lincoln Blvd. (enter from Victoria Ave)

but come early

Dear Mural Artists and Arts Institutions,

Councilmember Tom LaBonge, Chair of the Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, and the Department of Cultural Affairs would like to invite you to attend the City Council Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) meeting scheduled at 2 PM on Tuesday, May 27th in City Hall Room 350.  We also ask that you disseminate this invitation to other interested individuals in order to ensure continued community input.

In an effort to address the various challenges surrounding newly changed mural policies that have been negatively affecting the fate of murals in our community, three City Council motions have been crafted.

These motions were discussed at the April 16th Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee held at Barnsdall's Gallery Theater. The next important step in the process is the hearing by the PLUM Committee. 

The community involvement and concerns witnessed at the previous meeting were impressive and a vital first step. As the three motions progress through the City Council process, community voices will be of continued importance.  We encourage your participation.

Murals offer the potential for beauty, reflection, history, and charm to grace the City’s streets. The murals found throughout the city reflect the celebrations, diverse cultural identities, heroes, and issues important to the residents of Los Angeles.

Your involvement in the process by sharing your knowledge and experience remain a key element as we work to find solutions to the current challenges.

Thank you,

Councilmember Tom LaBonge           Olga Garay 

City of Los Angeles                 General Manager

Fourth District                     Department of Cultural

Affairs

200 N. Spring St Room 480                           201 N. Figueroa

St. Suite. 1400

Los Angeles, CA. 90012              Los Angeles, CA  90012

SPONTO GALLERY proudly presents JAZZ FUNK FEST on Saturday, June 14 at 7pm at SPONTO Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave, Venice, CA, 310-306-7330, free admission. In the tradition of the Venice West Cafe (the legendary Beat hang-out which is now known as Sponto Gallery), local Venice musicians will celebrate the rebellious liberation of tuneful creativity. 
 
At 7pm, BLACK SHOE POLISH. Within the free collective BSP, words that should never be said collide with notes that should never be played. Fiery poetic painters Theresa Hulme and Rex Butters slap sense into words through multi-dimensional discourse. Gerry Fialka, Rex and 7 year old Miles Butters stir keyboards, demented music boxes, guitars, slide whistles, harmonicas, and bass whistle in a cauldron of creative chaos, creating ink stained improvisational interplay. Spoken Word and Free Improvisation as it was never meant to be, Black Shoe Polish reconvenes the Inconceivable.  

At 8pm, FREDDY GINNS & ZEBRA PARTY provide original witty lyrics to their jazzy blues ala Mose Allison and Detroit funk keyboardist Lyman Woodard. 

At 9pm Lyrical multi-instrumentalist ERIC AHLBERG'S JAZZ WORKSHOP recall the explorations of Public Enemy, The Art Ensemble of Chicago and John Coltrane with tasty world beat tangents.

"To funk is only peternatural its daring feers divine. Bebold!" - Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

There's no question John McCain is getting a free ride from the mainstream press. But with the power of YouTube and the blogosphere, we can provide an accurate portrayal of the so-called Maverick. We can put the brakes on his free ride!

Since we first released The Real McCain a year ago, our REAL McCain series has garnered close to 2 million views, with over 13,000 comments and tens of thousands more in petition signatures! Clearly, John McCain's record is something the public wants to discuss, and yet the corporate media is doing NOTHING to present the truth. We feel obliged to continue countering the mainstream media's love of McCain. And so we thought it was high time for a sequel: The Real McCain 2.

Watch the video http://bravenewfilms.org/watch/19881480/39179

June 14th is the first of an ongoing monthly event being hosted at the Blankenship Ballet Studio.

We are very excited to bring you some of the finest entertainment around.

Tickets are $10 in advance/$15 at the door

So far on the bill is:

-The Alfred Johnson Band

-Paul Litteral & Friends

-Jaimi Shuey

-Kathy Leonardo

-Vinnie Caggiano

Plan early. It will be a beautiful night of art, entertainment and a little food and drink!

beyond baroque

1 June , Sunday  - 5 PM
Open Reading with RD ARMSTRONG, JULIA BEMISS, PEGGY DOBREER, and ALEX M. FRANKEL
RD ARMSTRONG (Raindog) is editor and publisher of Lummox Journal and Lummox Press. JULIA BEMISS is managing editor for poeticdiversity. Her work recently appeared in The San Diego Troubadour. PEGGY DOBREER’s poems have been published in Word Wright's Magazine, poeticdiversity, and other journals. ALEX M. FRANKEL is a long-time Beyond Baroque participant and has featured around the SoCal area. Hosted by Marie Lecrivain. Open sign up 4:45, 2 poem limit. FREE.

