Partner Spotlight: LA Commons
The Festival Trail partners closely with LA Commons, a public arts nonprofit that has spent 25 years amplifying the voices and stories of underserved Los Angeles neighborhoods through arts and cultural expression. In this interview, founder and executive director Karen Mack reflects on what drew her to the Festival Trail and how the partnership with LA Commons will build social infrastructure to connect, heal, and empower Los Angeles communities ahead of 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and for long after.
Karen Mack, 2025 Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks kick-off. Photo courtesy of LA Commons
How did LA Commons first get involved with the Festival Trail? What drew you to this initiative?
I have known Eli Lipmen for a long time. We worked on the first official utility box painting project in the City of LA when he was on the Palms Neighborhood Council, and then we served together on the City Commission that sets policy for Neighborhood Councils. He reached out to LA Commons because artistic activation and placekeeping, two of our specialties, are so important in realizing the potential of the hubs along the Festival Trail.
Another main reason I was drawn to this project is that the route of the Festival Trail passes through neighborhoods that we hold deep relationships with: Expo Center, Leimert Park and other parts of South LA. We have been connecting, strengthening and creating art within these communities for many of our 25 years!
When I learned about the Festival Trail, I was drawn to the opportunity to enhance street life and walkability, uplift existing businesses – particularly those that reflect neighborhood identity, and the use of public art as a tool for connection and celebration. Art has a unique way of preserving the history, traditions and cultures found in communities, and the Festival Trail initiative will allow us to highlight these cultural expressions not only locally, but also on a national and global scale given the coming major sports events.
What do you see as the most exciting potential cultural impact of the Festival Trail?
What excites me most about the Festival Trail is the opportunity to share the vibrant stories of our neighborhoods with a global audience, on a global scale. Often, the cultural riches that originate from low-income communities go unrecognized or are misunderstood. The Festival Trail has the potential to bring more visibility to the social currency, effervescent energy and worldwide cultural influence offered by South LA.
In the short term, simply taking advantage of the opportunity for Los Angeles to build deeper connections across its many neighborhoods can have an immediate impact for locals and visitors alike. By highlighting the stories that are often left out of the city’s broader narrative, the Festival Trail can foster a stronger sense of belonging and shared identity.
In the long term, I hope it creates space for community healing, resilience and connection for generations to come. LA Commons also envisions leveraging the transformative power of arts and culture to foster creative recovery from a range of challenges, from those at a personal level to tragedies that affect entire neighborhoods, such as the catastrophic impact of the January 2025 wildfires. Art spaces along the Festival Trail help support local artists who center healing and storytelling to preserve the past and envision the future.
Get Involved!
The Festival Trail is a community-driven initiative. Mark your calendars for the next community charrette, held on September 27th at LA State Historic Park. Details to come.
Sign the Petition to urge LA leaders to endorse the Festival Trail as the spatial legacy for the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games