Mesa Prototyping Festival

Dream | Design | Discover

The Mesa Prototyping Project has been postponed. The rescheduled date will be announced. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

The Mesa Prototyping Project (MPP) asks, “How does a community design itself?” In spring of 2020, we’ll continue the Mesa Prototyping Project with community-engaged design in neighborhoods south and southeast of downtown Mesa.

The Mesa Prototyping Festival on March 21, 2020 will feature 10 temporary installations resulting from neighborhoods identifying their needs and applicants experimenting with creative ways to address them, with the resulting prototypes installed for a one-day community event. The Mesa Prototyping Festival empowers all residents to think about ways to improve the beauty and functionality of their environments. It builds community relationships by connecting neighbors and neighborhoods to each other and to cultural resources, and by offering creative ways for ideas and community opportunities to be explored, expressed and celebrated.

Prototyping: (verb) to create and test an experimental model of a new idea or object.

Use #mesaprototyping when taking and posting photos and videos of you interacting with our prototypes and workshops! Check out our handy info sheet about the event and how to get involved.

Learn more about the initial project, the 2017 Main Street Prototyping Festival, in the final evaluation report.

Artists and Prototypes

hello hola
Justin Azevedo

A friendly neighborhood art installation connecting the Arts Center with nearby neighbors.

Cloudy Sunday Morning
Tim Boyle

A shade structure with solar panels that respond to neighbors with shade, sun, or light depending on the time of day.

Pause and Play 3.0
Milagros Zingoni

An installation that represents the community’s ideas around the concept of play.

Canal Eleven
Tanner Christensen

A creative space that slows traffic and encourages gathering near Mesa Urban Garden for events and everyday use.

Piecing Together Mesa
Chrystal McConnell

A life-sized jigsaw puzzle to complete a neighborhood sidewalk.

Shady Lady
Catie Raya

Trellis shade structure with interactive wind chimes and the Lady Banks rose.

Bridging Broadway: Shadow Play
David Crummey

Creating interactive connections and shade as people cross Broadway Road.

Flowering Intersection
Tara Kosciukiewicz

An art installation to calm traffic and invite the community to help design their neighborhood.

ABNR Functional Signage
Nik Ridley

Form, art and sustainable lighting combine to benefit the neighborhood with directional signage.

Story Paths Café/Camino de Cuentos Café
Johanna Richards

Visual storytelling in a café setting where shared stories are added to the community story.

Get Involved

Join us on March 21, 2020

The festival will feature 10 projects installed in downtown Mesa and throughout the neighborhoods southeast of Mesa Arts Center. Multiple transportation options will be available to help you see all ten projects and vote on the ones you feel are the most effective in addressing community needs.

Help Spread the Word

Help us reach as many neighborhood residents as possible to encourage participation. Place a poster at your place of business, have some fliers on hand, share the Facebook event, and talk to your neighbors. Contact Jennifer Gastelum to request materials: jennifer.gastelum@mesaartscenter.com or 480-644-3652.

Community Partner Opportunities

Local neighbors, businesses, restaurants, schools and community organizations are encouraged to get involved. For example, we can promote your organization/business in our marketing materials, and you can drive customers to experience the event. Let’s discuss how we can best work together to support each other as community partners. Contact Jennifer Gastelum at jennifer.gastelum@mesaartscenter.com or 480-644-3652.

Volunteer Opportunities

Pulling off a large community event such as this takes a lot of work and we could use your help! Consider volunteering your time to the Mesa Prototyping Project. Contact Sarah Goedicke at sarah.goedicke@mesaartscenter.com or 480-644-6607 for more information.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Festival or project sponsorship can connect your business with new audiences. Contact Renee Lopata at developmentdirector@mesaartscenter.com or 480-644-6604 to discuss customized sponsorship.

Interested in other ways to connect with new audiences, engaging your employees and promoting your brand at Mesa Arts Center? Learn more about sponsorship and business engagement opportunities here.