A Cheat Sheet To Tonight's Venice Art Crawl

Maybe you're banking on another gathering of friends/coworkers at some bar with enormous, colorful drinks out of, boredom, laziness, or if you're religious, to observe our favorite weekly holiday, Thirsty Thursday, tonight. But we suggest you save that sugary cocktail and bitchin' hangover for tomorrow night and explore a less tequila-infused alternative with tonight's Venice Art Crawl.

If you're ready for a little slice of culture before the weekend, head to Dogtown tonight, where the surfer/vegan/hippie-crunchy heaven hosts their monthly art event.  There you'll awaken your inner art aficionado and rub elbows with the artsy inhabitants of Venice. The smattering of events start at around 6PM tonight and go til around 12PM. We suggest you wander around the art galleries scattered down Pacific Avenue and have a look at the artwork while you sneakily help yourself to that third glass of chardonnay. Everything tastes better when its free, right? Not wanting to be left out of the action, ultra-hip restaurant, James' Beach is hosting art installations by Mare Costello and Isabelle Alford-Lago, while DJ Ramesh spins tunes.

If you're still having a hard time grasping all of this, or convincing your friends to go, think of it as a pub crawl...except with art. And don't worry, there will be plenty of free wine involved.

Here are our must-see picks for tonight's Venice Art Crawl:

Dogtown Artists United Where: Gallery 811 Why: Shepard Fairey is installing a special mural just for tonight. We suggest you head down there to be one of the first to see it. [Details]

MOMENTUM X Venice Art Crawl Where: Venice Beach House Why: A cool mix of artist installations and live music to keep your energy going for all those wine coolers. [Details]

Brian Mylius Art Show Where: 20 Westminster Ave Why: Check out the artwork at this hip gallery to channel your inner creativity. [Details]

More more info on Venice Art Crawl tonight, check out descriptions of events here.

[All photos via]