Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction was founded in 1979 by a group of women on a mission. Their goal: host an event to raise money for Venice Family Clinic by celebrating the neighborhood of Venice and the artists who live there. Led by the inimitable Irma Colen, these champions for the Clinic included Ruth Bloom, Mona Colman, Marj Fasman, Sheila Goldberg, Elaine Stone, Adele Yellin, and former Clinic Executive Director Meg Ross Price.

These pioneering women may not have known it at the time, but in addition to developing what would become the Clinic’s premier fundraising event, they were also creating a platform to empower women.

Since its inception forty years ago, Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction has proudly showcased art from revolutionary female artists, including Jean Edelstein, D.J. Hall, Lynn Hanson, Betye Saar, and Judy Stabile, many of whom continue to support us today. By sharing their talent as part of our event—either by donating art for the silent auction or opening their studio for the public to tour—those women have inspired generations of other female artists to join us, including Andrea Bowers, Alexandra Grant, Toba Khedoori, Alison Saar, and Kim Schoenstadt.

The Signature Artist for 2019 was Laura Owens, extending a recent line of female Signature Artists that included Barbara Kruger, Alexis Smith, and Analia Saban. Owens generously donated an artwork to the silent auction and provided another to be our key promotional image, which adorns the 2019 limited edition tote bags and posters.

Venice Family Clinic’s legacy of being a champion for women doesn’t begin and end with Clinic volunteers and artists. In a profession dominated by men, we are proud that 85% of our providers and 79% of all of our employees are women. And for our female patients, we strive to create nurturing and effective programs, in order to reduce health disparities and give all women their best opportunity to live happy, healthy lives.