Welcome to ArtBarLA, the creative, comfortable, hip spot to quaff a craft beer or kombucha, experience some highly original and witty décor, and view LA-based artists’ work in a bright, contemporary space. It’s also the spot to hear live music and D.J.s or see performance art of all kinds.
Warm, eclectic, and just plain fun, the idea of an art bar was the brain child of artist Lauren Mendelsohn Bass and L Croskey, a.k.a. LC, gallerist, artist, and D.J. Joined by partners Demetrios Mavromichalis and Pete Panos, the four have conceptualized and opened what Mendelsohn-Bass calls “a cool way for all kinds of artists to show the work they do.”
Croskey is head preparatory and co-owner of Thinkspace in Culver City, and has long supported local artists in the most inclusive ways possible, Mendelsohn-Bass explains. “He did portfolio views and gallery shows under the name Cannibal Flower, and I was one of his artists. At one show, we were speaking about how I would like to do something interesting in LA for artists and for Cannibal Flower, and how I wanted to create a space where we could show any kind of art, a place for visual artists and performers. And he said, whatever you do, I’m on board.”
After a six-month hunt to find space, Mendelsohn-Bass was about to give up when Mavromichalis told Croskey he’d just leased a bar in Mar Vista that had enough room for a gallery and stage. Mavromichalis owns the Mar Vista Restaurant and the Wood among other properties and knows the restaurant and bar business well. He, too, was on board to create a space for art.
The advantage of being able to sell beer and hard kombucha – and likely coming soon, wine – is, as Mendelsohn-Bass notes, a way to relieve the pressure to sell more art. “We can sell drinks whenever we are open, instead of having to provide them at an opening which costs the gallery space.”
Panos, who owns a mixed martial arts studio next to Art Bar LA also wanted in; his hyper-local support has assisted in the bar’s creation and operation.
Above, left to right, Mavromichalis, Mendelsohn-Bass, Croskey, Panos
“LC and I are the most hands-on about creating the space, based on ideas we’ve been throwing around for a year that became part of the décor, like the fun house mirrors and the patchwork sofa design,” she explains. Croskey will handle booking gallery shows and performing talent; Mavromichalis handles the bar aspect, bringing in LA-based craft beers, and dealing with licensing, ordering, and staffing. Panos is also involved in staffing and many business aspects of the operation.
As for Mendelsohn-Bass, “My role is kind of everything. I assist LC all around, and I contributed to décor down to the light bulbs selected by LC and I together.” She adds “People say this place looks like it was made for me, but the reason it does is because LC and I have had the same vision, and we really created what we set out to do.”
Above, current exhibited work includes this piece from Robert Nelson; below, a variety of other works from the current exhibition
New gallery shows will appear once a month, and for now, focus on group shows. “For now, our criteria is just good art. LC has many people who want to be a part of exhibiting here, who just want their work to be seen.” Upcoming is an exhibition titled Made You Look, opening October 6th.
Performing talent will include Saturday night D.J.-ing from LC, a burlesque show, live body painting, and a wide range of musical acts. The bar’s regular operating days are Thursday through Saturday for now; gallery openings are reserved for Sunday afternoons. Hours may be added in the days to come.
The bar will also soon offer some small bites for purchase at the bar; for events like gallery openings, ArtBarLA will have food trailers set up beyond the patio space. On October 6th the trucks will focus on BBQ.
“The food and the beer and other beverages will all be from LA makers,” Mendelsohn-Bass attests. “There’s so much local talent here in all ways to draw from.”
The bar is geared toward the art world, but it is also very much a part of the neighborhood itself, with local residents, artists, and nightlife-seekers all a part of a mix that ranges in age from 21 to 95, she reports.
From the gorgeous murals Mendelsohn-Bass has painted on the walls, to bicycle bar stools, outdoor sculpture, and even the most fun bathroom signage you’ll ever see, this is a bar where you’ll definitely want everyone to know your name.
ArtBarLA is open Thursday-Saturday 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., with more hours planned ahead. It is located at 12017 Venice Blvd. in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles – where else but LA?
- Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis, Kristine Schomaker, Cheryl Henderson, and Lauren Mendelsohn-Bass
