Josh Madson’s public art initiative, Community Collage, has significantly expanded its footprint from its Midwestern origins into a major Los Angeles-focused civic art campaign. Originally established in Minnesota following his post-pandemic relocation, Madson has returned to his former professional home base of Los Angeles to transform the project into a national non-profit public art initiative.
Founded by photographer and visual artist Josh Madson in 2023, Community Collage has quickly grown into a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit public art movement centered around a simple but powerful belief: every person deserves to be seen. Born out of a desire to showcase the cultural harmony of local communities, the initiative strips away the traditional elitism of portrait photography. Madson introduces an ultra-rapid, inclusive methodology: individuals from all walks of life, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds step into an immersive pop-up studio for a brief, 2-minute photoshoot.
By utilizing a classic black-and-white portrait style, the project removes distractions. This specific visual choice intentionally forces the viewer to focus strictly on the raw emotion, genuine smile, and authentic expressions; the soul behind the face. Guests instantly select and receive their first two digital portraits onsite, free of charge. The ultimate goal of the project goes far beyond individual imagery; these individual snapshots are assembled into massive, floor-to-ceiling public art installations and large-scale murals in prominent community spaces. Inside these galleries, participants and viewers alike are met with a profound sense of shared joy, visibility, and collective pride, creating a powerful visual reminder of connection and belonging that reflects the shared humanity of a community.
As the project evolved from a regional gallery showcase into a sweeping national movement, Madson began expanding the work into public advocacy, capturing the attention of prominent civic leaders across California who have witnessed the project firsthand. Fiona Ma, Treasurer for the State of California, noted, “Community Collage is an uplifting project that brings people from all walks of life together. The energy, enthusiasm and optimism it brings to Los Angeles is inspiring. It was exhilarating to be photographed by Josh, and I loved watching as others had their portraits taken. This project brings positive visibility to individuals and communities, and I am excited to see it expand across the city and beyond.”
California State Treasurer Fiona Ma
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell reflected on the deep civic value of the initiative, sharing, “How wonderful to be part of this pictorial history of Los Angeles.” Her words highlight how the project functions as a living archive, preserving the faces and stories of modern Angelenos as the movement takes root across the county.
LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
Similarly, Santa Monica Councilmember Lana Negrete praised Madson’s gift, stating, “He doesn't just take photographs. He captures the spirit of a person and the heart of a community. In just a few moments, he breaks down barriers and finds the genuine smile, the authentic expression, the soul behind the face. His Community Collage transforms thousands of individual moments into one powerful work of art that reflects the diversity, connection, and humanity of our community. I'm incredibly grateful to have met Josh and to have watched him preserve Santa Monica, one face at a time.”
Santa Monica Councilmember Lana Negrete
To date, Community Collage has photographed nearly 16,000 participants across the country. Partnering with nationally recognized organizations, universities, and cities, the project continues to make its mark, transforming public walls into immense mirrors of human connection and belonging one snapshot at a time.
A foundational milestone in this shift toward public advocacy takes place on July 29, 2026, when Madson takes the TEDxFargo stage to share the story and impact behind Community Collage’s growing national movement and mission. The TEDx event serves as a symbolic bridge in Madson’s own career connecting his deep Midwestern roots with a massive, high-profile strategic expansion across the country. Moving fluidly between physical spaces and cinematic storytelling, Madson’s team captured this explosive multi-city momentum in an official 30-minute documentary short, Community Collage: The Bright Side of Community, while actively scaling toward a feature-length film release across the international festival circuits.
The project’s initial chapter was defined by a rapid evolution from grassroots connection to institution-backed permanence. The inaugural campaign launched in Mankato, Minnesota between September and November of 2023, gathering over 800 portraits for an immersive floor-to-ceiling installation at the Coffee Hag before migrating to the Carnegie Art Center. Fueled by this early civic excitement, Madson scaled the initiative across diverse regional institutions throughout early 2024. This growth included an experimental live-to-Jumbotron photoshoot at an MSU Mavericks hockey game alongside dense pop-ups for local universities and children's museums. By the spring of 2024, the project transitioned heavily into healthcare environments, culminating in "The Faces Within Our Walls"—a permanent portrait installation across major Mayo Clinic Health System hubs in Mankato, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. This foundational regional footprint ultimately swelled past 5,000 participants by autumn, anchored by a massive 50th Anniversary exhibition sponsored by the Mankato Area Foundation at the Madison East Center, just as the project's documentary short made its world premiere at the Twin Cities Film Festival.
Recognizing the universal nature of the project's philosophy, Madson shifted his focus to the West Coast in 2025, expanding through major civic collaborations across Southern California. The year began in March with Madson coupling ongoing public library and university screening tours with a specialized expansion project at the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Florida. This momentum carried into the spring with a prominent activation at the annual AAPI LA Market at Smorgasburg, directly preceding a massive activation at the Mayo Clinic headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota, where the initiative photographed 2,000 staff members, including CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, who personally requested to participate in the movement. By June, the project officially established its new strategic frontier with a high-profile Los Angeles Immersive Pop-Up Portraiture and VIP Launch Event. The initiative capped off its breakout year on the coast by firmly solidifying its civic role, serving as a primary cultural fixture during the iconic Gloria Molina Grand Park New Year's Eve Countdown.
By 2026, the project cemented its status as a vital civic collaborator, choosing the coastal city of Santa Monica as its primary Southern California anchor while continuing to branch out across the state. In the spring, activations rippled through metropolitan philanthropic and commercial circles and the Indivisible Arts State of the Arts Annual Gala in Hermosa Beach. June marked the start of a dense, hyper-local campaign that swept through Santa Monica's public spaces, capturing portrait pop-ups during Pride on the Promenade, Juneteenth at Reed Park, and the Annenberg Community Beach House Route 66 Sunset Picnic. This municipal partnership matured further in July, with the pop-up studio integrating directly into the City of Santa Monica's Official FIFA Coast Event and the annual State of the City address. Mid-month, the project expanded its regional LA County footprint to Chatsworth, capturing residents at LA County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath and Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo's Third Annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway.
California State Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo
In late July, Madson briefly returned to the Upper Midwest to deliver his landmark TEDxFargo address and photograph regional university campuses, before immediately heading back to California to embed the collage into public safety efforts at Santa Monica's National Night Out in August.
Beyond his civic leadership with Community Collage, Josh Madson is a dynamic and prolific commercial photographer, director, and Director of Photography (DP) operating internationally out of primary creative hubs in Los Angeles, New York City, and Tokyo. Born and raised in Minnesota, Madson originally relocated to Los Angeles in 2005 to establish his West Coast footprint. Following a temporary return to his home state to be near family where he established a secondary creative base in Mankato. He has successfully leveraged his dual-coastal ties to scale his public arts initiatives nationwide.
Throughout his career, Madson has directed high-profile motion campaigns for premium beauty and lifestyle brands including OPI, Goop, Beautycounter, and Murad. His commercial portfolio spans a diverse roster of top-tier global enterprises and major editorial publications, including L’Oréal, NYX, Ipsy, Procter & Gamble, Coty, Clairol, Bank of America, Nike, Macy's, Target, Hitachi, MAC, Vogue Girl, Elle, Self, Esquire, and InStyle.
Watch the Projects Origin Story
Josh’s Links:
www.instagram.com/instajoshmadson
www.facebook.com/JoshMadsonPhoto
Josh’s Production Company:
Katie Chin
Matthew Jonas
Iva Chen
Joel Goldman
Ann Fee
Dennis Dotson
Tom Lentz
