Gourmet Food Fair, Auction Set for Venice Art Walk ’89

When it started 10 years ago, the Venice Art Walk was just another fund-raiser. Participants paid for self-guided and docent tours of local artists’ galleries and studios, and the proceeds benefited the nonprofit Venice Family Clinic.

Last year, the one-day event netted $575,000 for the volunteer health facility.

Art folks, clinic folks and lots and lots of press folks went to DC3, the hip new restaurant at the Santa Monica Airport, on Tuesday afternoon to learn more about the upcoming walk and to meet the people involved.

‘Even Bigger’

This year’s Art Walk, scheduled for May 21, is expected to be “even bigger, providing 40% of our annual operating budget,” said Fern Seizer, executive director of the clinic, as small planes buzzed by in the background.

The 1989 Art Walk also will feature a gourmet food fair with chow provided from tony Westside restaurants such as Rebecca’s, West Beach Cafe and 72 Market Street. For $90, guests can be taken on special docent tours with in-depth visits at the studios of artists Peter Alexander, Ed Moses, Tony Berlant, Eric Orr, Erika Rothenberg and Robbie Conal.

For the truly well-heeled, clinic president Irma Colen waxed rhapsodic about the more than 300 works that will be available in a silent auction. The auction alone netted more than $250,000 last year. It’s a particularly attractive option for artists who were used to contributing works for free. They will get to keep half of the proceeds from the sale of their work.

“It’s a smart move,” said art man-about-town Charlie Scheips, who helped to organize the recent Art Against AIDS auction at the Murray Feldman Gallery. “Giving the artists half the money makes sure that they donate their best work.”

Lure of Hors D’Oeuvres

For the kick-off party, the lure of free hors d’oeuvres at the trendy eatery brought out hundreds of artists and press people, who kept up a steady stream of chatter even as Art Walk chairwoman Sheila Goldberg tried to explain the ins and outs of the walk to the crowd. She showed off the ’89 T-shirt, designed by artist Laddie John Dill, and the commemorative poster designed by Richard Diebenkorn, whose show is at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Dill was at the party wearing his T-shirt creation, but Diebenkorn was said to be ill at his Northern California home.

The Art Walk will conclude with a dinner honoring Karen and Michael Gould at a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. She sits on the board of directors for the clinic; he’s president of Giorgio Beverly Hills. Dr. Joseph Hittelman will receive an award for his volunteer service to the clinic’s patients.

When the sun began to go down in the overcast sky over the beach and the waiters stopped coming around with trays of appetizers, guests and press began filtering out to get their own dinners.

Sheila Goldberg was tired, but she had one last word when asked what the clinic was planning for the 1990 Art Walk. “It’s going to be a two-day event,” she said, beaming, adding quickly, “don’t tell the artists I said that.”

For information about the 1989 Venice Art Walk, call (213) 392-WALK.