On Jan. 13, The G2 Gallery and Venice Arts will present 224 Miles, a community-driven exhibit featuring work created by Venice Arts Students Leocadio Martinez, Zinnia Moreno, Chelsea Ramirez and Mark Tomilin during their educational trip to the Grand Canyon.
The artwork on display in 224 Miles is the result of Venice Arts' Young Explorers Campaign, which, in conjunction with Grand Canyon Youth, sent four students on a 12-day trip full of hiking and rafting in the Grand Canyon. The students also studied a variety of topics, from geology to Native American affairs, taking inspiration from their surroundings and creating the art featured in the exhibit.
224 Miles marks the first collaboration between the two Venice community staples, and will be one of the few exhibitions held by G2 to feature mixed media artwork. Sculpture, drawings, painting and photographs will all be included in the show, with 100% of the sales going to fund Venice Arts students on the same trip in 2015. The title comes from the length of the trip.
Photographer Jasmine Swope's trip to the Grand Canyon in 2012 led her to start the program and inspired her — and the three other photographers involved — to have a benefit exhibition at Venice Arts to share their experience with the students there.
"Going down the Grand Canyon was a profound and lasting experience for me," says Swope. "I'm so happy that these kids had just as remarkable an experience. That's exactly what we envisioned when we started the program."
The opening reception for 224 Miles, along with Nature LA: Cheryl Medow and Nature OC: Tom Lamb, will be held on Jan. 17 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and includes wine, hors d'oeuvres and complimentary valet in front of the gallery. All proceeds from admissions will be donated to Venice Arts to fund their 2015 Young Explorers Campaign. RSVP to rsvp@theg2gallery.com.
