Four hundred artists. Ten architectural gems. One great cause.The Venice Art Walk & Auctions celebrates its 30th anniversary on May 16 & 17, 2009. See pages 6 and 7 for details.

Four hundred artists. Ten architectural gems. One great cause.The Venice Art Walk & Auctions celebrates its 30th anniversary on May 16 & 17, 2009. See pages 6 and 7 for details.

EncountersSpring 2009The semi-annual newsletter of

604 Rose Avenue • Venice, CA 90291PHONE310.664.7910 • FAX310.396.8279 www.venicefamilyclinic.org

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Image: Chocolate Donut in Space, 2007, by Kenny Scharf, oil on linen, 96 inches x 96 inches, courtesy of the artist and Honor Fraser Gallery; 2009 T-Shirt image

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Bring aFriend A Messagefrom the CEO

Last November, Venice Family Clinic’s MedicalDirector, Dr. Karen Lamp, sent an e-mail to herclinical staff with some very good news. Clinicvolunteer ear-nose-throat specialist and Boardmember Dr. Chester Griffiths had secured anunprecedented donation of free hearing aids forpatients with serious hearing loss through one of thepartners in his private practice, Dr. Gregory Frazer.

“It’s a fabulous thing,” Dr. Lamp proclaimed.

It didn’t take long for the news to reach VictoriaMendez, 45.

“She was the first person I thought of,” saysCatherine Charouhas, one of Venice Family Clinic’sfive staff nurse practitioners.

Charouhas had been treating Victoria for almost tenyears and knew how profound her hearing loss hadbeen, as well as how rare an offer like Dr. Frazer’s was.

“Hearing aids are very expensive, thousands ofdollars,” Charouhas explains. “Only a few patientsare lucky enough to get one through a Countyhospital, and even then the wait time can be morethan a year, plus the three to six months just to beseen by an ENT specialist.”

Victoria’s hearing lossbegan at the age offive after multipleinfections in bothears. By the age often, she was living inanother world.

“I saw people movingtheir mouths but Ididn’t know whatthey were saying,”she explains. “I wasdesperate. I wasanxious.”

Still, on the surfaceshe led an ordinary life, eventually marrying andgiving birth to two boys. For a while she even workedat a convalescent home, but her hearing impairmentforced her to quit.

“I became so isolated and frustrated,” she says. “Ididn't even want people to speak to me because I knew I wouldn't be able to understand them.”

Then came her January visit with Dr. Frazer.

“From the minute I got the hearing aid, my lifecompletely changed,” she says. “It was like a newbeginning. It helped me come out of my isolation. I can hear my kids now, and there’s so much morecommunication between us.”

It also helped her complete her nursing assistantcertification and get a new job at a nursing home.

The initiative is funded by Pacific Eye & EarSpecialists Group and the Starkey HearingFoundation. There is no limit on the number ofpatients Venice Family Clinic can refer.

“It is particularly important in this economy for us tobe able to offer services and products to every personwho walks through our doors,” Dr. Frazer says, “andthis program has allowed us to do that.”

It may have come just in time for Victoria. At afollow-up visit with Charouhas in April, shementioned that her mother had passed away theweek before. Perhaps because she was finally able to hear her mother after 40 years of near silence,Victoria seemed upbeat.

“Life is beautiful when you can hear,” she says.

Patient Victoria Mendez proudlydisplays the hearing aid she receivedfor free through volunteer audiologistDr. Greg Frazer. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Victoria at a follow-up visit with Catherine Charouhas, a staff nursepractitioner at Venice Family Clinic. “From the minute I got the hearingaid, my life completely changed,” she says. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Dr. Chester Griffiths and Dr. Greg Frazer of Pacific Eye & Ear SpecialistsGroup, whose partnership with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, seeksto provide hearing aids to each Venice Family Clinic patient withserious hearing loss. Photo: Tim Smith

“Life Is Beautiful When You Can Hear”

Liz Forer joined Venice Family Clinic in 1994. Under her leadership, the Clinic‘s annual operating budget has increased from $5 million to $20 million and six locations have been added. The newest location is a two-exam-room clinic at the OPCC Annenberg Access Center in SantaMonica, providing primary health care services to homeless people. Inthe 2008 fiscal year, Venice Family Clinic—the largest free clinic in thecountry—provided nearly 90,000 medical, 4,500 specialty care, 9,300mental health, and 1,400 dental visits to more than 23,500 low-income and uninsured patients.

