Westside : Rift in Arts Group Forces Scrapping of Some Programs, Delays in Others

A rift between the former artistic director of the Venice Arts Mecca and the nonprofit organization’s board of directors has put some of the art workshops on hold and forced the group to cancel plans for some of its regular projects--including this year’s Arts Mecca calendar.

The Arts Mecca is an all-volunteer arts program that pairs professional artists with underprivileged children. Many of the youngsters in the program live in the Oakwood section of Venice.

In October, the board of directors fired Bingwa, an actor and artist who founded the group in 1992 and served as its art director. Lynn Warshafsky, president of the board of directors, said Bingwa failed to communicate with board members and failed to account for some funds he raised on behalf of the organization.

The board has since selected a new artistic director, who will be starting early next month.

Meanwhile, Bingwa said, he has continued with some of the group’s workshops in the Venice studio donated to the nonprofit group. But he has no funding from the board, and therefore has been unable to print copies of this year’s Venice Arts Mecca calendar, he said.

The calendar features photographs and pictures by the youngsters in the program, many of whom have counted on selling the calendar as a way to earn money for Christmas gifts in previous years, some of them making more than $200 on the sales.