Welcome to
The Venice Flying Carousel

Join us in building a bicycle propelled, Venice themed, full scale merry-go-round & other bike machines for Centennial Park

About Us

Venice

Venice has a colorful history of fascinating people, wild amusements & wonderful carousels.  Join the Venice Chamber of Commerce, lead artist Robin Murez, whose Venice Public Art you see around town, the City of L.A., Venice High School, and the community in bringing back a delightful part of Abbot Kinney's fantastic vision. 

Flying

You'll soar through the air on Venice's next iconic amusement ride.  Hop on the camel, the rocket ship or other carousel creatures and enjoy fascinating stories of Venice's people and places. Ingenious additional bike powered machines will serve up food, art, and who knows what.  It's all powered by fun, bicycles, and the sun, for visitors of all ages.

Carousel

We need your support to make it happen.  The carousel is projected to open in 2020.  It will cost $200,000. Donations are tax deductible. Once built, all proceeds will benefit Venice charities... and will be a wildly fun attraction for all to enjoy! Similar carousels in other cities raise $60,000/year.  Let's do it!


 

Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

Subscribe

Contact Us

Sponsor - Donate - Participate

Become a part of this wonderful project. There are many ways to join in, including:  adopting a carousel creature, building the Gazebo, painting, carving or sending a contribution.   We're also hosting kids art classes, a SPY public art landscaping project and bike machine building workshops. Join in.  HELP BUILD THE CAROUSEL, today!

Venice Flying Carousel

Mail: c/o Venice Chamber, PO Box 202. Venice CA 90294 Studio: on Broadway Ave just North of Abbot Kinney Blvd. email: info@veniceflyingcarousel.com

(310) 709-7826

Press

We're in the news!

Click here for the Venice Living Cover Story

I'm interviewed about my Venice Public Art & More

Click here for the Argonaut Comic Strip interview

Click here for the Yo Venice video
Click here for the Atlas Obscura video
Click here for the Lincoln and Rose article

Click here for Yo Venice article

Click here for Before They Go article


OUR FIRST SPONSORS - THANK YOU! 

THE VENICE PLACE PROJECT  . 

ARUP . THE BIKE SHOP . VENICE METAL WORX . KNOCK KNOCK

Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

CAROUSEL ART WORKSHOPS

CAROUSEL ARTS

WOOD CARVING

Adults are invited to come learn & carve for the carousel.   Flexible hours. No experience needed.  Supplies provided. We'll help you to design, sketch, make a clay maquette and we'll teach you to carve wood the old fashioned way.   From small carousel decorations to "jester heads" and beyond!  

Contact Robin at:  info@veniceflyingcarousel.com


CAROUSEL ARTISTS

Our carousel painters & carvers include:  Ara Bevacqua, Lealani Ranch Dawes,  Mary Beth Fama, Linda Fenster, Francisco Letalier, Gayle Lewis,  Andrea Tansher, Tommy Santee, Leonardo Ibáñez Valenzuela & Robin Murez.  Join us?  Contact info@veniceflyingcarousel.com


SPY: EARTH & ART PROJECT

We partnered with Safe Place for Youth, SPY, to spruce up landscaping, install sculptures and help in public art planning for Centennial Park.  LA Department of Rec & Parks is maintaining it from here, but Neighbors are invited to join in! It's a wonderful education and employment program for the youth and it's making a huge, wonderful difference for the Park! 

BIKE MACHINE WORKSHOPS

100 Engineering Design students from Venice High School's STEMM Magnet are conjuring up wild and wonderful bike powered machines. We'll select several designs to fabricate in our studio for installation in Centennial Park.  Join in.  Help out.  Mentors, fabricators, creatives & assistants invited.  Contact us for more info.

Subscribe

Donations & Sponsorships

BRASS RING SPONSORS

You are the foundation creating Venice's next, forever, iconic wonder! Brass Ring Sponsors will be prominently recognized on site, forever, and listed in all Carousel project media.