Dear Friends,

Every six months, we make a gentle request through this newsletter.Last time, we asked for your help in recruiting volunteer specialists.This time, we ask you to bring a friend.

In the story to the right, you’ll learn about a remarkable in-kinddonation secured by one of Venice Family Clinic’s volunteersthrough a partner in his private practice. Later on, you'll see a storyabout the awareness and support this year’s Silver Circle honoreeshave helped generate through their contacts. And after that, you’llfind details of the Venice Art Walk & Auctions, which brings inhundreds of new supporters every year…thanks in large part to the hundreds of volunteers and other attendees who make a point of bringing their friends.

This is how Venice Family Clinic became what it is—throughfriendships and introductions.

Please consider who you know, how you know them, and how they might help further the Clinic’s mission of providing free, qualityhealth care to people in need. Then please pick up the phone or send us an e-mail, or send them an e-mail or a Facebook link.

That's all it takes.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Benson Forer, MSW/MPHChief Executive Officer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OfficersJimmy H. Hara, MD, ChairFrank Matricardi, Dr PH,Immediate Past ChairNeal Baer, MD, SecretaryJeffrey E. Sinaiko, Treasurer

MembersSusan AdelmanCarol L. Archie, MDNeal AxelrodRick BradleyLowell C. Brown, Esq.Mayer B. Davidson, MDAime EspinosaMose J. Firestone, PhD, LCSWSusan Fleischman, MDWilliam FlumenbaumChester F. Griffiths, MD, FACSAshley JohnsonJoanne Jubelier, PhDBrian D. Kan, MDDeborah LaubConstance LawtonLou LazatinBarbara A. Levey, MD, FACPHarley Liker, MD, MBATracey LoebGail Margolis, Esq.Viren MehtaWendy Smith Meyer, PhD, LCSWWilliam D. ParenteHutch ParkerNeil H. Parker, MDDavid RubensonPaul SabenFern SeizerAlan SierotyVictoria Simms, PhDBaldeep Singh, MDMarsha Temple, Esq.Bruce TowerCynthia Garvey TruhanRussel Tyner, AIAMichael S. Wilkes, MD, PhDLeisa WuC. Victor Wylie, MD

Board EmeritusRuth BloomDaniel Hillman, MDKarl A. Keener, Esq.Ruth Moss

PHILANTHROPY BOARDKathleen AikenheadLou ColenMarjorie FasmanRuth FlinkmanHilary & Robert Nelson JacobsGlorya KaufmanSusanne & Paul KesterShawn & Larry KingDeborah LaubSusan Adelman & Claudio LlanosChuck LorreLaurie MacDonaldDenise RichardsAnita May RosensteinCharlie SheenVictoria & Ronald SimmsHarriet & Richard SquireEva VollmerBillie Milam WeismanSylvia WeiszRuth ZieglerDiane & Michael ZieringMarilyn ZieringJanet & Jerry Zucker

ADVISORY BOARDMartin Anderson, MD, MPHGregory G. BakerBernard BriskinSaul Brown, MDDavid BuellHenry G. CisnerosLou ColenHon. Kathleen ConnellDave DanielsLucia DiazLaddie John DillRaymond EdenLeah Ellenberg, PhDSylvia Firestone, MSWSuzanne FuttermanLuis GalvezLila GarrettNaomi GoldmanAllan GordonKaren Gunn, PhDDaniel HelbergRoseann Herman, Esq.Marilyn HershElaine HoffmanDouglas I. JeffeDan Keatinge, MDDiedre Kelly-GordonRemy LevyJulie LikerConnie LinnAl Markovitz, MD, FACPMichael McClainKelly Chapman MeyerRobert MoverleyCharlotte Neumann, MD, MPHHarvey Newman, PharmDRegina Pally, MDKenneth RambergHelen Reid, LCSWJoyce ReyAndrea Rich, PhDBrian K. RosensteinMonica Salinas, PhDMiguel SandovalJeffrey A. SeymourArthur StickgoldKate SummersRebecca Tafoya, CSACJill E. ThomasMatthew A. ToledoCarl Weissburg, Esq.Joseph K. Wright, Esq.

