Squares v. Beats at the Venice Heritage Museum

Compton has a museum, and now Venice does too. The Venice Heritage Museum opened this March on Main Street. Admission is free, and the location draws foot traffic, still a rare distinction for an L.A. museum. 

VHM's mission is to chronicle an ever-changing community that began as a Venice, Italy-themed amusement park complete with canals and gondoliers; evolved into an ethnically diverse counter-culture capital; and then into the high-Gini index co-residence of some of L.A.'s most and least privileged. Venice is a funhouse mirror version of modern America.

Witness a 1959 Life magazine story, "Squaresville U.S.A. vs. Beatsville." As a prank, three Hutchinson, Kansas, teens wrote a letter inviting West Coast beatniks to visit their burg. The beats accepted, leading to an uproar in which Kansas cops vowed to arrest any beatniks who showed up. "All we did was send a letter," explained Kansas mean girl Luetta Peters. "We know beatniks aren't good, but we thought they just dressed sloppy and talked funny. Now we know that they get married without licenses and things like that."

1959 Life magazine photo: "In beat home, Richer and wife discuss art philosophy with sprawling cohort, George Herms"

This incident was the pretext for a Life photo feature comparing life in the two communities that never actually met. California Assemblage artist George Herms turns up in one photo. Colleague Arthur Richer is quoted: "I am called to the frontier of so-called civilization, as bizarre as it is. I must find chaos. My expression drives me."

The Venice Heritage Museum's inaugural installation, "This Is Some Place," was curated by Anthony Carfello and runs through fall 2024. The museum is at 228 Main St. and is open Thur.-Sun, 11 AM to 5 PM.

Larry Bell, interview for the Venice Heritage Museum's Oral History Project

VHM's Oral History Project is recording interviews with notable cultural figures, spanning surfing, civil rights, architecture, punk, real estate, LGBT+, filmmaking, architecture, skateboarding, etc., etc. One room shows a selection of videos, currently including artist Larry Bell on the Venice Cool School.

Venice artifacts: a retro bathing suit worn by vaudeville performer Towyna Thomas in the 1920s or 1930s; an aluminum capital head for the Venice Colonades by Felix Achilles Peano, early 1900s

Flag for the Venice Peace and Freedom Party

Photograph of John Cox, reprinted from the original. Venice Heritage Museum Elayne Alexander/Kinney Family Collection

Like Coney Island, Venice was a freaks-and-geeks show. John Cox was a daredevil who wore this suit, soaked in kerosene. A shot of the pistol ignited it; Cox dove into a pool to save his life.