Mesa Prototyping Festival

Ten creative and interactive projects will be realized for the free Mesa Prototyping Festival in downtown Mesa and neighborhoods to the southeast of Mesa Arts Center, Saturday, March 21, 2020, noon-8 p.m. The one-day festival will showcase experimental projects developed in direct response to feedback gathered from local residents about needs or opportunities concerning safety, walkability, gathering spaces, beautification and vibrancy.

“Prototyping ideas and experimenting with arts-based solutions allows us to envision what our community could be,” said Jennifer Gastelum, Mesa Prototyping Project manager. “Through prototyping, we aim to create opportunities for residents to get involved in designing their own community, and hopefully spark ideas for the future of their neighborhood.”

Projects were selected following a series of community feedback sessions, neighborhood walks and community residencies in the areas southeast of downtown Mesa. Key locations in two neighborhoods were identified as offering opportunities for improvement, intervention or creative enhancement. The festival is part of an ongoing effort in Mesa led by Mesa Arts Center that asks, how does a community design itself? Answers to the question are explored through a series of events that utilize arts-based tools for community development.

Mesa Prototyping Festival projects:

Canal Eleven

Tanner Christensen, Tempe, AZ

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

Pause and Play 3.0

Milagros Zingoni and ASU Design Students, Tempe, AZ

An installation that represents the community’s ideas in response to the concept of play.

ABNR Functional Signage (solar-powered)

Nik Ridley, Phoenix, AZ

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

Cloudy Sunday Morning

Tim Boyle, Mesa, AZ

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

Flowering Intersection

Tara Kosciukiewicz, Apache Junction, AZ

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

hello holla

Justin Azevedo, Tempe, AZ

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

Story Paths Café

Johanna Richards, Mesa, AZ

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

Piecing Together Mesa

Chrystal McConnell, Oro Valley, AZ

A life-sized jigsaw puzzle to complete an incomplete neighborhood sidewalk.

Shady Lady

Catie Raya, Mesa, AZ

A trellis structure with interactive wind chimes and the Lady Banks rose.

Bridging Broadway: Shadow Play

David Crummey, Mesa, AZ

Creating interactive connections and shade to connect both sides of Broadway Road.