CHIEF EXECUTIVEOFFICERElizabeth Benson Forer,MSW/MPH310.664.7901

MEDICAL DIRECTORKaren Lamp, MD310.664.7648

DIRECTOR OFCOMMUNICATIONSTim Smith310.664.7910

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Left to right: Neal Baer, MD, Treasurer of Venice Family Clinic’s Board of Directors; Jennifer Seibel,wife of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom; Mayor Newsom; Liz Forer, CEO of Venice FamilyClinic; Jimmy H. Hara, MD, Chair of Venice Family Clinic’s Board of Directors. Photo: Tim Smith

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom visited VeniceFamily Clinic on Wednesday, March 18, to meet withstaff members and volunteers about the challenges ofcaring for Los Angeles County’s low-income anduninsured.

Mayor Newsom is known nationally for an innovativeprogram called Healthy San Francisco, which makeshealth care services accessible and affordable foruninsured residents. Participation in Healthy SanFrancisco is open to all the city’s residents regardless ofimmigration status, employment status, or pre-existingmedical conditions. When it began, in 2007, it madeSan Francisco the first city in the country to implementa plan to provide affordable health care services to all itslow-income, uninsured residents.

Mayor Newsom has since announced his candidacyfor Governor of California.

Photos: Margaret Molloy

If you’ve never toured Venice Family Clinic, you’re missing out on a remarkable story. Come see how exactly the Clinic organizes1,500 volunteers, 250 staff members and dozens of institutional partners to provide free, quality health care—from chronic diseasemanagement to mental health services to dental care—to more than 23,500 low-income and uninsured patients annually. ContactTim Smith, Director of Communications, at 310.664.7910 or tsmith@mednet.ucla.edu.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom VisitsVenice Family Clinic

Take a Tour of Venice Family Clinic

Published semi-annually by Venice Family Clinic

OUR MISSIONTo provide free, quality health care to people in need.Encounters

Foundation Giving Remains Strong Despite Declining Economy

Did You Know?A gift of $50 can provide peak flow meters for three children with asthma.

A gift of $500 can provide glucose monitoring supplies for three people with diabetes for a year.

A gift of $2,000 can provide health care for three uninsured people for a full year.

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Variations in grantmaking are not unusual, especially given thatfoundations’ investment portfolios fluctuate like everyone else’s. Sowith returns generally down this year over last, one might expectthe number and size of foundation gifts to Venice Family Clinic tohave declined, as well. But, for the most part, they haven't.

In fact, at least twenty foundations have made first-time grants toVenice Family Clinic in the last year, totaling almost $400,000.Meanwhile, more than a dozen existing funders have increased theiroperating support to the tune of an additional $600,000.

“Not all foundations have fared poorly in this economy, and a lot ofthem, being so mission driven, are not afraid to give,” says EleniManousogiannakis, Venice Family Clinic’s Director of ProgramDevelopment and Quality Improvement. “Some are increasing theirgiving specifically because they see such incredible need.”

In fiscal year 2008, foundations contributed more than $2.5 millionin operating support, which accounted for over 10% of the Clinic'sannual operating budget. They are on pace to contribute at least$2.4 million in fiscal year 2009.

Besides being stable donors in unstable times, foundations supportservices for which there is great demand but little public funding,and they help get groundbreaking pilot projects off the ground.

“Foundations are much more than funders, they’re partners,”Manousogiannakis explains. “They come to us with their ideas andwe go to them with ours.”

A few recent examples are the Clinic’s dental services, funded bythe UniHealth Foundation; its Simms/Mann Health and WellnessPrograms, funded by The Simms/Mann Family Foundation; and theEnhanced Pediatrics Project, funded by the Atlas Family Foundation,The Carl and Roberta Deutsch Foundation, the WeingartFoundation, and L.A. Care Health Plan.

“We couldn't do what we do without them,” Manousogiannakissays. “They are agents of change.”

Foundations were vulnerable to the same financial forces as other investors over thelast couple years, but their giving has remained robust. They are vital sources offunding for both core services and pilot projects, such as the Enhanced PediatricsProject, which seeks to improve the quality and accessibility of care for children andtheir families. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Photo: Margaret Molloy

If you have already named Venice Family Clinic as abeneficiary in your estate plan, please contact us at310.664.7932 so that we may appropriately recognizeyour generosity.

