Josh Madson believes in celebrating humanity. Through his photography, both independently and through Community Collage, the nonprofit he founded, the Del Mar resident is reminding everyone that they are part of something bigger than themselves. He is bringing that ethos to Downtown LA on New Year’s Eve, hosting a free portrait experience at Gloria Molina Grand Park’s NYELA celebration.
“I’m not a political activist, but I am a photographer,” Madson said. “I’m an artist, and I wanted to use my skill set to create something and remind people of our ability to create. We’re one of the only creatures in the world, or maybe potentially the universe, that have that ability to have a thought to speak it out loud, take action and then have things show up in real space and real time. I want to remind people that they are important.”
Born and raised in Minnesota before relocating to Los Angeles in 2005, Madson has various home bases. While in LA, he has worked as a photographer and cinematographer for several major brands, helping, for example, direct commercials for L’Oreal. He first created the Community Collage project as a way to showcase the diversity of the Mankato, Minnesota, community. After 800 portraits were shot over three complimentary photo shoots, Madson displayed a collage of his work at the Coffee Hag in September 2023. Two months later, it was displayed at the Carnegie Art Center.
In 2024, following positive community feedback, Madson continued the project through the greater Mankato area. He completed three shots at Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) and two shoots at Minnesota State University Mankato, resulting in a permanent installation at MCHS Mankato called “The Faces Within Our Walls.”
“We’re very emotional creatures,” Madson said. “I would say almost everything we do is driven out of emotion. I wanted to touch on that… and here’s a great way to see themselves as beautiful and unique individuals that comprise the community. If we put them into this larger piece that shows them on equal levels with their counterparts in the community, then how does that change the landscape of the community itself, and how does it change their actions?”
Additional cities have now been added to the project: Jacksonville, Fla., Rochester, Minn., New Ulm, Minn., Minneapolis and La Crosse, Wis., to name a few. In May, Community Collage expanded to LA. It participated in the annual AAPI LA Market held at Smorgasburg LA, bringing its pop-up photo studio experience and offering free, professional portrait sessions. The upcoming New Year’s Eve event is part of its further expansion in Los Angeles and the greater Community Collage effort.
“I want them to feel excited about this upcoming year,” Madson said. “I want them to feel special and beautiful and that their actions do matter. That the way that they treat others and treat themselves is important. I want them to walk into 2026 feeling invigorated and like they’re part of something bigger that has a bit of hope to it.”
The Gloria Molina Grand Park’s NYELA celebration is considered the largest free celebration on the West Coast for New Year’s Eve. From 8 p.m. through the new year, people will come together to welcome 2026, transforming several blocks into interactive art installations, live performances and family-friendly experiences. There will also be various food trucks and snack booths available through the event, from vendors such as Blaskie’s Kitchen, Kyoto Hibachi and The Tropic Truck LLC.
Community Collage will organize its pop-up from 8 p.m. through 12:30 a.m. Madson encourages people to show up early to the celebration to get their professional portrait taken. Everyone feels nervous when they are getting their photo taken — he is there to remind them that they are powerful. Using the project’s custom software, guests will instantly select and receive their first two digital portraits onsite, free of charge.
“We haven’t done a huge event at Gloria Molina Park yet, and I’m really excited to do that,” Madson said. “It’s going to be widely attended, and one of the fun things that we do at our events is broadcast the participants’ images on video networks so that people can see that as they’re being photographed. We are going to be broadcasting their images to the main stage video boards the night of the evening, so people get a chance to see themselves up in the action.”
To date, roughly 13,000 people have participated in the Community Collage project. Its goal is to emphasize that all people, at their roots, are the same, and part of one greater community.
“We’re all human beings,” Madson said. “I’m …genetically (close) as that tree outside your door. So if that’s th=e case, then how different are you or I, or any of us, for that matter? What I really wanted to do was empower people to make them feel special and beautiful, but also remind people that we’re all in this together. We’re part of a bigger community, and when we work together, we can accomplish great things.
Learn more about Community Collage at communitycollage.org.