PBS Features Mesa Arts Center's Jazz From A to Z Program--4th in a Series

The fourth of a four-part series of mini-documentaries about Mesa Arts Center outreach, education and access programs has aired on KAET Eight, Arizona PBS. Each of the mini-documentaries tells the story of a specific community-based program that the Mesa Arts Center has implemented to deepen and expand the value of their resources.

The segment that aired shares the story of the Jazz from A to Z program, a partnership between Mesa Arts Center, Arizona State University Public History, Mesa Public Schools and Jazz at Lincoln Center, which seeks to enliven the teaching of American History by linking it to the history of jazz, and to create a meaningful connection for teachers and students to one of America’s greatest, indigenous cultural resources—jazz.  All four segments that aired earlier can be viewed here.

The first three segments in the four-part series included insights into the content and purpose of the inaugural Mesa Festival of Creativity, held this past March, and the second followed CONTRA-TIEMPO Urban Latin Dance artists during a two-week residency in Mesa, working with schools and community organizations, and rehearsing with elementary school students who were incorporated into their public performance at the Mesa Arts Center.  The third segment shares the journey of community members working with choreographer Elizabeth Johnson to create a dance piece about flight as part of the Mesa Takes Flight Celebration, a multi-part project and festival commemorating the Arizona Centennial. 

These videos provide Valley citizens the opportunity to understand the kinds of impact the Mesa Arts Center’s education and outreach programming is having in the community.  The Mesa Arts Center has a strong commitment to creating broad community ownership of the City’s cultural resources.  The Center’s mission is to inspire people through engaging arts experiences that are diverse, accessible, and relevant.