Looking for an Easy Way to Support Venice Family Clinic? Include It in Your Will

It’s easy to arrange. It can be changed atany time. And it can help ensure thesustainability of Venice Family Clinic’sessential services for tens of thousands oflow-income and uninsured individuals.

Dozens of donors have taken the simplestep of including Venice Family Clinic intheir wills, and you can, too. A provisionor amendment prepared by your attorneyat the time you make or update your willor trust is all that is necessary.

Venice Family Clinic’s Legacy Societyrecognizes those—both living anddeceased—who have remembered theClinic in their wills or other estate plans.For more information about how to includethe Clinic in your will or establish a life-income gift, please contact Bill Jones,Interim Chief Development Officer, at310.664.7932 or bljones@mednet.ucla.edu.

Legacy Society MembersKatherine BardIrma & Louis ColenMayer B. Davidson, MD, &

Roseann Herman, Esq.Sylvia & Mose Firestone, PhDPatricia & William FlumenbaumElizabeth & Daniel ForerElaine HoffmanJoanne Jubelier, PhDMarilyn H. KarstenAmita & Viren MehtaCharlotte Neumann, MD, &

Alfred Neumann, MDJanet PapkinMaida RichardsStanley RichardsFern & Robert SeizerJeffrey SinaikoLeonard StoneIna TillmanBeatrice ZeigerAnonymous

Our Condolences to the Families and Friends of Our Departed SupportersHerbert R. Bloch, Jr., Robert Graham, Emory Green, Dr. Robert Gumbiner, Laura Huxley, Walter (Wally) N. Marks, Jr.,Beverly (B.J.) Naclerio, Marvin Rand, Leonard Stone, the Honorable Jack Tenner, George Tsuda

The ballroom at theBeverly Wilshire Hotelwas filled to capacityon February 23, 2009,as Venice Family Clinichosted its 27th annualgala to thank membersof Silver Circle, theClinic’s premier givinggroup, which raisesmore than one milliondollars annually toprovide free, qualityhealth care to people in need.

“HOUSE” star Hugh Laurie and creator David Shore werehonored with the 2009 Humanitarian Award for theirsupport of Venice Family Clinic and other health care-relatedcharities, as well as for the show’s help in raising publicawareness of health care issues, including the plight of the uninsured.

Venice Family Clinic also honored the David Geffen Schoolof Medicine at UCLA and UCLA Health System with the2009 Community Service Award for support that dates tothe Clinic’s founding in 1970 and has included donated lab,diagnostic, primary care, and specialty care services. In thelast year alone, nearly 350 UCLA physicians, including morethan 200 residents, volunteered at Venice Family Clinic. Alltold, these physicians, along with other volunteers fromUCLA, donated over 26,000 hours, valued at more than $1 million.

Laurie’s co-star on “HOUSE,” Lisa Edelstein, emceed theevening. Just minutes into the show, she announced thatSilver Circle members and guests had contributed a total of

$950,000 this year. Seconds later, longtime Clinic supporterand Philanthropy Board and Advisory Board member LouColen walked to the stage and whispered to Edelstein that he would give an additional $50,000, bringing the gross to $1 million. Net proceeds totaled more than $900,000.

Silver Circle was founded in 1983 by Irma Colen, Lou’s latewife, who helped raise more than $30 million for VeniceFamily Clinic until her passing in 2006.

In their acceptance speeches, Laurie and Shore praisedVenice Family Clinic for its life-saving work. “What have wesaved, a hundred lives?” Shore asked rhetorically, referring tothe show’s recent 100th episode. “That doesn’t compare tothe thousands of lives Venice Family Clinic has saved.” Theyalso spoke of growing up in countries that provide universalhealth care. Laurie is British; Shore is Canadian.

Later, Laurie and Edelstein hosted a hilarious ad-libbed liveauction of “HOUSE” memorabilia, including one of Dr.House’s flame-tipped canes, signed by Laurie, and one of Dr. House’s scrubs, signed by the cast. The lucky winnertook them home as a set for $2,000—the cost of providinghealth care to one of Venice Family Clinic's patient familiesfor an entire year.