Gazebo Sponsor

$50,000*

Or in kind.

Our charming 40 foot diameter octagonal roof structure will attract excitement in the community and visitors to Venice.  It will bring Centennial Park to life and be charished and photographed by all. Your sponsorship - or in kind donation - will build our iconic Gazebo roof structure.  If you build it - they will come!  

* ARUP will contribute engineering expertise - THANK YOU, ARUP!

Carousel Mechanism Sponsor

$35,000

The great grandson of Venice's original carousel builder, Dentzel, will build our new carousel mechanism.  Your sponsorship will underwrite the costs of materials, fabrication and installation.   We need YOU to make us fly! 

Carousel Studio Sponsor

SOLD

Venice Place Project is generously providing us with the perfect work space to carve, paint, and host workshops for the whole Venice community. THANK YOU Dan Abrams!  

Carousel Fencing Sponsor

$10,000

Partially sold - $10,000 balance

Venice Metal Works will fabricate our steel enclosure at cost.  THANK YOU Jon Grauman! Your sponsorship will underwrite the costs of materials, labor and installation.  It will be a beautiful, steel enclosure that lets viewers admire the carousel 24/7, while protecting it from harm.  Make us safe and beautiful!  

FLYING HIGH SPONSORS

Can you hear the laughter? Imagine the thrills. High Flying Sponsors will be recognized on site, forever, and in Carousel media.

Adopt a Carousel Creature

$3,000 -10,000

YOU choose the creature:  Camel?  Ostrich? Grunion? or maybe a Rocket Ship or Guitar?  Our carousel creatures will bring out colorful stories of Venice.  


And YOU personalize it:  have a pet? a hobby? We might carve your dog straddling the saddle and your camera around it's neck.  


And YOU name the creature:  The name will be mounted on the carousel, above your creature's head, for all to enjoy. Be the LOVE!  



Pedal Power Sponsor

$5,000

partially sold - $5,000 balance

Pedal power, by even a 10 year old kid, will make our carousel go 'round. Your sponsorship, together with The Bike Shop's sponsorship and ingenuity, will underwrite the engineering design,  materials and fabrication of our Bike Linkage.  THANK YOU Andrew & The Bike Shop!  Pedal power rules!

Solar Sound & Light System

$8,000

Or in kind

The sun will power our twinkling night lights and digital sound system.  Your sponsorship - or in kind donation - will fund the solar system.  Enchant us!

STORY TELLER SPONSORS

Our imagery tells fascinating and fun tales. Our alternative energy machines inspire visitors to create their own. All Story Teller Sponsors will be recognized on site and in Carousel media.

Jester Sponsors

$3,000

Carousels have expressive, carved gargoyle-like Jester Heads.  They might be portraits of notable people (like Mr. Kinney, himself) or other members of the Venice community (like your dog or a hummingbird donning their favorite hat). Choose from our designs or collaborate with our artists.  

Wild & Wonderful Bike Machine Sponsors

$1,000

Students from Venice High School are dreaming up wild and wonderful machines utilizing pedal power.  We'll install several bike machines in the park together with the carousel.  Sponsor now and be a you'll be invited to participate in bike machine design & fabrication.  Pedal power in the park!

The Decorators

$200 - $1,000

Sparkling Mirrors, Painted & Carved Rounding Boards, Story Panels & more decorative elements make a carousel special.  Choose from our designs and contribute your ideas to our  artists' renderings. Make us sparkle!


DONORS & PARTICIPANTS

We need you!

Donors

$1 - $100

"It takes a village" to build a carousel in a public park in Venice.  Your donation of any amount will help make it happen.  Please pitch in - you'll be making magical carousel and bike machine memories for all! 

Participants

your creativity

Are you an artist? builder? media savvy marketer? story teller? parent or child? or other person who can participate in making the Venice Flying Carousel and wacky Bike Machines?  Contact us - we'd love to have you join in, today!

Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

NEWS FROM THE OSTRICH