Weekend Update, New events and the Pick is this Sunday, Ava Bird's Book Release Party!

So many events going on this weekend. I’ve got some new ones added.

Also a quick mention about this Saturday’s Benefit at South. This event has completely taken off and is going to be jam packed with fun. Raffle and Auction items have been generously donated. I am talking big ticket items like a Fat Tire bike, a snow board, dinner for two at BOA($250.00 value), and Elton John is offering all expense paid trip to Vegas and back stage passes to show. SAY WHAT???

Artists such as Vivian Flasch, Barbara Kosoff, David Phillips, Sona Mirzaei, Jules Muck and Larry Shapiro have also donated some wonderful pieces. See full list of items, below under Saturday's events.

Check out Friday’s Santa Monica Daily Press for my article about this event at South. http://www.smdp.com/pdf/070811.pdf

PICK OF THE WEEK….. Sunday July 10^th from 3:00 pm -7:00 pm, come celebrate SUMMER AND SUNSHINE, and friends.

This will be a fun community event where you can meet the author and poet, Ava Bird celebrating two new books, “The New Now” and “Rage Against The War Machine”.


This FREE event will feature live music, poetry and spoken word featuring Ava Bird, Rex Butters, Kathy Leonardo, (yup, it's me) DJ Noj and Suzy Williams.

It’s all happening at Kathmandu Boutique, located at 1844 Lincoln blvd Santa Monica, 310-396-4036. This is a FREE event! Delicious homemade vegan food by donation! Sacred Items! http://www.kathmanduboutique.com/; http://ompoem.com/

Friday July 8th

 

Summertime is here and a great place to start off your evening is by the beach at Figtree’s Café. They have a great happy hour tonight, you can hear some great live music tonight at 5:00 pm. Fefe Lee, will be performing with friends. Beatle songs are a big part of his repertoire. Show goes till 7:00 pm.

Figtree’s Café is known for their healthy delicious food, located right on the Venice boardwalk at 429 Ocean Front Walk Venice, at Paloma Ave, two blocks south of Rose. Figtree’s has been voted the best restaurant on the boardwalk since 1978. Figtree’s has a wonderful happy hour, Monday thru Friday and also has FREE delivery. 310 392-4937; www.figtreescafe.com;

If you are closer to Santa Monica, and love southern food…South is the place for you. Tonight, enjoy “Friday Night Lights” (out door BBQ and live music). Remember they have an amazing happy hour, yum! Starting at 3:00 pm and runs till 8:00 pm. Get there hungry!

South also offers drink specials too. $3 beer, ($10.00 pitchers) and $5 wells, South is located at 3001 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403. (310) 828-9988; http://southsantamonica.com/.

In Culver City, pop by Rumors (formerly the Rumor Mill), at 11739 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90066, enjoy an artist reception for Brian Glover while enjoying country rock with the Venice Street Legends from 7:30 till 10:00pm. Free; http://therumormill.us/.

Stay in Culver City, The Mark Moore Gallery at 5790 Washington Blvd, bet La Cienega and Fairfax, will be featuring Second Fridays Summer Screening Series. Each month an artist/filmmaker will curate the night of short films. Tonight, MMG artist, Kiel Johnson, take a turn with short films of all varieties. The Mark Moore Gallery is a nice space and will also be having a DJ and yes, they will be serving refreshments and beer. Event runs from 8:00 pm till 10:00 pm. 310 453-3031; http://www.markmooregallery.com/.

If you are near Santa Monica, stop into the Christopher Grimes Gallery who offers “Super 8”, a group video show. Reception runs from 6:00 pm till 8:00 pm. Christopher Grimes Gallery, 916 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, 90401 310.587.3373; http://www.cgrimes.com/.

Or in Venice, The G2 Gallery presents the Catalina Island Conservancy and nature photographers Marc Muench, Jack Baldelli, and Carlos de la Rosa in celebrating the opening of the exhibit Catalina Island: The Wildlands at Your Doorstep. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. RSVP required to events@theg2gallery.com. A $5 admission at the door will directly benefit the Catalina Island Conservancy. Event runs from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm http://www.theg2gallery.com/

Cave Gallery (1108 Abbot Kinney Blvd.) Opening Reception for the artist, Kevin Peterson: Opening reception runs from 6:00 pm till 10:00 pm. 310.450.6960; http://www.cavegallery.net

Saturday, July 9th

South will be holding a fundraiser on Saturday July 9th in hopes of raising money for David Boyd (the brother of co-owner Philip Boyd) and his family. David was diagnosed with stage 3 Lymphoma. After several treatments of chemotherapy he was all set for his final treatment and things took a turn for the worse. See pix of David and his daughter.


