By Juan Markos
Photos: THT
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/11/24 – On March 9th, 2024, we attended the grand opening of The Venice Heritage Museum, which is the first museum in Venice, California. The inaugural exhibition was called “This is Some Place,” and it was a celebration. The event began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Justin Yoshimaru, President of the Venice Heritage Foundation. Venice, California is known as the true melting pot of Los Angeles, and the exhibit “This is Some Place” showcases some of the exemplary moments of Venice’s rich history over the last 119 years. The turnout was unprecedented, and the line began from the gates and wrapped around the block on Rose Ave. The whole community was present and very excited, and there was an eclectic bunch of people there. The event included food vendors and artisans, and I tried a fancy taro donut, which was delicious.
“The exhibition title, This is Some Place, comes from the message on a postcard sent from Venice in 1913,” explains Anthony Carfello, the newly appointed Museum Manager. He goes on to say: “The postcard shows an aerial image of Windward Ave. on the front, and the sender wrote only this single sentence on the back to describe Venice. Deceptively simple, this sentiment actually goes right to the heart of VHM’s mission: Venice is indeed some place. So much so, that it deserves study and appreciation in the way that only a dedicated museum space can provide.”
Venice, California is a unique and artsy place. It is known for being eclectic, young, diverse, and exotic. Beachy isn’t the best description of this beach town, since it’s so much more. When I think of Venice, I think of the drumming circle, the smell of sage and incense, and graffiti. There is no other place on earth like it. The boardwalk is usually crowded with tourists from all over the world, where they seem to blend into the landscape of artists, bodybuilders, and performers of all kinds.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was kicked off by Olivia Ponce, a Venice Native, who offered a blessing and welcome for the event. She stated, “We all recognize these lands as stolen lands, and no one is illegal on these lands. However, these lands are recognized as the Tongva people.” She continued, “Sagna where we live 90291 Sagna, that’s Venice. We wouldn’t be here without the Tongva people allowing us to be clumsy on their land, and we have a lot of gratitude and love for the Tongva people. Abbot Kinney was the face and the money behind it, but you can’t say Abbot Kinney without Arthur Reese, known as the Wizard of Venice.” About the Venice Heritage Foundation
The Venice Heritage Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded for the specific purpose of building the city’s first-ever museum. Their multigenerational volunteer Board of Directors is composed of born and raised Venetians, historians, artists, educators, event planners, and other creative types who all share a passion for the preservation of Venice history, past and present.
Venice Heritage Museum online:
