Arts Pavilion
at the Central Avenue Jazz Festival
A Decade of Visual Arts on Central Avenue
What began as a promise — to preserve the legacy of the Central Avenue Jazz Festival and to build a strong artist community — has grown into one of the most recognized features of one of Los Angeles's longest-running cultural events.
Since its launch in July 2014, Arts Pavilion has operated as a curated visual arts platform embedded within the Central Avenue Jazz Festival, transforming the festival grounds into a multidisciplinary cultural space where music and visual storytelling intersect. The program is produced annually by La Mancha Gallery under the direction of founder and curator Omar Holguin.
Over eleven years, the pavilion has expanded from a 60 × 30 ft inaugural tent to a half-block-long structure measuring 120 × 60 ft — a physical testament to the program's growth, community trust, and institutional significance. More than one hundred artists have been featured, engaging thousands of festival visitors in direct dialogue about their work and creative practice.
Arts Pavilion stands today as a durable civic institution: a bridge between Los Angeles visual artists and the diverse communities who gather annually to celebrate the cultural heritage of Central Avenue.
Key Facts
La Mancha Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
From a Single Tent to Half a City Block
Arts Pavilion was built on a foundation of community trust and artistic conviction. In the months leading up to the inaugural 2014 edition, La Mancha Gallery canvassed the surrounding area — attending local art exhibitions, following word-of-mouth leads, and reaching out directly to established artists. Early anchors such as Mohammed Mubarak, Enoch Mack, and Kevin T. Williams were instrumental in recommending fellow artists and lending credibility to the new program.
Arts Pavilion launches with a 60 × 30 ft tent and 14 participating artists. The exhibition establishes a curated visual arts component inside the festival for the first time, drawing on both established Los Angeles artists and emerging local voices.
Arts Pavilion becomes a consistent annual feature of the festival. The program expands its artist roster each year, incorporating painters, photographers, sculptors, and mixed media artists from across Los Angeles and beyond.
Each year, Arts Pavilion extends an invitation to an international artist, broadening the cultural dialogue within the festival and connecting Los Angeles audiences with global creative perspectives.
The pavilion has grown to span half a city block, accommodating a significantly expanded roster of artists and serving as one of the most recognized features of the Central Avenue Jazz Festival. The program has provided exhibition opportunities for more than one hundred artists over its decade-long history.
Arts Pavilion has received multiple recognitions from cities across the Los Angeles region. La Mancha Gallery has become a long-term cultural partner of the festival, sharing the grounds with CD9 District, Councilman Curren D. Price Jr., and a constellation of civic and cultural organizations.
Arts Pavilion at the 19th Central Avenue Jazz Festival — 2014
The inaugural edition brought together fourteen artists working across painting, photography, mixed media, and sculpture — a deliberate cross-section of established Los Angeles figures and emerging voices united by a commitment to cultural storytelling.
A visual artist with a passion for painting, Mia Watson holds an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Art from California State University, Long Beach. Her work centers on portraits of African American icons and celebrities, bringing a vibrant, celebratory energy to her subjects. She later joined Loyola Marymount University as Director of the Academic Resource Center.
A self-taught artist from Los Angeles whose talent was evident from elementary school, Neneki McGee has built an international following through his extraordinary ability to render life-like portraits on canvas, clothing, murals, and more. His work has appeared on television, in galleries, and in museums. He has painted live on KTLA Morning News, designed sets for ABC's Black-ish, and was selected from over 5,000 national participants for the Russell and Danny Simmons/Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Philippe Previl studied fine arts and painting at the Cooper Union and the Rhode Island School of Design. His work is deeply informed by the social realist tradition, drawing influence from painters such as George Bellows and Will Barnet. He works as a freelance painter and graphic artist.
Born and raised in California, Carlos Chavez moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and earned his MFA from California State University, Los Angeles in 2015. Rooted in a tradition of graffiti and public art, he has developed a practice as a muralist and studio artist whose work has been exhibited in galleries throughout California.
A multidisciplinary artist and musician who grew up in Watts, California, Kevin T. Williams brings five decades of immersion in American and world music to his visual practice. His paintings focus on the human form and portraiture, with a particular emphasis on the expressive power of the eyes. As he has said: "If eyes are the windows to the soul, I want the eyes in my paintings to be the windows to your soul as well."
Also known as Anthony Quisenberry, Mohammed Mubarak began painting in 1970 without formal training and has developed into a formidable portrait artist. He has been commissioned by cultural luminaries including Redd Foxx, Rev. Ike, and Stevie Wonder — for whom he designed the cover of the album Hotter Than July. His portrait of President Barack Obama, titled 44th, stands as one of his most celebrated works.
