Venice Arts Celebrates 19th Anniversary Gala, Honoring Long

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Venice Arts Celebrates 19th
Anniversary Gala, Honoring
Long-time Friends Karen
& Dann Florek and Leigh
Johnson & Tom Wright
LOS ANGELES, CA – (OCTOBER 23, 2012)
19th Anniversary Gala
Saturday, November 3, 2012, 5–8pm
1702 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
On Saturday, November 3, 2012, from 5–8pm, Venice Arts will
celebrate its 19th Anniversary with a festive Gala fundraiser
at its beautiful, newly renovated gallery and workshop space
at 1702 Lincoln Blvd. The event supports Venice Arts’ free art
mentoring program for low-income youth and honors long-time
friends Karen & Dann Florek and Leigh Johnson & Tom Wright.
CONTACT:
Elysa Voshell
Gallery & Public Programs Manager
310.392.0846
elysa@venicearts.org
Venice Arts
1702 Lincoln Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
www.venicearts.org
www.facebook.com/venicearts.org
Actor Tom Wright, and his wife Leigh Johnson have been
involved with Venice Arts throughout its 19-year history, and
their two children were participants in Venice Arts’ program
in its early days. Wright has appeared in numerous television
series including “Crash,” as well as the films co-starred in the
feature films Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business,
as well as John Sayles’ film “Sunshine State.” In 2001, Wright
and Johnson’s son Eamon was among a group that traveled
with Venice Arts’ mentors to Durban, South Africa to attend
the United Nations’ World Conference Against Racism,
Xenophobia, & Related Intolerance as official delegates of
the City of Los Angeles, under the auspices of the Human
Relations’ Commission. Speaking of his perspective on the
impact of this and other Venice Arts’ programs on both his own
children and the youth he observed through his many years of
involvement, Wright says that “I think that Venice Arts does a
really good job of fostering an individual child’s point of view
and getting them to understand that they have value, and that
their words and photographs have value and have impact.”
Fellow Actor Dann Florek, best known for his role as
Captain Donald Cragen on Law & Order: SVU, and his wife,
Photographer Karen Florek, are also longtime Venice Arts
supporters. The Floreks have attended Venice Arts’ events
and purchased student work, and Karen served as a mentor to
Venice Arts’ classes, teaching students alternative photographic
techniques. On the impact of Venice Arts on the community,
Dann Florek says that “It’s a great thing to be able to have a
learning center where you can be there at little or no cost....
Creativity doesn’t belong to any class level specifically. I think
one of the most important things is to give people the chance
and an opportunity—everybody should have an equal shot at
having a chance to express themselves, to see how far they can
go, to see what they can do, to discover what they love, and how
far they can take it.”
Dann Florek
Tribute videos made by Venice Arts’ advanced film students
focused on the honorees will be screened at the Gala, and
student docents will be available to give tours of the silent
auction exhibition, which will feature over 70 photographs by
world-renowned photographers and Venice Arts’ students.
A live auction will include such enticing items as exclusive
wines from Slusser Ranch Vineyards and Deloach Vineyards.
The winning ticket of Venice Arts’ raffle will be drawn, and the
lucky winners will receive an iPod Touch, an Apple gift card,
a luxurious cashmere scarf from Kate Kanyon Cashmere, gift
certificates to Abbot Kinney restaurants, and more.
The Gala also includes a wide selection of hors d’oeuvres and
refreshments from local Venice restaurants and businesses; an
entertaining program, music Latin jazz singer Birdie Mendoza,
and our ever-popular student-run photobooth; student-led
docent tours of the Gala exhibition; and the opportunity to
support Venice Arts by acquiring a photograph by one of
our talented students and world-renowned professional
photographers who have generously donated their work to
support the organization. For more information, please contact
elysa@venicearts.org or 310.392.0846.
Tom Wright
Event tickets may be purchased for $175 and raffle tickets for
$10 each at www.venicearts.org.
