A news release from the Venice-based, Los Angeles literary arts center Beyond Baroque says the organization is "nearing completion" in its nine-month effort to nail down that dollar-a-year, quarter-century lease approved in late February by the City Council.

Good news indeed, but perhaps better than that was the announcement of a sizable financial contribution, coincidentally in the same amount as the organization's reported cost of maintenance for one year:

To mark the launch of the 40th Anniversary Campaign, [Beyond Baroque President Fred] Dewey announced a $20,000 donation from a major LA artist living in Venice who, though preferring anononymity, began in the underground and is very sympathetic to the institution’s spirit. He joins internationally celebrated donors to Beyond Baroque Ed Ruscha, Mike Kelley, and others.

While other non-profit groups, including National Public Radio, have recently bemoaned devastating drops in donations and sponsorships, Beyond Baroque once again demonstrates its ability to beat the count and remain in the fight.

Also in the release, Beyond Baroque announced the names (brief bios included) of newly installed members of its board of trustees. I couldn't find the news release on the Beyond Baroque Web site, so I posted a copy of what Dewey emailed this week. It's at this link.

— TJ Sullivan