Van Nuys Arts Festival

On September 28th, Councilwoman Nury Martinez presents the second annual Van Nuys Arts Festival (#VNAF2018). This festival began in 2017 under the direction of Martinez who conceived the event as “a place to showcase the incredible talents and skills of local residents who are contributing to the Valley’s rich culture.”

VNAF 2018 envisions the Van Nuys Civic Center as an outdoor virtual forest. Participants will experience the Van Nuys Civic Center in new ways as they interact with art installations, live music, a 3D dance party, live-mixed projection mappings, and so much more. This event showcases the talents of a diverse group of local community partners and vendors and is designed as a celebration of the creative arts in Van Nuys. A variety of food trucks will be on hand to satisfy participant’s cravings, and the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild provides a thirst-quenching beer garden.

VNAF is delighted to partner with a number of institutions, including The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which will offer art making workshops and a 3D Instagram photo booth. This booth serves as a satellite of their current exhibition, 3D Double Vision, which showcases the history of 3D vision from the 1830’s to today. Discovery Cube’s “Animal Tracks” footprint workshop is a fun and educational pop-up for younger audiences that highlights local animal footprints as participants create animal track stamps.

Event goers will encounter an eclectic variety of artists, performances, and installations throughout the virtual forest. The collective 818 Arts will light up the night with artist Spencer Sterling’s live, immersive projection mapping. Acclaimed artist Christine Marie will host a 3D dance party. G818er’s will host a graffiti art battle and block party. At the center of it all, the Civic Center will transform into a virtual forest through interactive light and mist installations.

VNAF 2018 will also play host to a wide variety of talented musicians. Start your night with Los Cambalache’s contemporary take on traditional Son Jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico. NOVALA follows, contributing high energy West African and Latino rhythms. The evening is headlined by the socially conscious Hip Hop of Maya Jupiter, whose music creates a vibrant and uplifting atmosphere. Lesser Pieces bring us into the night with electronic music and Van Nuys own Cutty Flam will close out the set. In addition to the main stage, a range of local DJs and students from CHAMPS Charter School and Van Nuys High School will perform on the side stage.

This program is supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and produced by Dyson & Womack.

This event is free and suitable for all ages. For FREE tickets and more information, visit vnaf2018.eventbright.com

Van Nuys Civic is located along the Orange Line bus 233.