By Daily Press staff
A local arts center is rounding up support to help fund its facility. The Electric Lodge, an arts and education community center, will hold its first-ever benefit fundraising party from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Nov. 22.
The festive event will feature a silent art auction of works by such prominent artists as Woods Davy, Bill Attaway and Terrell Moore. There also will be music, performances and a raffle. Raffle prizes, appetizers and refreshments are being donated by Venice area stores and restaurants. The Electric Lodge is located at 1416 Electric Ave.
“This is truly a celebration of what started as a dream and grew into a magical space for the extraordinary arts community of Venice,” said Joel Shapiro, a physician and performer who is owner of the Electric Lodge as well as its artistic director.
Funds raised from the benefit party will be used to improve the lighting system and make other capital improvements to the facility. The suggested donation is $10.
Several leading artists, all but one of whom is from Venice, have donated works for the silent auction, which will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. They include Tony Barone, Michael Illes, Kenny Harris, Gary Palmer, Masami Tsuchikawa, Trace Palmer, Marianne Magne, Matt DeMerritt, Brad Miller and R.S. Yeager.
In addition, the event will feature live music as well as performances at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the lodge’s performance space.
The Electric Lodge, which opened in 1997, has become known not only for its rich artistic offerings, but also for its environmentally conscious design. One of the first solar-powered performing arts facilities in the country, the Electric Lodge has won attention and praise from such publications as L.A. Weekly, L.A. Times and The Argonaut. The lodge also supports environmental organizations such as Physicians for Social Responsibility, of which Shapiro is a member.
Shapiro purchased the facility, a former Masonic lodge, in 1996. He spent the next several years doing an extensive renovation to the building, which now includes a light-filled atrium lobby/art gallery, state-of-the-art “black box” 99-seat theater, and a dance studio that is also used for various classes and workshops and as an art exhibition space.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 8, 2003. Read the original PDF.