> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Venice Art Walk expected to attract thousands - URL: https://www.smdp.com/venice-art-walk-expected-to-attract-thousands/ - Published: 2005-05-20T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T07:10:56.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Health, Venice, #archive-import, Homeless *Food, music and art part of this weekend’s event in Venice* *By WINTER JOHNSON Special to the Daily Press* VENICE — Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be raised this weekend through art appreciation and compassion for the poor. The Venice Family Clinic is set to launch its 26th Annual Venice Art Walk and Auction on Sunday, which takes Los Angelenos through a tour of LA’s Italian-inspired beach town. Featuring self-guided tours of more than 60 local private working studios and homes of Venice artists and private collectors, this year’s walk will include a special exhibition of the Venetian canals, entitled “Bridges and Beyond,” in observance of the 100th anniversary of Venice. The Venice Family Clinic was established in 1970 by Dr. Phillip Rossman and Dr. Mayer Davidson, who initially saw patients in a Venice dental office. The clinic has grown into the largest free clinic in the nation and provides health care to uninsured individuals throughout Los Angeles County who would otherwise have no hope of medical care. The clinic’s services include primary health care, mental health services, health education, child development services, free prescription medicines, as well as public insurance enrollment to nearly 20,000 indigent patients, including more than 5,000 children, who make 100,000 visits a year. In order to receive care from the clinic, a patient must meet three qualifications: An individual can’t be more than 200 percent above the federal poverty line standard, which translates to no more than $1,595 in monthly income; the patients must live in Los Angeles County, and must be uninsured or receive public insurance, according Linda Feldman, communication manager for the Venice Family Clinic. The clinic also serves 3,500 homeless individuals. Nine years after the clinic was established, board member Irma Colen came up with the idea for the Venice Art Walk to raise additional money for the cause. The clinic’s board of directors embraced the concept and helped transform it from an idea into a reality. “They drew from the community around them,” said Venice Family Clinic Associate Development Director Alison Dockray of Colen and the other founding board members. The clinic and the art walk grew up together in the 1970s. The largest source of revenue for the clinic at the time, the Venice Art Walk has become one of the clinic’s largest sources of private funds, raising $650,000 in net funds for last year’s event, and $10 million over the last 26 years. The art walk, in combination with government grants, donations, public funds, as well as an annual black-tie fundraising dinner, meet the clinic’s $15 million budget. Blending local artistry with philanthropic efforts, the walk gives 100 percent of all money earned to the clinic. Because of the growing reputation of the art walk and its popularity, the number of artists has blossomed from an initial 10 artists to the 60 who will attend this year’s walk. Some of the artists include Robert Graham, who lives and works in Venice Beach and also contributed an image for the walk’s T-shirt. Chicano artist Patssi Valdez’s work, “The Dancing Tables,” will be featured on the 2005 Venice Art Walk poster. More than 440 original works of art donated by burgeoning and established artists will be sold in a silent auction throughout the day. And in accordance with the theme “Bridges and Beyond,” curator LeRad Nilles organized an exhibition that transforms the bridges themselves into artistic pieces. Walkers will see everything from an enlarged necklace hanging from a bridge, to a bridge made entirely of human beings. “I feel that the event is a reflection of the community — Venice is world renowned for the eclectic group of people who live there,” Dockray said. Art walk participants will give to the cause, as well as engage in a mixture of activities to please all five senses. Amongst its many activities will be a food faire, offering cuisine from westside restaurants, including Joe’s Restaurant, Chaya Venice and the California Sushi Academy. Coordinators of The Art Walk plan to dazzle listeners with a jazz harpist, and amaze viewers with a ballerina who paints with her feet. As jazz floats through the Venetian air, participants can choose to sit in the al fresco cocktail garden and enjoy of glass of wine in the sunshine. And for those who desire a bit of excitement with their art, a “deals and steals” silent auction will take place, offering items such as resort getaways and Hollywood Bowl box seats. The artistic experience also extends to the children of art lovers, as an arts area will provide hands-on art opportunities. In addition to the range of festivities, touring the private studios and homes of Venice artists gives the art walk its unique flair, Dockray said. Shuttle and school buses will drive more than 4,000 art walkers and volunteers to the various studios throughout the day, chugging between Rose Avenue, Venice and Lincoln boulevards. “Venice is all about creative living,” Dockray said. “Who knows what in the future for the art walk? But as long as the Venice Family Clinic is here, the art walk always exist in one way or another.” Tickets for the Venice Art Walk Studio Tour are $50 per person. Admission to the food faire is free, as well as the “Bridges and Beyond” outdoor exhibit. The Venice Art Walk will take place on Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 20, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052005.pdf?ref=smdp.com)