An artist, scholar, and former high school art teacher in South Central Los Angeles, Luis Genaro Garcia draws on the frameworks of Critical Pedagogy and Critical Race Theory to create work that challenges social and political barriers in communities of color. Influenced by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros and printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, his paintings reflect the lived experiences of marginalized communities. He serves as an Assistant Professor of Art Education at California State University, Sacramento.
Rachel Johnson works primarily in acrylics, producing work that explores the African American experience alongside bold abstract compositions. Her practice moves fluidly between figuration and abstraction, grounding personal and cultural narrative in dynamic visual form.
Ignacio Gonzalez is a photographer whose lens gravitates toward the richness of travel, human connection, and the luminous interplay of color and vibrancy. His images celebrate the diversity of human experience across geographies and cultures.
Donald Frazell approaches painting as music — structured by melody, harmony, rhythm, and flow. Working in oils, prints, and photography, he creates work that aspires to the condition of a visual psalm: purposeful, energetic, and deeply rooted in a philosophy that art must have meaning and movement, or it is merely noise.
Joseph Diaz works in acrylics with a focus on everyday people — ordinary lives rendered with warmth, dignity, and attention. His paintings affirm the beauty and complexity inherent in the human experience of daily life.
A graduate of the Pratt Institute of Art in New York City, Buena Johnson's work is rooted in positive and uplifting affirmations. Her practice addresses racial healing, social justice, and America's unresolved history — exemplified by her powerful I AM series. Her distinguished collector base includes Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, Arianna Huffington, Dick Van Dyke, and Queen Latifah. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Club of New York and the International Colored Pencil Society Award. Her work is held in The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection at the Smithsonian, the Getty Collection, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.
Nora Molina works primarily in oils, with a portraiture practice distinguished by a remarkable fidelity to the human face. Her canvases demonstrate an uncanny capacity for likeness, capturing not only the physical features of her subjects but the presence and interiority behind them.
Enoch Mack creates bold abstract paintings defined by patterns of lines and circles rendered in contrasting colors across angular, geometric canvases. His work is kinetic and commanding — a visual language that speaks in pure form, rhythm, and chromatic energy.
Building Bridges Between Art, History, and Community
Over eleven years, Arts Pavilion has grown into far more than an exhibition program. It has become a civic institution — a gathering point for artists, collectors, educators, and community members united by a shared investment in the cultural life of Los Angeles.
Legacy Preservation
Central Avenue carried a singular importance in twentieth-century Los Angeles as the heart of African American cultural life — home to jazz clubs, theaters, and community institutions that shaped the city's artistic identity. Arts Pavilion actively contributes to the preservation of this legacy, presenting artists whose work reflects community stories, cultural memory, and contemporary identity. The program reinforces the living connection between visual arts and the historic jazz corridor.
Community Access
By situating original artwork inside a free, open public festival environment, Arts Pavilion removes the barriers that often accompany traditional gallery spaces. Visitors of all backgrounds — from South Los Angeles residents to regional art collectors — encounter artists in a welcoming, accessible setting. The pavilion functions as a democratic cultural space: art without gatekeeping.
Artist Support & Development
The pavilion provides artists with direct exposure to thousands of visitors annually. Through face-to-face dialogue about their work and creative process, many artists have developed new collectors, collaborative relationships, and professional opportunities. The program serves as a launchpad — connecting artists to audiences who may never have encountered their work in a conventional gallery setting.
Creative Ecosystem
Arts Pavilion has strengthened collaboration across a broad creative ecosystem — connecting artists, musicians, community organizers, educators, and cultural institutions. The program's presence within the festival has positioned La Mancha Gallery as a long-term civic partner and contributed to a broader cultural infrastructure that celebrates the heritage and ongoing vitality of Los Angeles communities.
A Coalition of Civic and Cultural Institutions
Arts Pavilion shares the festival grounds with a distinguished coalition of civic leaders, nonprofit organizations, and cultural institutions — reflecting the program's deep integration into the fabric of Los Angeles public life.
Councilman Curren D. Price Jr.
La Mancha Gallery
La Mancha Gallery is an independent cultural platform founded in 2006 by curator Omar Holguin in Los Angeles. For nearly two decades, the organization has produced exhibitions, public art initiatives, artist collaborations, and community cultural programs across the city — with a consistent focus on expanding access to art and amplifying underrepresented voices.
The gallery operates across traditional and alternative venues, including historic cultural spaces, community locations, and major public events. La Mancha Gallery has received recognition from the Mexican Embassy, the Central Avenue Jazz Festival, and multiple Los Angeles area cities for its cultural programming and community impact.
Through Arts Pavilion, La Mancha Gallery has established itself as a long-term civic partner within the Central Avenue Jazz Festival — one of the city's most enduring cultural institutions.
Partner with Arts Pavilion
Join a growing coalition of civic leaders, cultural institutions, and community partners supporting one of Los Angeles's most enduring public art programs.