7 June, Saturday – 12 PM to 9 PM
CARNEVALE! Venice Beach 2008
In the tradition of the famed Italian Carnevale, the costumed celebration by the sea returns for the sixth time, this year on the grounds of Beyond Baroque. Costume contest, performances on two outdoor stages, vendors, Spirit Garden, DJs, and dancing. The Carnevale is produced by the Venice Artists Forum in association with the Venice Chamber of Commerce. FREE.

8 June, Sunday - 4:30 PM
Slow Food LA presents: CAN ONE SMALL MARKET SAVE THE WORLD? Featuring the Documentary EAT AT BILL’S, and a Discussion with Director LISA BRENNEIS, SLOW FOOD LA’s JORDAN VANNINI, and FRED DEWEY
The global market model can permanently destroy locality, small enterprise, independence, and indigenous culture. But there are powerful models of sustainable enterprise and culture-building that not only support but strengthen locality and independence. Eat at Bill's, a video documentary by LISA BRENNEIS, examines the Monterey Market, a small, family-owned produce market in Berkeley, California that has nurtured an array of customers, artisans, and small and medium size farmers across the region for three decades. Its owner, BILL FUJIMOTO, has mentored growers and customers alike and helped support countless local farms, inspiring figures like Alice Waters and the writer Michael Pollan. The screening will be followed by a discussion with director BRENNEIS, Eat at Bill's star BILL FUJIMOTO, Slow Food LA leader JORDAN VANNINI, and BB director FRED DEWEY. (Film running time 66 minutes). ADMISSION: FREE but suggested donation $7. Sponsored by Slow Food LA.

9 June, Monday – 6:30 PM
EVERYTHING A WRITER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT BOOK PUBLISHING CONTRACTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE with JONATHAN KIRSCH
Get an overview of the latest developments in publishing industry contracts and the legal rights of authors and publishers. JONATHAN KIRSCH, attorney, author, and specialist in intellectual property, has written guides on publishing law. His books include the forthcoming Grand Inquisitor’s Manual: A History of Terror in the Name of God (HarperOne). Kirsch is a long-time book reviewer for the LA Times. Sponsored by California Lawyers for the Arts. FREE.

12 June, Thursday – 7 PM
Newer Poets at the Downtown Central Library:
RACHEL KANN, CECE PERI, BRYAN SANDERS, J. MARK BEAVER, MINDY NETTIFEE, and BROOKE SPROWL
Beyond Baroque and the LA Poetry Festival present this years annual Newer Poets reading at the Downtown Central Library. Its readers: RACHEL KANN has performed at the Disney Concert Hall, The San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, and the Vans Warped Tour. Her poetry appears in anthologies including Word Warriors. CECE PERI’s poetry has appeared in Speechless the Magazine, San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly, Untangled: Stories & Poetry from the Women and Girls of WriteGirl. BRYAN SANDERS has been on KJLH, the African Market Place, the African Cultural Center, and the World Stage. J. MARK BEAVER’s work has been published in Active Voices IV, San Francisco’s Tea Party magazine and in the on-line quarterly Speechless. MINDY NETTIFEE’s work has appeared in ISM Magazine and the California Poetry Anthology. Her collection is Sleepyhead Assassins (Moon Tide). BROOKE SPROWL’s work has appeared in the Voices from Leimert Park Poetry Anthology and Pearl Magazine. FREE. Though there’s a charge for parking in the garage under the Library Building.

13 June, Friday – 11:30 AM (Brown Bag Lunch)
LUNCH SEMINAR: COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK BASICS FOR WRITERS, with JONATHAN KIRSCH
JONATHAN KIRSCH, attorney and published author, will provide an overview of copyright and trademark issues affecting writers. Bring a lunch and learn how to protect your work. (see 9 June for bio). Sponsored by California Lawyers for the Arts. FREE.

21 June, Saturday – 7:30 PM
BEYOND MUSIC: NIGHT OF THE LONE WOLF
A rare night of solo performances from the members Michigan's own WOLF EYES (Sub Pop). Three of the most prolific and active proponents of current underground experimental music, in LA for a day during their Wolf Eyes tour: JOHN OLSON (American Tapes, Handicapper Hornz, Waves, Casket Sinkers, Plants, The Man Who Ate Himself), NATE YOUNG (AA Records, Demons, Beast People, Mongoloid Men), and MIKE CONNELLY (Gods Of Tundra Records, Hair Police, Gate to Gate, The Haunting). Presented by DAMION ROMERO and JOHN WIESE.