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“HOUSE” star Hugh Laurie and creatorDavid Shore were honored with VeniceFamily Clinic’s 2009 Humanitarian Award.Photo: Margaret Molloy

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLA Health Systemreceived the 2009 Community Service Award for support dating to the Clinic’sfounding in 1970. The award was presented by Rabbi David Wolpe (far left)and accepted by (left to right) Gerald S. Levey, MD, Vice Chancellor of UCLAMedical Sciences and Dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA;David Feinberg, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the UCLA Hospital System andInterim Associate Vice Chancellor; and Thomas Sibert, MD, Associate ViceChancellor and President of the Faculty Practice Group. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Major GiftsNovember 15, 2008, to April 21, 2009

“HOUSE” Star Hugh Laurie and Creator David Shore,David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLAHealth System Honored at Silver Circle 2009

Special Thanksto the Silver Circle 2009 Committee

$100,000 +The Atlas Family Foundation

Lezlie & Richard Atlas

Louis Colen

The Carl & Roberta DeutschFoundation

The Fineshriber Family Foundation

Gumpert Foundation

UniHealth Foundation

Anonymous

$50,000 to $99,999Centinela-Freeman CommunityFoundation

Daniels, Fine, Israel, Schonbuch &Lebovits – Western Union

Ella Fitzgerald CharitableFoundation

The Mark Hughes Foundation

The Resnick Family FoundationLynda & Stewart Resnick

Estate of Stanley Richards

The Skirball Foundation

Weingart Foundation

Frederick R. WeismanPhilanthropic & Art Foundation

Billie Milam Weisman

Western Union California Cy Pres Fund

$25,000 to $49,999The Dharma Grace Foundation

Chuck Lorre

Kaiser Permanente of SouthernCalifornia

Susanne & Paul Kester

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

United Way of Greater LosAngeles

The Vollmer Family Foundation

Anonymous (2)

$10,000 to $24,999The Apatow Family Foundation, Inc

Judd Apatow

Kathy K. & Matthew Scott Barrett

The David Bohnett FoundationDavid Bohnett

Judy & Bernard Briskin

California HealthCare FoundationMonica Lozano

The Capital Group CompaniesCharitable Foundation

David Geffen School of Medicineat UCLA

Dr. Mayer B. Davidson & RoseannHerman, Esq.

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Foundation of the Pierre FauchardAcademy

Robert L. Feldman

Patricia & William Flumenbaum

Henry L. Guenther Foundation

The William H. HannonFoundation

Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead,President

David Hockney

Louise & Herb Horvitz FoundationDr. Louise Horvitz

Tatiana & Todd James

Deborah Laub

Constance Lawton & James Yoder

The Harold McAlister CharitableFoundation

McKesson Foundation

Amita & Viren Mehta

The Barry & Wendy MeyerFoundation

L. & S. Milken Family FoundationLowell Milken

NBC Universal

Rebecca Pollack Parker & HutchParker

Melinda Lerner & John Powell

Fern & Robert Seizer

David & Judy Shore FoundationJudith & David Shore

Lon V. Smith Foundation

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.

R. K. Squire CompanyHarriet & Richard Squire

Harold R. Swanton & Winifred R.Swanton Foundation

Union Bank of California

Twentieth Century Fox

United Breast Cancer Foundation

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Gail & Irving Weintraub

John & Marilyn Wells FamilyFoundation

George Woolverton and KatrinaAbrahemian

Ziering Family FoundationMarilyn Ziering

Zolla Family Foundation

Anonymous

Permanent EndowmentsIrma and Lou Colen PhysicianEndowment

Mose and Sylvia Firestone SocialWork Endowment

Karsten Family Domestic ViolenceEndowment

Sadie and Norman Lee TeenClinic Physician Endowment

Milken Family PhysicianEndowment

Jack H. Skirball Medical DirectorEndowment

Gail and Irv WeintraubEndowment

Frederick R. WeismanPsychological ServicesEndowment

Laurie's co-star on “HOUSE,” Lisa Edelstein, hosted the evening. Laurie andEdelstein led a hilarious ad-libbed live auction of “HOUSE” memorabilia.Photo: Margaret Molloy

Silver Circle 2009 Co-Chairs Dr. Harleyand Julie Liker. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Every donor is important to us. Ifyour name is not listed within theappropriate category or is listedimproperly, please accept ourapologies and notify us at310.664.7932 so the correctioncan be made.

