Gary Baseman's 'Off the Menu' at Johnie's Coffee Shop Displaces Mutual Aid Group

Gary Baseman hosted a pop-up exhibition titled 'Off the Menu' at the long-shuttered Johnie's Coffee Shop in Los Angeles, coinciding with the opening of the Wilshire/La Cienega subway stop. The show features drawings Baseman made on restaurant menus across LA, depicting diners, his animal creatures, and Hollywood figures. The exhibition celebrates LA dining culture, with venues like Canter's, Musso & Frank, and Genghis Cohen prominently represented. However, the show displaced the Community Solidarity Project (CSP), a mutual aid group that had used Johnie's since 2016 for organizing and distributing aid. CSP was also previously evicted from the adjacent 99 Cents Only store for a punk rock art show during Frieze Week. The group is now seeking a new space. The irony of displacing a mutual aid organization for art events has drawn criticism, with questions about prioritizing art over community needs.