2011
August 10 | Venice Arts Gallery is pleased to present a free premiere of the documentary film "We Win or We Die," which explores the first days of the Libyan uprising, and a talk with film director Matthew Millan. The program offers a timely on-the-ground perspective on the Libyan conflict garnered from Millan's travels there in April and May. Watch the Program
Twenty-two youth ages 12-21 in the Art Mentoring Program at Venice Arts in Venice, California, and the My Viewpoint Photography program in Dupree, South Dakota, participated in this photographic and personal storytelling exchange over 2010 and 2011. Using 35mm cameras and black-and-white film, students shot photographs documenting their lives and surroundings, then shipped the film across the country to one another, to be exposed again in the cameras of their peers.
May 7–July 30 | An exhibition of students' films, photographs, animations, and mixed- and multi-media pieces from the 2010-11 workshops.
April 20th | In conjunction with Month of Photography LA, Venice Arts again partnered with Open Show, a free monthly event that provides photographers, filmmakers and multimedia producers the chance to present their work in high-profile spaces. Open Show #5 presenters: Allan Barnes, Marjorie Salvaterra, Jess Koehler, and Jeff Berlin.
March 12–April 30 | This exhibition featured over 50 beautiful and compelling documentary photographs representing a small selection of hundreds of photographs from Venice Arts’ project Picturing Health. Their images tell stories of challenge and strength featuring teen pregnancy, foreclosures, gangs, youth clubs and community centers, new health clinics, the farmer’s market in Merced. This project was funded by the California Endowment through the Building Health Communities Initiative.
April 27 | This documentary short by Mozambican teenager, Alcides Soares, shares his story about finding home and family after losing both parents to AIDS, offering a personal lens into this global health crisis. The film is part of Venice Arts' project The House is Small but the Welcome is Big. Screening held in conjunction with the Picturing Health exhibition. Watch the Film Trailer
April 9 | This Academy Award-nominated documentary exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, economy, and workers' rights. Screening held in conjunction with the Picturing Health exhibition.
Image: Genevieve, age 16, Tiny Dancer, 2010
January 22–February 2 | Fusing images from his travels and studies with symbolic materials and recycled items, Peter Louis Bonfitto attempts to bring modern relevance to ancient themes. Off Grid is an exhibition of Peter's recent work in collage and sculpture. Picture: Thomas Asmann