Los Angeles, CA  — The Village at Westfield Topanga, the San Fernando Valley's new outdoor social and street-retail destination opening in September 2015, is today announcing that its cutting-edge lineup of attractions will include a showcase of art, culture and music to provide an experience unlike any other in the Valley.

The destination will incorporate three newly commissioned works from celebrated local artist Elkpen, permanent art installations from Nova Jiang— an emerging superstar on the international arts scene, an innovative children's art program created by artist and educator Karen Silton of MosiacMorphosis, a unique children's play experience featuring the visually elegant three-dimensional Luckey Climber, all alongside the previously announced top live music acts hosted by on-site radio station, KCSN 88.5 FM.

“Westfield is excited that L.A.'s art community has embraced The Village. These artists are a perfect complement to our retail, restaurant and lifestyle collection of tenants. Each of these particular works of art will tell a story about the San Fernando Valley, its history and culture,” said Larry Green, senior vice president of development, Westfield. 

L.A.-based muralist Elkpen (Christian Kasperkovitz), has become a sensation in the artistic community thanks to her one-of-a-kind creations featured on buildings, buses, beaches and fences throughout the U.S. and Canada. Lauded for creating thoughtful renderings of plant and wildlife, Elkpen has now produced three unforgettable 14 x 48 foot murals to be exhibited adjacent to green pocket parks and the property's meandering, multi-purpose trail along Victory Boulevard between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue. Together, the three murals will reflect upon the rediscovered legacy and untapped civic potential of the nearby Los Angeles River, while also chronicling the San Fernando Valley's evolution into the economic and cultural powerhouse that it is today. Each mural is inspired by a specific key theme: one depicting nature in the Valley before the area was inhabited by early settlers and Native Americans; the second featuring the people and events that have impacted the local community and economy; and the third portraying a synthesis alluding to the Valley's present-day renaissance.

“Westfield's interest in getting behind art that talks about the natural history of the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles River, the change that has happened in their mutual and respective ecologies, and what we might do today as natural citizens is remarkable. It was a great opportunity to be part of this,” said Kasperkovitz.

At the same time, Westfield has partnered with UCLA Arts to launch Art in Public Spaces— a program to support emerging artists that included proposals first submitted in 2014 for a permanent, large-scale art installation for The Village at Westfield Topanga. Of the 40 submissions received, a jury of leading professionals selected a piece entitled “Red Car”, created by 2009 M.F.A. graduate Nova Jiang. Known for creating artwork that encourages the tactile and creative participation of the audience, Jiang is the recipient of numerous fellowships and her work has been featured in exhibits all over the world, including Paris, Tokyo, Seoul and Park City.

Jiang's “Red Car” installation pays homage to the storied Pacific Electric, L.A.'s original mass transit system of the early twentieth century which included the much beloved Red Car trolley that traversed the San Fernando Valley Line until reaching its terminal station located near the current site of The Village at Westfield Topanga. At the same time, Jiang's creation inspires reflection and excitement for the possibilities afforded by the future light rail system once again envisioned for the region.

Slated to debut this September for The Village's Grand Opening, “Red Car” is to be fabricated and installed by Jiang, working in close collaboration with Carlson Arts LLC, within the property's prominent Village Square.

Moreover, The Village will also celebrate each of the art proposals submitted to Westfield and UCLA Arts with a separate exhibit to be featured on property beginning in early 2016.  

Meanwhile, artist and educator Karen Silton of MosiacMorphosis has teamed up with the West Valley Boys & Girls Club for a summer arts program to create mosaic benches that will be placed outside and in front of the new Costco at The Village at Westfield Topanga. Silton, who has been commissioned to create art mosaics for many renowned institutions including The Getty, is known for highly detailed imagery inspired by her love of nature. 

Over 300 children, ages six to sixteen, participated in the program, led by Stilton and long-time LAUSD teacher and Early Childhood Education specialist, Amy Weisberg, who led the children through various lesson plans pertaining to nature and wildlife native to the area. The curriculum also included  background about the Los Angeles River ecosystem, flora and fauna, and the history of the Pacific Electric Red Line. 

Under Silton's design and direction, the children learned how to make their own ceramic tiles as well as how to assemble them and other pre-cut ceramic pieces. These tiles have since been incorporated into cement benches that will be installed on property in the next month. 

The Village at Westfield Topanga will also feature a Luckey Climber—a whimsical, exciting, and safe climbing structure designed for children. The play space, which looks more like a sculpture than a traditional playground, complements the natural surroundings and overall aesthetic of the new property. The unique and imaginative structure will be located on the southern end of the property closest to Erwin Street.  

In addition to these visual art installations, music and live entertainment will be a fabulous draw for guests who visit The Village at Westfield Topanga. Earlier this month, it was announced that radio station KCSN 88.5 FM, a service of California State University, Northridge, will broadcast live from that location seven days a week. Aside from live broadcasts, KCSN will organize two live music concerts every week with renowned artists, Sunday music sessions with local artists, and four seasonal performances with big–name musical artists, all hosted at The Village at Westfield Topanga.

