Pacific Palisades resident Katie Bergin was honored for her service to the arts at Cornerstone Theater Company’s 10th annual Bridge Awards dinner on March 16. Bergin and her partner, Aaron Paley, co-founders of Community Arts Resources (CARS), were among three honorees selected by the theater group to be recognized at the event, held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Cornerstone, named a top 100 charity by Worth magazine, has commissioned more than 50 playwrights, produced more than 75 new works, and trained thousands of students across the country.’For 24 years, Cornerstone has been transforming lives and building bridges between diverse communities through theater. Since founding CARS in 1988, Bergin and Paley have used the arts to bring communities together. Besides designing and overseeing cultural events and initiatives such as festivals, art tours, concert series, educational programs and rehabilitation of urban landmarks for public use, CARS consults with city governments and private developers on the uses of public space.’ CARS has designed festivals and other events for the Getty Museum, the City of Santa Monica, Disney Theme Parks and the California Endowment.’Most recently, acting under the direction of the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, CARS produced 19 events in nine days during the Festival Guadalajara, an international book fair at which Los Angeles was selected as the guest of honor.’The festival, held annually in Mexico, hosted some 600,000 visitors. Bergin is producing the Santa Monica Festival on Saturday, May 8. She and her husband, John Mankiewicz, are longtime Palisades residents, along with their children, Molly and Jack.
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