Event 19 Sponsors:
Abbot Kinney Real Estate by Suzy Frank & Associates, Erik Feig &
Susanna Felleman, Peter Fetterman Gallery, Dann & Karen Florek,
Bernard Friedman & Lesley Hyatt, The Mark Gordon Company, Heidi
Frey Greenwald & Robert Greenwald, Jay Griffith Landscapes, Bob &
Cheryl Hayward, Josh Jackson/Great Taste Catering, Mary & Daniel
James, Katharine King, LA Art Party, Chris & Leslie Meledandri,
Martin Hilton & Elizabeth Morehead, Naylor’s Paint and Wallpaper,
Newhouse Seroussi Attorneys, Paradigm Agency, Pardee Properties/
Tami Pardee, Barbara Milliken & Jack Prichett, Tiffany Rochelle/
Pardee Properties, Jonathan Samet & Constance Bidwell Brines,
Evander & Judith Schley, Wendy Slusser & Jamie Bruce, Jasmine &
Mark Swope, Lynn Warshafsky
Renowned Photography Auction:
Kwaku Alston, Anne Brigman, Christine Caldwell, Jo Ann Callis, Polly
Chandler, Julia Dean, Karen Florek, Gil Garcetti, Scout Hebinck,
Barry Holmes, Jim Hubbard, John Humble, Scott Jo, Amanda Konya
Keller, Shay McAtee, Douglas McCulloh, Christopher Medak, Diane
Meyer, Wynn Miller, Ann Mitchell, Michael Miner, Genaro Molina,
Linda Morrow, Leonard Nimoy, Sabine Pearlman, Thomas Petillo,
Marissa Roth, Megan Schoenbachler, Dan Shepherd, Aline Smithson,
Elisabeth Sunday, Jasmine Swope, Mark Swope, Salvatore Totino,
Garrett Yamasaki, Jonas Yip, and David Zentz
Photograph Captions, top to bottom:
Page 1:
Julie Cabral, age 19, Untitled, Mentoring &
Education Program
Braselino Antonio, age 13, Untitled, from The
House is Small but the Welcome is Big, Maputo,
Mozambique
Page 2:
Julie Cabral, age 19, Me Photographing Iris,
Photographing Me, Mentoring & Education
Program
Page 3:
Kate Squires, age 13, Bubbles, Mentoring &
Education Program
Jeanette Vasquez, age 17, Untitled, Mentoring &
Education Program
Adrian Martinez, age 16, Untitled, Mentoring &
Education Program
Food/Auction/Raffle/Framing Sponsors:
Abbot’s Habit, Abbot’s Pizza, Akasha, Almond Blossom Bakeshop,
Apple, Baby Blues BBQ, La Cabana, Cafe Del Rey, Centanni Trattoria,
Deloach Vineyards, Don Francis Conservation Framing/Catherine
Francis, Electric Lodge, Elvino Wine Shop, Gjelina, Hal’s Bar and
Grill, Hip’tique, Mike Jasorka, Allan Jeffries Framing, Jewel Box
Frames, The Juicy Leaf, Kate Kanyon Cashmere, Lincoln Fine Wine,
Lucky Brand/Fifth & Pacific, Mosto Enoteca, Pitfire Pizza, Primativo,
Saddle Peak Lodge, Safira Designs, Slusser Ranch Vineyards, Tony
P’s Dockside Grill, Wolfgang Puck Catering, and Venice Farmers
Market/Jim Murez
About Venice Arts
Venice Arts runs education and mentoring programs in documentary
photography, filmmaking, and multimedia primarily targeting Los
Angeles area low-income youth. Venice Arts also implements regional,
statewide, and international projects with both adults and children;
runs the Institute for Photographic Empowerment, a collaboration
with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism;
presents exhibitions, public programs, and workshops for adults
centered around documentary photography and film at the Venice
Arts Gallery; and consults on media arts, visual storytelling, and arts
education with organizations and groups locally and internationally. To
find out more about Venice Arts, visit www.venicearts.org.