22 June, Sunday – 4 PM
Valley Contemporary Poets Anthology: SARAH MACLAY, CARINE TOPAL, DOUGLAS RICHARDSON, DENNIS CRUZ, JAMIE ASAE FITZGERALD, CATHIE SANDSTROM SMITH, TESS LOTTA and host JERRY GARCIA
SARAH MACLAY is author of The White Bride and Whore (both U of Tampa). CARINE TOPAL is author of the chapbook Bed of Want (Pessoa). DOUGLAS RICHARDSON’s work has appeared in Aesthetica, The Blue House, Falling Star, and San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly. His first book is sugar fish (Sacred Beverage). DENNIS CRUZ has performed at the World Stage, on public radio stations KXLU and KPFK, and the LA Poetry Festival and Beyond Baroque’s Newer Poets/ALOUD Series. JAMIE ASAE FITZGERALD’s poetry has appeared in Speechless the Magazine. She has been part of the King County Poetry on the Buses Project. CATHIE SANDSTROM SMITH’s work has appeared in Solo, Lyric, Cider Press Review, Matchbook, So Luminous the Wildflowers and Ploughshares. TESS LOTTA’s work has appeared in Clamor, Bust, and The Stranger. She is the editor of Media Cake eMagazine. Hosted by JERRY GARCIA, co-director, Valley Contemporary Poets.

26 June, Thursday – 7:30 PM
M.E.S.S. Sessions: GERRY FIALKA Interviews ORSON BEAN
As part of his Media Ecology Super-Sessions series, GERRY FIALKA interviews Venice's ORSON BEAN, one of the founders of Pacific Resident Theater a few doors down from Beyond Baroque and one of the city’s most important theater venues. BEAN has been a film, television and stage actor, and author of numerous books. Best known as a long-time panelist on To Tell the Truth, his wit has graced The Tonight Show, Twilight Zone, Anatomy of a Murder, and Being John Malkovich. Suggested donation $7 but no one turned away.

27 June, Friday – 7:30 PM
PHOEBE MACADAMS and JOANNE KYGER
PHOEBE MACADAMS’ new book is Strange Grace (Cahuenga). Her other books include Livelihood (Cahuenga Press), Ordinary Snake Dance (Cahuenga Press), Sunday (Tombouctou Press), Ever (Rose Valley Press). She has published in The World, Peninsula, Sheila-Na-Gig, Pearl, Attaboy Magazine, The Ojai Review and other journals. JOANNE KYGER has published more than twenty books of poetry and prose, including Going On: Selected Poems, 1958-1980, Just Space: poems, 1979-1989, God Never Dies (Blue), The Distressed Look (Coyote Books), Again (La Alameda), Not Veracruz (Libellum), and the recent As Ever: Selected Poems (Penguin). Her most recent book is About Now: Collected Poems (National Poetry Foundation).

28 June, Saturday – 7:30 PM
JUDITH PACHT and B.H. FAIRCHILD
JUDITH PACHT’s poems have been published in Ploughshares, Runes, Cider Press Review and numerous anthologies. Her first collection, Falcon (Conflu:X), was published in 2004. B.H. FAIRCHILD is recipient of numerous national awards and fellowships. His third book, The Art of the Lathe, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and his fourth, Early Occult Memory Systems of the Lower Midwest, received the National Book Critics Circle Award. Usher, featuring poems from the past five years, is forthcoming from Norton.

Saturday, June 14th at 7:30 pm
Inside Out Venice Center Neighborhood Arts Project students perform original plays - Community reception follows! Volunteers needed! Free admission for all!

ICU

The Venice Art Walls will be open for painting on Monday, May 26th, in observance of Memorial Day. The Art Walls are open on all City of Los Angeles holidays. Come down and paint!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 6-9 PM
The G2 Gallery
1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd Venice, CA 90291
$10 Admission
Celebrity Auctioneer: Richard Montoya (Cultural Clash)
more

You can now download a report on the first six months of the Venice Art Walls Program covering the period from June 3, 2007 through November 25, 2007...more

The Venice Art Walls Program is in jeopardy of ending as soon as July 1, 2008 due to potential funding cuts by the City of Los Angeles...more

Venice Paparazzi has been selected as the official photo agency of the Venice Art Walls...more

The Powerhouse Theatre

I Gelsoi

May 23 - June 14
World Premiere

I GELOSI ("The Zealous Ones"), written and directed by David Bridel, tells the story of Italy's first great traveling theatre troupe. In the late 16th Century the Gelosi company takes the provinces by storm, thanks to the beauty, wit and charm of Isabella Andreini, one of the very first women ever to play on the stage. Invited to perform at the Court of King Henri III of France, the Gelosi become the toast of Europe - until they risk the wrath of the Pope with a virulent theatrical satire. Hounded from the French Court, the company's fortunes sink, despite the increasing brilliance of Isabella's talents. Finally the company returns to the poverty from which it came.

