The first Venice Design Series kicked off April 25 and continues this Saturday, May 2, with a Hollywood-inspired Coastal Canyon Literary Tour and Lunch.
Spearheaded by noted landscape designer Jay Griffith and community activist Linda Lucks, the handpicked, site-specific special events are hosted by Venice’s visionary architects, chefs, designers, authors and performers, an example of the Venice creative community rallying to support Venice Community Housing (VCH) with five design inspired fundraising events.
At a time when many experience ongoing economic distress, the Venice Design Series is an example of a community looking after its own.
As Jay Griffith so aptly puts it, “When I look around Venice today, I see a huge loss of socio-economic diversity. By supporting Venice Community Housing, we are ensuring keeping the nice, in Venice.”
The Venice Design Series opened with a kick-off party April 25 at the restored Spanish Colonial Pacific Palisades home of landscape designer Jay Griffith, once owned by actor Eddie Albert and his wife Margo.
This Saturday morning, May 2, Jay Griffith leads a Hollywood-inspired Coastal Canyon Literary Tour and Lunch through Santa Monica and Rustic Canyons and including historic homes on Adelaide Drive.
Destinations include the Eames Case Study House (pictured above) and El Encanto, a three acre early California estate and the Benenson House, designed by architect Steven Ehrlich. Mona Simpson will read from her book “My Hollywood” at her home, the historic 1909 Henry Weaver House. Chef Fiona Neale will prepare lunch with musical accompaniment by pianist Daniel Kloehn and readings by actress Catherine Keener and Marlene Dietrich’s great-grandson, Adam Riva.
Award winning architect Steven Ehrlich and author Nancy Griffin host the third event, a North African Feast on Saturday evening, May 2. Visitors will enjoy a dinner prepared by Chef Farid Zadi featuring paella at Ehrlich’s self-designed Venice home. KCRW’s Frances Anderton, host of the popular DnA radio program, will lead a conversation with special guests about “Venice Architecture: Past and Future.”
A Moveable Feast dinner party on Saturday, May 9 will stop at the Venice homes of international architect Kulapat Yantrasast, principal of wHY, realtor Tiffany Rochelle, and restaurateur Paul Hibler. Each home will feature courses provided by Hibler’s Superba restaurants. A salon-discussion on creativity will pair local architects and chefs.
The fifth and final event in the series is a Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch at architect Gregory Ain’s Historic Mid-Century Homes on Sunday, May 10. Featuring music from Azar Lawrence & Trio and catered by Gjelina, this event is hosted by residents in Ain’s “Modernique Homes” tract in Mar Vista, the first post WWII Historic District designated in Los Angeles. Guests will tour six homes in the tract and receive a copy of Anthony Denzer’s “Gregory Ain: The Modern Home as Social Commentary.”
For tickets or more information on the Venice Design Series, visit www.venicedesignseries.org, email Linda Lucks at llucks@vchcorp.org, or call 310.526.3857.