Harley Liker, MD, Co-ChairJulie Liker, Co-Chair Andrea BaconVicki BakerKathy BarrettDorothy BreiningerChris GriffithsAshley JohnsonDeb LoveFrank MatricardiCynthia Garvey Truhan

Venice Art Walk & AuctionsSunday, May 17$50 per person (children under 12 free), includes an all-day pass to the following activities, as well as a Venice Art Walk &Auctions Catalog and Event Guide. Registration opens at 10:30 am at Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney, Venice.

Artists’ Studio Tours and Special ExhibitsMore than you could dream of covering in one day – more than 60 private artists’ studios and special exhibits! Begin at WestminsterSchool. Free shuttle buses run continuously throughout the day and will be there to help you cover more ground and see more art.

Silent Art AuctionArt collectors-don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to browse and bid on more than 400 original works of art including paintings, sculpture,graphics, photography, ceramics, cartoons and furniture donated by Los Angeles-area and Venice Art Walk artists.

Plus...A Food Faire of great Westside restaurants, Cocktail Lounges on the Venice Art Walk trail, an Artful Living silent auction of fun and functionallifestyle items, live music, and your chance to win an original Tony Berlant sculpture! (See page 7 for details.)

Free SilentArt Auction Preview

Saturday, May 16, 4:00 to 6:00 pm,Westminster School,

1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice

New Wave of Venice Architecture, Saturday, May 16Explore new and contemporary architecture in this self-guided walking tour of Venice, highlighting the work of award-winningand cutting-edge architects. $100 per person, includes VIP cocktail reception at Dogtown Station following the tour.

A Stroll Down Architects’ Alley: A Historic Walking Tour of Rustic Canyon, Saturday, May 16Curated and led by Marmol Radziner and Associates, this tour will begin with a lunch and presentation by Leo Marmol, FAIA, andTony Merchell, architectural historian, at the historic Rustic Canyon Community Center. Groups will be led on an informativewalking tour of this architecturally bountiful neighborhood, past projects by renowned architects, stopping to tour selected housesrepresenting the old and new. $175 per person, includes lunch, as well as VIP cocktail reception at Dogtown Stationfollowing the tour. Tickets extremely limited and must be purchased in advance.

Eclectic Homes on the Venice Canals, Sunday, May 17There’s something for everyone on this self-guided walking tour of the Canals, visiting new modern residences, art collections and artists’homes. $100 per person, includes admission to the Sunday, May 17, Venice Art Walk & Auctions (a $50 value).

Art & Architecture Tours sponsored by

All guests receive a complimentarycopy of Dwell at registration and

may enter to win one of ten annual subscriptions!

Volunteer OpportunitiesTo volunteer at the Venice Art Walk &

Auctions, please contact MyshelPrasad at 310.664.7914

or mprasad@mednet.ucla.edu.

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Art & Architecture ToursThird tour added! Now on Sunday!

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TicketsTickets for all events available online at www.veniceartwalk.info or by phone at

310.392.9255. Except for the Rustic Canyon Art & Architecture Tour, tickets mayalso be purchased on the day of the event at registration. All advance ticket buyers

receive a $15 discount to the Dwell on Design Exhibition, June 27–28, 2009.

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Join us for the quintessential Southern California art event, celebrating its 30th anniversary. All proceeds benefit Venice Family Clinic, providing free, quality health care to people in need.

Visit www.veniceartwalk.info for more information, including event hours, photos and descriptions of the homes on the Art & Architecture Tours, lists of participating artists, previews of works in

the Silent Art Auction, details of free parking and public transportation, and more.

Four hundred artists.Ten architectural gems.One great cause.

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Major Sponsors Media Sponsors

More than a Dozen New StudioArtists, including...

M.B. BoissonnaultThere is something familiar yet almostotherworldly about M.B. Boissonnault’swork. Much more than a landscapepainter, Boissonnault intersperses hervivid natural scenes with historicalevents, political figures, and military-industrial invasions to challengeviewers to reexamine their feelingsabout time, place, and power.