Featuring masks, music, and costumes from the period, I GELOSI lovingly recreates the world of the commedia dell'arte and the actors whose life's work consists of portraying the vivid archetypes Pantalone, Arlecchino, Il Capitano, and others. Yet dwelling beneath the glittering comedy of the play lies a vital question: is the theatre merely an entertainment, or is it a voice for the dispossessed?

SHOW TIMES:
Thur - Sat at 8 pm:

ADMISSION:
Individuals: $20
Students/Military (with ID): $10

Reservations- 310-396-3680 or Buy Tickets Online

SevenDudleyCinema

May, 20 2008 - 8:00P

Rip Rense interview at the Canal Club
2025 Pacific Ave.
Venice , California|5 90291
Cost: Free

[Map]

The public is invited to these engaging interviews by Gerry Fialka with the following modern thinkers who'll address the nitty-gritty of their crafts..........RIP RENSE is the author of two novels, "The Oaks," and "The Last Byline," a book of non-fiction, "Less Than Satisfying Encounters With Humanity," and maintains an award-winning weekly column at Riprense.com. A longtime L.A. reporter, Rense was on staff at the Valley (now Daily) News, and the late Herald-Examiner under editor Jim Bellows. He has freelanced for most major daily newspapers and various magazines. Rense wrote liner note booklets for Frank Zappa’s “The Yellow Shark” and “The Lost Episodes," the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street,” and concert program notes for Tom Waits. He co-produced three albums for the great American a cappella group, The Persuasions. The Canal Club is located at the corner of Pacific and Venice streets. 310-823-3878

------

May, 21 2008 - 7:00P

BRUCE BICKFORD: PROMETHEUS’ GARDEN
7 Dudley Ave. Sponto Gallery
Venice , California|5 90291
Cost: Free

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BRUCE BICKFORD: PROMETHEUS’ GARDEN ('88, 28m) Zappa animator Bickford utilizes clay puppets and sets, cutouts, replacement series, aluminum foil, “strato-cut” slices, and molten wax to create phantasmagorical version of the Greek Prometheus myth - an immortal who created the first mortals out of clay. He also stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the people. Zeus exacted revenge by ordering Prometheus chained to a mountain where an eagle ate Prometheus’ liver. Since he was immortal, Prometheus’ liver grew back after each daily visit by the eagle, forcing Prometheus to face horrific pain for eternity. Bickford’s incorporation of this myth into his unforgetable animated film includes appearances by Vikings, cowboys, Vietnam War era mercenaries, imps, elves, fairies, and countless other historical and mythological creatures. Also: LUCK OF A FOGHORN ('08, 30m) Brett Ingram won many awards with his remarkable Bickford doc MONSTER ROAD. Here is more amazing "behind the scenes and into the mind of Bickford" footage. The title of the featurette originates from a surreal day dream Bickford had while hovering near death with pneumonia in hospital. With Laird Dixon's hauntingly beautiful original score. Plus sneak peek of a new Ingram "work-in-progress." 7pm preshow: Cutting-edge socio-political comedy by Jesus (played by Troy Conrad www.atheistcomedy.com) with power points. The Sponto Gallery is located between Speedway and the beach.

June, 4 2008 - 7:00P

EXPERIMENTAL FILMS: CHEN & HONG
7 Dudley Ave. Sponto Gallery
Venice , California|5 90291
Cost: Free

