www.artsculturalbridge.orgThe ARTS AND CULTURAL BRIDGE FOUNDATION's purpose is to foster opportunities for artistic, educational and cultural exchanges between artists, organizations and institutions, primarily from the United States and Cuba, to share experiences, learn from each other, explore cultures and heritages, exhibit works, disseminate information, promote dialogue, support actions and initiatives that contribute to the normalization of relations and for a better understanding… Show more www.artsculturalbridge.orgThe ARTS AND CULTURAL BRIDGE FOUNDATION's purpose is to foster opportunities for artistic, educational and cultural exchanges between artists, organizations and institutions, primarily from the United States and Cuba, to share experiences, learn from each other, explore cultures and heritages, exhibit works, disseminate information, promote dialogue, support actions and initiatives that contribute to the normalization of relations and for a better understanding between peoples. Show less

The Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument (VJAMM) was installed on April 27, 2017 on the northwest corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards. The 9′ 6″ tall solid black granite obelisk marks the spot where some 1,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu lined up with only what they could carry in April, 1942. Buses transported them directly to Manzanar.The Venice Japanese American Memorial Marker (VJAMM) Committee, an ad hoc group comprised of former… Show more The Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument (VJAMM) was installed on April 27, 2017 on the northwest corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards. The 9′ 6″ tall solid black granite obelisk marks the spot where some 1,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu lined up with only what they could carry in April, 1942. Buses transported them directly to Manzanar.The Venice Japanese American Memorial Marker (VJAMM) Committee, an ad hoc group comprised of former internees and concerned citizens, has been working together since 2010 to build a permanent memorial to honor the Americans of Japanese descent forcibly removed from Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu and incarcerated at the War Relocation Authority camp at Manzanar for the duration of World War II. The inspiration for this project goes back to the attacks against the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and one that crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Hate crimes against persons perceived to be Middle Easterners or Muslims flared, amid calls for their removal and imprisonment. Artists and activists of Venice drew comparisons with this prejudice and that which followed Imperial Japan’s attack on the U. S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. They sought to remind people that what happened to persons of Japanese ancestry in 1942 should never happen again to any minority group solely based on ethnicity or religion. Show less

Lead fundraising efforts to restore two iconic murals in Venice. Completed Phase I and II of the Venice Beach Poet's Monument Restoration Project. Main wall, completed in 2012. Phase II, 17th St. Public restroom poetry wall and ceramic tiles restoration completed March 2014. Endangered Spiecies Mural cleaned and repaired April 2014.Book published on the Tile Art Benches on the Ocean Front Walk.

Founded Venice Arts Council in 2004. Produced Divas of Venice and other Venice People's Centennial Celebrations in 2005 at SPARC and Beyond Baroque; produced public art workshops, public mural advocate, and help found the 2010 Venice Japanese American Memorial Committee.

The Venice Oceanarium is a museum without walls. The non-profit's mission is to impart a better understanding of the ocean and the life within it. Holds annual events on Venice Beach which includes an annual two day marathon reading of Moby Dick and late night Grunion Run Party.