Micah LintonThe brilliant mind behind theWeebeasts mythology, Micah Linton isthe first book illustrator to be featuredon the Venice Art Walk artists’ studiotours. Linton was first recognized forhis work as a video game artist anddesigner for Dreamworks, Activision,and Electronic Arts, and as aninstructor at the Art Institute of Los Angeles.

Jheri ReddingMost people don’t look to ceramicsfor social commentary, but JheriRedding’s creations might causeviewers to reconsider. He explorescommodities and their perverseeffects…on a global scale.

Three 30th Anniversary Silent ArtAuction Exhibits

30 Danger Dogs – Curated byMichelle Page“Danger Dogs – Folk Art From theHimalayas” is the creation of MichellePage of Santa Monica, who becameintrigued by the hand-painted metal“Beware of Dog” signs she saw

everywhere on her visits to Nepal. Made in Nepal, theseoriginal works of art have made their way into thecollections of Ed Moses, Peter Sellars, and Stephen Bochco.

Project 30 – Curated by Lisa MelandriThirty works curated by LisaMelandri, Deputy Director forExhibitions and Programs at Santa Monica Museum of Art.

Pull of the Sea – 30 Drawings andPaintings by Lynn HansonLynn Hanson is a longtime Venice ArtWalk studio artist. To commemoratethe 30th anniversary of the event, shehas created 30 drawings andpaintings themed, “Pull of the Sea.”Attendees should also visit her studiofor a glimpse of the inspiration behindher work.

Three Spectacular Art &Architecture Tours

See page six for details.

Featured Artist Kenny ScharfKenny Scharf, the Los Angeles-born artist whose work is featuredon this year’s Venice Art Walk &Auctions poster and t-shirt, delightsin using images from animatedcartoons popular during his 1960schildhood, such as The Flintstonesand The Jetsons, and othersymbols of pop culture. Always

ready to test the line between high and low art, heemploys everything from glazed donuts to alien creaturesin his complex, eye-catching works.

His “Chocolate Donut in Space” was selected for thisyear’s Venice Art Walk & Auctions t-shirt, while the posterimage, “Donut Jamboree,” takes the viewer and his donutsone step further into a complex universe populated bycorporate logos, pop music icons, and historic headlines.

“I believe the artist has a social responsibility to engageothers in a thought process that ultimately brings the creativeprocess into everyday life,” he says.

Besides lending use of his images for the t-shirt andposter, he created two custom works—painted lab coats,in honor of Venice Family Clinic's doctors. One wasauctioned at the “Donut Jamboree” Art Happening on April 30; the other will be up for bid at the Sunday, May 17, Venice Art Walk & Auctions. All proceeds benefit Venice Family Clinic.

Scharf is represented in Los Angeles by Honor FraserGallery, where he will have an exhibit in September 2009.

Tony Berlant Sculpture RaffleTake a chance on art! You couldbe the lucky winner of Flurry, 2009,a stunning collaged sculpture ofprinted tin by longtime Venice ArtWalk supporter Tony Berlant.Winner to be drawn at the Sunday,May 17, Venice Art Walk & Auctionson the main stage at 5:45 pm.

Winner need not be present to win. Tickets: $20 each.

Courtesy of Tony Berlant and L.A. Louver GalleryDonations are not required to enter the drawing.

Venice Art Walk & AuctionsCollectibles

T-Shirts, featuring Chocolate Donutin Space, 2007, by Kenny Scharf,$20 each, available online atwww.veniceartwalk.info, by phone at310.392.9255 or at the Sunday, May17, Venice Art Walk & Auctions.

Courtesy of the artist and HonorFraser Gallery

Posters, featuring DonutJamboree, 2005, by Kenny Scharf, $25 each,available online atwww.veniceartwalk.info,by phone at 310.392.9255or at the Sunday, May 17, Venice Art Walk & Auctions.

Sponsored by the David Bohnett FoundationCourtesy of the artist and Honor Fraser Gallery

Just Added!A Very Special Exhibit Featuring Peter Alexander, Chuck Arnoldi, Larry Bell, Guy Dill, Charles Christopher Hill, Ed Moses,John Okulick, and Ed Ruscha!

