Artworks Selected for Billboard Series

Artists John Di Stefano, Linda Levinson and G. Daniel Venecino are the winners of the fourth annual ArtBulletin Program, which selects three images annually to be displayed in various Los Angeles area locations on 14-by-48-foot hand-painted billboards.

Each billboard will rotate among several sights for four months and will go up at their first locations within the next two weeks.

Di Stefano’s work, “I Never Can Say Goodbye,” is a memorial to AIDS victims derived from the title of a disco song from the ‘70s. The work deals with what the artist sees as “the role of disco music in the formation of the gay community and the era of sexual liberation” within that community. The billboard’s first location will be near the L.A. County Museum of Art, at the corner of Wilshire and Stanley Avenue.

Levinson’s “Run Home to Mother” is derived from her previous installation of the same name, and features a flooded street scene that addresses environmental issues, including water shortage. It will first go on view at the corner of Huntington Drive and Eastern Ave.

Venecino’s work, “History Is a Red Herring,” deals with the historical treatment of American Indians, from the time of Columbus’ voyage to contemporary struggles. He uses the red herring as a metaphor for color distinctions made toward those in the Indian community. It will be on view in Pasadena, at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Walnut Street.

NEW SPACES: Sue Spaid Gallery has expanded to a second location for the works of emerging artists. Just down the street from the main gallery’s location is Office for Art, at 7321 Beverly Blvd. The space will be open Friday-Sunday, 1-9 p.m. The inaugural exhibition is “Transience Is No Tragedy,” featuring works by gallery artists including Jacci Den Hartog, Patrick Nickell, and Nancy Evans. The show runs through Dec. 31.

Located in the same Beverly Boulevard building, the Tobey C. Moss Gallery has expanded to include a new annex. On view through Dec. 31 in the annex is “Clinton Adams: Continuity and Contrast.” The group show, “The Arts of Mexico,” will be on view at the gallery Dec. 3-Jan. 11.

AUCTION: Nearly 100 major artists--including John Baldessari, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Barbara Kruger, Raymond Pettibon, May Sun, Erika Rothenberg and Diane Gamboa--have contributed works for “Choice!,” a Saturday auction benefiting the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Clinic Defense Project. Also on the blocks will be original works by political cartoonists including Garry Trudeau, Matt Groening and Paul Conrad, and donated memorabilia from such celebrities as Steven Spielberg, Candice Bergen, Katharine Hepburn and Madonna. The 8 p.m. auction will be held at the Margo Leavin Gallery in West Hollywood, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for the auction and reception and $25 for the auction only. The works will be previewed at the gallery on Dec. 5-7, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Information: (310) 273-0603.

“MEXICO” FARE: Self-Help Graphics’ fourth annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Sale, featuring works on paper, ceramics, jewelry, T-shirts and collectibles created by artists including Dolores Guerrero-Cruz, Linda Gamboa, Michael Amescua, Patssi Valdez, Heidi Von Kann and Yolanda Gonzalez, will be held at the East L.A. art center next Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. Information: (213) 264-1259.

East Los Streetscapers muralist David Botello will lead “Walls of Respect: Chicano Murals of East L.A.,” a Saturday bus tour sponsored by the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles. Artists Paul Botello and Ernesto de la Loza will also be on hand. Tickets are $25; reservations are required. Information: (310) 470-8864.

Galeria Nueva hosts “Noche de Boleros,” an evening of traditional Mexican romantic music from the 1950s, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per couple. Information: (213) 617-1347.

OPEN HOUSE: San Pedro’s Angels Gate Cultural Center is holding “Open Studios Artwalk ‘91,” a free tour of San Pedro artist studios and exhibition and alternative spaces, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: (310) 519-0936.

More than 20 emerging artists in the 1308 Factory Place building will open their studio doors to the public on Saturday and next Sunday, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: (213) 891-0725.

Also having an open studio and sale are six artists from the 1727 N. Spring St. building, who will open their doors today from noon to 5 p.m. Information: (213) 87-GET-UP.