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EXPERIMENTAL FILMS: CHEN & HONG - Yin-Ju Chen and James T. Hong (in person) are confrontational filmmakers who want to "piss someone off enough where they actually want to make something themselves." Their provocative moving image works are "a sump-hole of chilling irony in which neo-fascist pronouncements vie for primacy with proto-liberal anxieties."-Seid, PFA. Includes: The Denazification of MH ('06, 18m) philosophical documentary exploring world-renowned German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Suprematist Kapital ('06, 5m) symbolic history of the West and capital. Inspired by Malevich. Three Decades of Static ('06, 4m) MC Esher-like spiral staircase with figures looping in impossible progressions. Bored of Boredom ('05, 2m) artist facing her banal daily life. Total Mobilization ('05, 9m) Migration is fact; immigration is destiny. Two Versions of Hell ('07, 28m) dredges up a Japanese World War II lab used to test biological weapons, then banishes easy condemnation in the larger context of globalizing warfare. Please Insert The DV Tape ('03, 1m) The progress of learning video technology is also learning to understand its language of errors. Jiu Jiu Traffic & Untitled 3 ('02, 1m) Certain everyday objects or scenes are infused with new meaning and emotion. These videos literally "shed a new light" on small parts of the world which we've probably already seen. Recycle System I & II ('02, 2m, '05,40sec) Nature is digesting. Escaping For A While ('02, 2m) Escaping for a while is escaping from the material world, escaping from the prison of language, from boring mundane tasks, from personal doubts, and from money. Untitled 1 ('01, 4m) Penis Envy, NOUN: The supposed wish of a girl or woman to have a penis, postulated by Sigmund Freud as a cause of feelings of inferiority and psychic conflict. 6:30pm LIVE music preshow: VENICE BEACH TOURIST TRAP- Al & David's intoxicating R'n'B & Rock. The Sponto Gallery is located between Speedway and the beach.

June, 9 2008 - 7:00P

AVANT TO JAZZ
3301 Pico Blvd. Unurban Coffeehouse
Santa Monica , California|5 90404
Cost: Free

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AVANT TO JAZZ - Rare film clips. See and hear how experimental music has grown expubediently (to borrow a term from Babs Gonzales) from the harmonic freedom of Ornette Coleman, to the challenging improvisations of Cecil Taylor to the cosmic space of Sun Ra, who righteously proclaimed, "I paint pictures of infinity with my intergalactic music. It is really outside the realms of the future in the turning points of the impossible." The Unurban Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Pico and Urban streets, just west of the 10 Freeway overpass.

The Unity-and-Diversity World Council presents

The Gathering

an ongoing Sunday evening celebration

May 18th, 2008

7 — 9 PM

Two Women, Two Voices

Mitra Rahbar    Iranian singer and songstress, singing original compositions of devotional meditation music
*Accompanied by composer and guitarist Rama Morovati

Stefani Valadez  Singer, songwriter, and guitarist singing songs of the soul
*Accompanied by percussionist Jamie Papish

Mitra Rahbar and Rama Morovati were born and raised in Iran. They are now working on Mitra's devotional and meditation album, from which they will be performing some selections. Mitra, a peace and human rights advocate, is inspired and motivated by her faith and love of the Spirit world.  Their original music is composed by Mitra’s husband Rama. Their music can be heard on various film scores.

Stefani Valadez is an enchanting singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist.  Valadez touches the heart and soul of her audience as she brings ancient love songs and prayers into a haunting and soulful, rhythmic present.  Her diverse repertoire includes songs from many lands- Mediterranean, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, Celtic, Mississippi Delta, the land of rock and roll...She has produced 2 CDs of her music.

at The Blankenship Ballet Company of Venice

132 Brooks Avenue at Abbot Kinney & Main St., Venice, 90291

$15.00 donation

(310) 396-8205    (310) 391-5735    http://udcworld.org/thegathering

Swinda, our beautiful and chic costume and fashion designer is hosting her annual brunch and sale this Sunday, May 4th from 11am to 6pm. 

Swinda is THE artist who was the lead designer at the avant-garde fashion show "Off-line Berlin '90" featured by MTV, news channel "Tagesthemen" and magazines such as "Bild" and "Fashion".  She works as a costume designer for television, opera, theatre, dance, and fashion / art.  Before relocating to Venice, California, her work in Europe culminated with costume designs for the "Millennium Awards Show" for 50 dancers.  Swinda continues to design costumes for feature films, exhibit art installations and was recently a guest lecturer at UCLA and has been a member of the Costume Designers Guild CDG since 2005.  See her web site for more . . .

 

"SWINDA"S  SALE - BRUNCH
SUNDAY,  4TH MAY 2008 - 11 AM - 6 PM
519 SANTA CLARA AVE.VENICE.CA 90291

LOVE TO SEE YOU
SWINDA

SWINDA REICHELT
COSTUME DESIGNER - CDG
310 - 309 7284
WWW.SWINDA.NET

Also of interest: Wolfgang's Vault offers rare concert recordings, and the
link below takes you to a show at the Ash Grove in 1970(?) featuring the
great Freddie King on what I believe was his first trip to the west coast,
and before his Leon Russell/Shelter recordings. My band is doing the
backing, with yours truly on guitar. Freddie was at his most awesome in
those days. Enjoy.
http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/freddie-king-concert/20052781-2456.htm
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