Venice Family Clinic Art Exhibition & Auction

This is a charity art show, but the real subject is healthcare. Venice Family Clinic’s annual Art Exhibition + Auction is underway in Venice through Sunday, May 17, turning a gallery on Abbot Kinney into one of the clinic’s biggest public fundraisers of the year. The pitch is simple — come see serious Los Angeles art, maybe bid on something, and help fund care for people who might otherwise go without it. That’s why this event keeps coming back, and why it lands differently right now. ### What is this event, exactly? It’s the 47th Venice Family Clinic Art Exhibition + Auction, the current version of what used to be called the Venice Art Walk. What started as a one-day fundraiser has grown into a 10-day exhibition and auction, and the clinic calls it the longest-running charity art exhibition in Los Angeles. The 2026 show runs May 8 through May 17 at 910 Abbot Kinney Blvd., with the gallery open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the auction closing at 6 p.m. PDT on Sunday, May 17. ### Why does an art show matter to a clinic? Because this is not side programming — it’s fundraising infrastructure. Venice Family Clinic says proceeds support its healthcare programs for more than 45,000 people across the Westside, Inglewood, the South Bay, and nearby communities. The clinic has also said the event has raised more than $25 million since its start, which gives you a sense of scale. This is art as operating support, basically. (venicefamilyclinic.org) ### Who’s in the show this year? The headline name is Alison Saar, this year’s signature artist. Her work anchors a larger roster of more than 150 artists spanning established names and newer voices in the Los Angeles scene. The lineup includes artists like Ed Ruscha, Helen Pashgian, Kenny Scharf, Frances Stark, Ed Templeton, Peter Shire, Laddie John Dill, Max Hooper Schneider, Sula Bermúdez-Silverman, Umar Rashid, and Nancy Evans. (venicefamilyclinic.org) That mix is the point — recognizable names pull attention, but the event is also framing itself as a cross-generational snapshot of L.A. art. ### What can people actually do there? You can just visit the exhibition for free, view the work in person, and bid online if something grabs you. But the clinic is also layering in events to make the show feel more like a gathering than a silent auction room. This week’s featured program is Friday night’s “dublab presents: Music + Movement,” a multisensory event with food, drinks, Butoh dance by Kyoko Takenaka, and music by Colloboh and Dylan Fujioka. (venicefamilyclinic.org) We Like L.A. flagged that event as one of the week’s notable things to do. ### Why is the venue part of the story? Because 910 Abbot Kinney puts the fundraiser directly inside one of L.A.’s most visible art-and-retail corridors. That matters symbolically and practically. The clinic is meeting collectors, neighbors, and casual passersby where they already are, instead of asking them to enter a more formal nonprofit setting. It’s a smart translation device — art gets people in the door, and the healthcare mission becomes harder to ignore once they’re there. (venicefamilyclinic.org) ### Why does it feel more urgent this year? The clinic’s leadership has been pretty direct about the backdrop. They’ve tied this year’s fundraising push to uncertainty around federal and state safety-net funding. In other words, this isn’t just a nice annual tradition. It’s happening at a moment when nonprofits that provide front-line care are worried about how durable public support will be. That makes private fundraising more important, but also more fragile. (venicefamilyclinic.org) ### So what’s the bottom line? The easiest way to understand this event is as a swap. Los Angeles art gets a high-traffic showcase. Venice Family Clinic gets money, attention, and a public argument for why community healthcare deserves backing. If you’re going this week, the key date is Sunday, May 17 — that’s when bidding closes. (venicefamilyclinic.org) (venicefamilyclinic.org)