He has had a long battle and will have to go through a bone marrow transplant once his body stabilizes and his cancer has been put into remission. Art to left is donated by Sona Mirzaei. http://www.sonamirzaei.com/


Starting at 11:00 am, South will be offering up a bracelet at the door that will allow each customer to receive a free buffet/drink special all day (that money will go to “TeamBoyd”).

During the day, enjoy numerous events that will hopefully inspire people to come be a part of the festivities. There will be raffles, contests and silent auctions for all to partake in.   Art to right is donated by Jules Muck. http://julesmuck.com/


All proceeds from raffles and silent auctions will be donated as well as donation buckets and a portion of the day sales. The Silent auction will features works from some incredible artists/photographers such as Vivian Flasch, Barbara Kosoff, David Phillips, Sona Mirzaei, Jules Muck and Larry Shapiro.  Art to left is donated by Barbara Kosoff. http://www.barbarakosoff.com/

Check out this list for the unbelievable donations that have flooded in for this cause. Autographed Baseball Bat (Tori Hunter), Jager Skateboard, Fat Tire Bike, All kinds of Booz, Angeles National is donating 2 twosomes for rounds at Angeles, Warren-tricomi hair salon is donating a $350.00 gift cert for a color and cut at the salon.  Art to right is donated by David Philips. http://www.wino-strut.com/


And that's not all folks, Craig's is going donate a dinner for two at the restaurant, Boa is donating a dinner for two at their restaurant. 250 dollars, CD’s from SONY, Camping Backpack from Mission (with goodies inside) and a Chipper Jones autographed jersey.  See pix of David and his children.

And you are never going to BELIEVE THIS.....
Elton John is offering all expense paid trip to Vegas and back stage passes to show aslo this is incredible A 7 day stay at Maldives Niyama (19,500 value) and the list goes on.  Art to right is donated by Larry Shapiro. http://www.lshapirophoto.com/



Gotta come on by and check it out. Live bands all day and night, photo booths, waitresses will be face painting, there will be a silent art auction and much, much more…

There will be celebrity sightings, a live feed, so David can watch from home. Doors will open at 11am. South is located at 3001 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403. (310) 828-9988; http://southsantamonica.com/.

Another wonderful Benefit is happening this weekend. Enjoy a summer evening of art, gourmet food, wine, jazz, and an ocean-front view of the Pacific from Hamilton Galleries in Santa Monica, all to help send lower income youth to Summer Surf Camp in Malibu—a win-win for everybody. “O Solé L.A.” is a group exhibit by an eclectic group of emerging artists in Los Angeles represented by the Hamilton Galleries. 20 percent of proceeds from art sales benefit the Swim Scholarship.

Admission is $30.00 per person; kids are free! Event runs from 6:00 pm till 9:00 pm. You can also become a sponsor to help this cause out more check their website. Hamilton Galleries are located at 1431 Ocean Ave, in Santa Monica. For more information, please contact Leigh Hamilton, 310.451.9983; Hamiltongalleries@mac.com; http://www.hamiltongalleries.com/

In Santa Monica, Bergamot Station at 2525 Michigan Ave in Santa Monica. Several galleries will be having some openings.

From 4:00 pm till 7:00 pm, Amy Delaporte and Schomburg Gallery (E3A), present “Bean and Bands” featuring husband and wife artists Celia and Wally Gilbert.

See Celia Gilbert's art to the left and Wally Gilbert's art to the right.


The Schomburg Gallery is located upstairs and above the Gallery of Functional Art at Bergamot. 310.453.5757; http://www.schomburggallery.com/


And don’t miss the Rosamund Felsen Gallery (B-4) who is showing works by Lavi Daniel and Grant Mudford from 5:00 pm -7:00 pm (reception).310 828-8488; http://www.rosamundfelsen.com.


Fig (G-6) will also be having an artist reception from 5:00 pm till 7:00 pm for Mary Schairer "New Work". 310.829.0345; http://www.figgallery.com/


And don’t miss the Rose Gallery (G-5) offers the opening reception for artist, Tomoko Sawanda. Event runs from 6:00 pm till 8:00 pm. http://www.rosegallery.net/


Stop in DNJ Gallery (J1), for an artist talk and closing reception with Laura Parker (see image) from 4:00 pm till 6:00 pm. 310.829.0345; http://www.dnjgallery.net/

As always, other galleries will be open….just make sure to fill up your wine glass and enjoy the lovely art/wine buzz….doesn’t it always make the art look better?