For more information, please visit: http://www.westfield.com/topanga/center-info/development/

About The Village at Westfield Topanga

Opening Fall 2015 across the street from retail powerhouse Westfield Topanga, The Village will be home to many of LA's hottest street retail, restaurants, home furnishings, personal services and celebrity concepts; including Kate Hudson's Fabletics, Karina Smirnoff's Dance Studio, Fred Levine's M. Fredric and celebrity florist Amy Marella's Fleurish.

The open-air Village, landscaped with mature California sycamores, olive trees and native California plants, will also host 15 eateries with exceptional outdoor space for fine alfresco dining, including Tender Greens, XOC Mex Cuisine, Eureka! Gourmet Burgers & Craft Beer, Sushi Katsu-ya and Dana Point's hip, casual Jimmy's Famous American Tavern.

The property will include LA's most exclusive personal services providers such as Juan Juan Salon, Blushington, Skin Laundry, Drybar and the area's largest Burke Williams Day Spa.

The Village at Westfield Topanga further breaks the mold with the introduction of a state-of-the-art Costco, plus outdoor recreational retailer and consumer co-op, REI.

The Village will provide a destination for home furnishing retailers to conveniently serve the San Fernando Valley with Sur La Table, Z Gallerie, Jonathan Adler and Basset Furniture, joining Williams-Sonoma and a flagship Crate & Barrel for the ultimate location for home goods.

The Village will also offer a host of fitness, lifestyle and health options including YogaWorks, Flywheel, Karina Smirnoff Dance Studio, UCLA Health and a 24 Hour Fitness Super-Sport. There's even a Bitter Root Pottery studio that offers members 24/7 access to the pottery studio with weekly instructional classes.

Upon opening, The Village, combined with world-class Westfield Topanga and the adjacent Promenade, will be home to over 300 tenants, with an anticipated 20 million annual visits, generating in excess of $1.3 billion in annual sales, will emerge as one of the top retail districts in the United States.

About The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts)

The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts) plays a vital role in the cultural and artistic life of the campus and the community. One of 11 prestigious professional schools at UCLA, the School offers leading programs in art, architecture and urban design, design and media arts, ethnomusicology, music and world arts and cultures and dance. Our students have unparalleled opportunities to learn from and interact with 100 distinguished faculty who rank among the most innovative artists and architects of our time. A balance of practice and theory, built upon the solid foundation of the liberal arts, assures an understanding of the interdependence between creativity, performance, and research. In educating the whole person, the School strives to motivate and empower its students to serve as cultural leaders of the 21st century.

About Nova Jiang

Nova Jiang (b. 1985, China) creates work that encourages the tactile and creative participation of the audience, resulting in structurally open systems in which joy, disorder and improvisation can thrive. She holds a MFA from the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts. She has had recent exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, Paris; National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung; ICC, Tokyo; Ars Electronica, Linz; Media City Seoul Biennial, Seoul; 01SJ Biennial, San Jose; Sundance New Frontier, Park City among other venues. She is the recipient of Fellowships from Skowhegan, Eyebeam and Wave Hill. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

About Elkpen

Elkpen (Christian Kasperkovitz) is a Los Angeles native and has worked as an artist for more than 20 years. She studied graphic design, received a degree in anthropology from McGill University in Montreal, and while working as a cartographer, grew to love typography. Elkpen's childhood was spent in both rural and urban environments, allowing her to view nature in the city. Her practice involves making visible what is all around us yet not easily seen: our natural world. She does this through a combination of images and text. Motivated by the diversity of the city's ecology, Elkpen's finds Los Angeles to be an important place to begin real engagement to change how people exist within their local natural environment and by extension, the global one.

About Karen Silton

Karen Silton , BA Sociology, UCLA, is a professional artist, educator and community arts activist. Her fine art mosaics are infused with her love of nature and include a wide variety of media such as ceramics, glass and stone. They feature highly detailed imagery and innovative, complex processes. For over fifteen years, she has also been involved in Art Education for kids, adults and seniors. She has initiated and instructed numerous mosaic, ceramic and glass programs for local community art centers, community college extension programs, the Motion Picture Television Fund and Otis College of Art and Design.

About Amy Weisberg

Amy Weisberg has been teaching for 35 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the past 22 years at Topanga Elementary Charter School. During the last 9 years she has taught the Developmental Kindergarten Program, now officially part of the LAUSD Transitional Kindergarten Program, for which she served as a consultant as it was developed within the LAUSD. She has taught Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades and specializes in Early Childhood Education.

About Luckey Climber

Founded by Thomas Luckey in 1985, Luckey LLC is a bespoke design-build firm specializing in creating unique and imaginative climbing structures for children-oriented institutional and commercial clients. A Luckey Climber is a three dimensional sculpture designed for children. Climbers encourage physical activity and aid in developing critical gross motor skills. Climbers also offer the sort of imaginative play experience that is important for intellectual development. Made of bent plywood platforms that are suspended by steel pipes and cables, climbers are visually elegant works of art that are also part jungle gym and once alive with children they become what Thomas Luckey called “fountains of children.”

About KCSN

As a service of California State University, Northridge, KCSN offers a 24-hour, commercial-free blend of rock, Alternative, soul, blues and Americana, including a wide range of artists such as U2, Tom Petty, Jack White, Arcade Fire, The Head and The Heart and Beck. The station's programming also is available on the station's HD1 channel and online at KCSN.org. )