For Clinic Supporters, Success of Art Walk Fund-Raiser Is No Mystery

Art forgery, theft, murder. The Venice Art Walk will never be the same.

The annual stroll among the artistic denizens of Bohemia by the Bay--the Art Walk--will take a literary twist this year when writer Carol Doumani is honored for her charity work for the Venice Family Clinic and for her first novel, which features the fictionalized darker side of the Venice art scene.

The 16th annual showcase of local and California artists--more than 50 this year--will be held over a three-day period starting Friday. Doumani and her husband, Roy, will be honored at a $175-a-plate fund-raiser on May 21. The couple have been loyal contributors to Art Walk, and for the past several years have opened their Venice Canals home to the event.

Last year the Art Walk raised more than $500,000, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit Venice Family Clinic, which serves anyone who cannot afford basic medical care.

“What makes this event so special to us is that we know every penny goes to people who can’t find health care through other means,” said Doumani, a screenwriter whose first novel, “Untitled Nude,” was published earlier this year.

“When you see the dedication of the people involved with the clinic, being involved is the least we can do. This event also lets us celebrate the art community in Venice, which is phenomenal. Its art community really is on the cutting edge.

Against the backdrop of Venice, Doumani’s novel follows an artist, his model and the disappearance of a Michelangelo statute from the J. Paul Getty Museum.

“People ask me if the characters in the book are real people, and I tell them they’re based on real people in Venice,” she said, quipping: “It’s about murder and theft and forgery. I hope none of my friends are into that.”

From its first-year attendance of fewer than 500, up to 5,000 people are expected to participate in the walk this year. The main draw is still the Sunday afternoon walk, where people can stroll to eight viewing sites in Venice to see new artworks by local artists.

“It’s a day of art education,” said Sheila Goldberg, who for the past 12 years has been chairwoman of the event. “When I see people come to the Art Walk for the first time, often just to please someone who brought them there, and they wind up wanting to learn more about art, then I know this is worthwhile.”

Goldberg said combining a love of art with benefiting a charity like the Venice Family Clinic puts the Art Walk into a league of its own.

The weekend of culture kicks off with something that was tried last year for the first time and was a success: music. On Friday night, three homes--one in Santa Monica and two in Brentwood--will present groups performing classical music and jazz.

On Saturday and Sunday, there will be private docent-led tours to artists’ studios. The tours, with no more than 25 people, feature in-depth interviews with the artists.

During Sunday’s Art Walk, there will be 18 buses available for those who may want to skip the walk and just get to the art. The tour is in an area bounded by North Venice Boulevard to Rose Avenue and from Ocean Front Walk to 7th Street.

The tour will start at Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Registration will be held at the school, where there will be a silent auction of more than 350 pieces of contemporary art by California artists. Costs will range from a penny to $5,000.

There will be food provided by local restaurants such as 72 Market St. and Gilliland’s. Also on sale will be art books, cookbooks, children’s books, posters and original cartoons by political satirist Garry Trudeau and by Mike Luckovich, an editorial cartoonist for the Atlanta Constitution who this year won the Pulitzer Prize.

Tickets for the Art Walk are $45; with a docent-led tour, the total cost is $95, which includes a restaurant lunch. The Friday evening of music, which includes a ticket to the Art Walk, is $100.

To get a seat at the dinner honoring the Doumanis and Venice Family Clinic volunteer Dr. Charles Griffiths, the price is $175, including a ticket to the Art Walk.

For more information or tickets, call the Venice Family Clinic at (310) 392-8630.