In Venice, The Gebert Gallery (1345 Abbot Kinney) always offers a classy opening with very tasty cocktails.


Tonight’s reception celebrates the closing of an exhibition by artist, Dirk De Bruycker. Event runs from 7:00 pm till 9:00 pm http://www.gebertgallery.com/




Then right up the street, Circus Finelli will be performing at Robin’s Sculpture Garden with local groups Ketchup Soup, Demonite Na Khaosa, and the Sideshow Sirens.

Join Circus Finelli for an evening of music, cabaret, and Circus Spectacle.

Robin’s Sculpture Garden is a beautiful glass garden/venue, hidden smack in the middle of Abbot Kinney (1632 Abbott Kinney). Show time is 8:00 pm. $10.00 donation.



Now this one is gonna run late. Degenerate Art presents “Entartete Kunst” from 9:00 pm till 2:00 am. There is a $5.00 "Donation" at the door but the boast of Music / Food / Refreshments - 18+.

The event will be held at 8921 National Blvd.Culver City, CA. http://totalmhre.com/dada/index.html; http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149716021764933

Feel like heading downtown…? Or maybe you live downtown. There are quite a few very close….so park and enjoy the scene.

The Hive Gallery presents "URBAN MASTERS 1", a Graffiti themed show. Opening Reception is from 8:00 pm-12:30 pm. Artists featured: VYAL, Mr. Maxx Moses, DYTCH 66, DCYPHER, Alex Chiu, Nick Knudson.

Be aware that it is $8 at door. However, it does include live music. Show runs July 9th-30^th. The Hive Gallery is a fun funky gallery located at 729 South Spring St. 6:00 pm till 11:00 pm. http://hivegallery.com/.

LM Projects offers a group show from 5:00 pm till 7:00 pm with David Gilbert and others. LM Projects is located at 125 W. 4th St. #103, 90013. 323.652.0580; http://www.lmprojects.net

Crewest Gallery presents "Unearthed", a group show. This event runs from 6:00 pm till 10:00 pm. Crewest Gallery is located at 110 Winston St. off Main, between 4^th and 5^th St. (213) 627-8272. http://www.crewest.com/.

LACDA will be showing a group exhibition. See image by John Baldessari. The opening reception will be held from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (LACDA) 102 W. Fifth St., corner of Main and Spring. 323 646-9427; http://www.lacda.com/.

CB1 Gallery (207 W. 5th Street), also has a opening tonight featuring a group show from 6:00 pm till 8:00 pm. See image by Lauren Luloff. 213-806-7889; http://www.cb1gallery.com

This one is a bit farther..near Chinatown and features artists Taft Green and Scott Benzel at Human Resources, located 410 Cottage Home St Los Angeles, CA 90012. Reception: 7:00pm-9:00 pm. 213-290-4752; http://humanresourcesla.com/

Now in Culver City, George Billis Gallery (2716 La Cienega Blvd) is pleased to present The Cityscape Show, a group show of work by gallery artists and selected guest artists.

The exhibition runs from July 9 to August 27^th.

Opening Reception is 5:00 pm -8:00 pm. http://www.georgebillis.com/

Sunday July 10^th,

And now for the Pick of the Week. Ava Bird’s Book release party for TWO new books, “The New Now” and “Rage Against The War Machine”.

This FREE event will feature live music, poetry and spoken word featuring Ava Bird, Rex Butters, Kathy Leonardo (yeah, it’s me), DJ Noj and Suzy Williams.

It’s all happening at Kathmandu boutique, located at 1844 Lincoln blvd Santa Monica, 310-396-4036. This is a FREE event! Delicious homemade vegan food by donation! Sacred Items! http://www.kathmanduboutique.com/; http://ompoem.com/

The Moca Pacific Design Center presents the work of legendary West Coast assemblage artist George Herms alongside the work of a younger generation of Los Angeles and New York artists. Event runs from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The Moca Pacific Design Center is located 8687 Melrose Ave, in West Hollywood, 90069. http://www.moca.org/museum/moca_pdc.php

Have a great weekend….and don’t forget, next week the 405 CLOSES….UUGH!!!