In Venice…

The Abbot Kinney Festival, now in its 31st year, takes place along a mile-long stretch of the world-famous Abbot Kinney Boulevard, arguably the “coolest block in America.”

The Boulevard’s eclectic boutiques, artisan eateries and influential art galleries infuse the festival with a local flavor that makes this event unique and not to be missed. Enjoy a day of fun, food and entertainment while you soak in the convivial spirit of the sunny beach-side community of Venice!

free festival admission
300 quality vendors
top food trucks and booths
kids rides and games

5 live music stages
3 beer gardens (wristband and ID required)
2 kids stages

What: Abbot Kinney Festival
Where: Abbot Kinney (between Brooks and Venice Boulevard
When: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Website: http://www.abbotkinney.org/

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Enjoy an art tour…the Artists’ Studio of Palos Verdes Art Center (550 Deep Valley Drive #159, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274) takes place from 10am-5pm. Tickets are $30.  Call 424-206-9902 for more info about the PVAC Artist tour 

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In San Pedro…

The Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival, winner of four Guinness World Records takes place all weekend.

The event will feature fresh discount Maine lobster meals flown in fresh daily and cooked on the spot, and plenty of free entertainment. Lobster lovers enjoy a scenic outdoor park along LA’s historic waterfront, and shops at Ports O’ Call in San Pedro, California.

After feasting on its world famous discount Maine lobster meals, guests enjoy dancing, street performers, tall ships, shopping for arts and crafts, and musical performances by some of today’s best up-and-coming acts.

Port O’Call Village is easy to find at the end of the 110 Harbor Freeway in San Pedro, California at Ports O’ Call Village at the intersection of 6th Street and Harbor Drive. Only 20 minutes south of downtown Los Angeles. Free parking!

Enjoy 18 bands, line dancing Lobster flashmobs, pole championship series, (pos) athletes, etc.

What: Lobster Festival
Where: Berth 76 – Nagoya Way, Port O’Call Village, San Pedro, CA 90731
When: Friday 5pm-11pm; Saturday 11am-11pm; Sunday 11am-pm
Phone:  (310) 798-7478

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In Santa Monica …at Bergamot Staion…

bG Gallery hosts a musical and poetry event. Doraine Poretz, renowned Los Angeles poet and playwright, and Semyon Kobialka, classical cellist and recording artist, announce a preview of poems and music from their brand new CD, An Occasion for Being.

The poems in An Occasion for Being are varied in rhythms and tone, and the music, composed especially for them, highlights each poem’s texture. From the meditative “Prayer,” accompanied by sonorous cello bowing, to that of the jazz inspired arrangement of “Obsession”, this marvelous collaborative effort of poet and cellist is beautifully seductive and compelling.

Ms. Poretz is an influential voice, both as poet and teacher in the Los Angeles writing community. She has read her works throughout various venues in the city, instructs a highly acclaimed adult writing series, Writing Down the Music of Your Life, and is Poet-In-Residence in numerous elementary and middle schools. Six books of her poetry have been published, and her plays have been performed on stages in Los Angeles and New York. . For more, please visit www.doraineporetz.com.

Mr. Kobialka, the son of two prominent classical musicians, has been playing and performing music from the tender age of 3. He began studying the cello under the tutelage of Irene Sharp and Margaret Avery Rowell, the late “grande dame of the cello”. In college he continued his studies with Master cellist Bernard Greenhouse of the Beaux Arts Trio. Never one to be constrained to one genre of music, as a teenager he Semyon began studying electric bass guitar and started exploring improvisation on multiple instruments playing jazz, rock, and funk. For more, please visit www.celloboy7.com.

What: Opening reception
Where: bG Gallery at Bergamot Station 2525, Michigan Avenue, Space G8A, Santa Monica, CA 90404
When: Sunday, September 27 – 2:00 – 12:00 am
Phone: 310-906-4211
Website: bgArtGalleries.com

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Rosamund Felsen Gallery (1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., #100, LA 90021) hosts an art talk with Lavi Daniel Artist Talk w/ Molly Barnedfrom 3-6pm. 

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In West LA….

JAUS hosts a closing reception for “If All The World Were…,” a two person exhibition featuring recent works by Christine Morla and Aska Irie.

The title of the exhibition is derived from a comic poem written circa 1658 “If All The World Were Paper” whose verses were like riddles designed to inspire critical thinking. The two artists, who have exhibited together on multiple occasions, have been paired up, because they both create highly personal universes through the repetitive application of a single, albeit mutually distinct, material. In the case of Morla, she uses found paper and packaging materials which are cut into thin strips and meticulously woven together into geometric and floral shapes. Irie, on the other hand employs tiny beads, often associated with the Native Mexican Huichol communities, to create childlike and playful imagery, and more recently geometric landscapes.

On view: August 28 – September 27, 2015

What: Closing reception
Where: Jaus, 11851 La Grange Ave., LA 90025
When: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Sunday, September 27
Phone: 424.248.0781

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Till next week…be well and keep the art party alive…