Main Street Prototyping Festival
During the Main Street Prototyping Festival the Downtown Mesa Community came alive with an estimates two-day attendance of 10,000. Pedestrian traffic on Main Street tripled and the number of individuals observed talking to one another more than doubled; Participants had new opportunities to interact with others across their community. Prototypers, consisting of festival artists (96%) and community participants (100%) overwhelmingly agreed that it is of high importance for the Mesa Arts Center to do these types of community projects. Seventy percent of participants made a connection with someone new and the majority of participants (84%) said they interacted with people that they may not have otherwise interacted with during the festival. In addition to the new connections made to the arts and the community, participants (84%) indicated a greater appreciation for the role arts can play in the community. Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture and 180° Design + Build developed Living Topography: Creating Vertical Shade in Mesa. The prototype received the highest rating regarding whether or not the prototype should remain on Main Street.