Greenfield Sacks GalleryPresents An Exhibition of VeniceBeach Artists at Dogtown StationWorks by Peter Alexander, ChuckArnoldi, Larry Bell, Guy Dill, CharlesChristopher Hill, Ed Moses, JohnOkulick, and Ed Ruscha…all in thearchitecturally stunning Dogtown

Station loftspace. Included in the $50 ticket to the Sunday,May 17, Venice Art Walk & Auctions.

A Glimpse of What's New

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View Venice Family Clinic’s 2008 Annual Report atwww.venicefamilyclinic.org.

Connect withVenice FamilyClinic OnlineBecome a Fan on FacebookDid you know you can stay up to date withVenice Family Clinic’s media coverage, events,and publications by becoming a fan onFacebook? Just enter “Venice Family Clinic” inthe search field, then click “Become a Fan.”

Sign up for the E-NewsletterWith just a handful of keystrokes, you can receivee-mail updates from Venice Family Clinic aboutnew programs, volunteer opportunities andupcoming events. Visit www.venicefamilyclinic.organd click the “Add to mailing list” link in the topright corner.

View the 2008 Annual ReportLearn more about how and why Venice FamilyClinic does what it does by downloading theClinic’s 2008 annual report, What if?, on thepublications page at www.venicefamilyclinic.org.

Time Magazine Visits Venice Family ClinicIn its special feature, “The New Frugality,” Time Magazine’s web site, Time.com, shot avideo interview with Venice Family Clinic’sCEO, Liz Forer, and others about how the economy is changing life for people at free clinics around the country. To view the video,go to the Clinic’s Facebook page or visitwww.time.com and enter “Venice FamilyClinic” in the search field.

Printed on 50% recycled, FSC-Certified paperDr. Mayer B. Davidson is Venice Family Clinic's co-founder and a volunteer endocrinologist. Dr. Miriam Padilla is a staff internist.

Dear DoctorExcerpted from a patient letter received November 2008…

Dear Dr. Davidson and Dr. Padilla,

It is only when I cry that my throat hurts, so I do what I can to manage my emotions, but at this writing,

I cannot help but be sad and cry.

Though I am saddened to have to discontinue my medical relationship with you, Dr. Davidson, and you,

Dr. Padilla, I am pleased to announce that I have been hired full-time, permanent in a “high-fallootin’” career

position with a company that will even pay 100% for the Master’s degree I nearly completed 16 years ago!

Since my last appointment, after being hired, I needed to be sure Kaiser would accept me without condition.

I’ve just received my Kaiser card, so effective 11.17.08—it is official—I am now a member.

I am a professional woman and know nothing less than hard work, but have been forced to work as a

temporary contractor over the past several years. It was absolutely no way to live, but under circumstances

of the “wrong degree,” it was the best that this middle-aged college graduate could attain to survive.

Dr. Davidson, you have saved my life, and for this I am truly grateful. And Dr. Padilla, though you have been

hard on me, it was for good reason. I have taken it all in and have been obedient (though it took a while to

soak in). I am a diabetic! How about that?

I’ve taken my meds as prescribed for my hyperactive thyroid condition, and as a result, I have not had bouts

of increased blood pressure, rapid heart rate or hyperglycemic sensations. My health is so much improved over

what it was a few years ago—and it has been several years since Venice Family Clinic and you two first began

treating me.

As for that “eye thing,” well…life is as it is, and I am not blind!

I have tears pouring down my face right now—cannot help but cry. Your caring and compassion at a time

when I could not afford to pay saved me. It really did save my life, and because of you—because of that level

of care and compassion—I must do what I must do.

I am arranging an automatic payroll deduction to continue until such time when I can no longer afford to

donate (which I pray is never again). At whatever amount I can now afford, my company will match my

donation. I am making this arrangement immediately.

Again, Dr. Davidson, you are the best in the business, which makes Dr. Padilla truly blessed to be taught by

the best. My contribution will not be nearly sufficient, but if I had a million dollars that I could give, I would

give it to Venice Family Clinic. Nonetheless, it is because of you that I must do what I can to help those who

come after me to receive care.

In closing, it is needless to say, “Thank You”—as it is just not even enough. May God Bless and Keep You

and Yours. Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Janet