What
steps could be taken to enhance the nightlife in Downtown Mesa? Can the arts
play a role in the growth of businesses there? What does a thriving Main Street
look like?
Mesa
Up @ Nite!,
a project of Mesa Arts and Culture Department and Neighborhood Economic
Development Corp. (NEDCO), looks at these questions and more. Mesa Up @
Nite! invites collaboration between the arts entities and downtown
businesses, and is in direct response to the demand for enriched nightlife in
Downtown Mesa – from citizen voting on the iMesa Citizen Input Website,
countless conversations, and recent focus groups.
At
Arizona Art Tank last Wednesday, a funding event and program of the Arizona
Commission on the Arts, Mesa Up @ Nite! received $5,000 to explore ways
to activate the evening hours in Downtown Mesa. At its most basic level, the
project aims to match artists with Downtown merchants, to create evening
activities that showcase the dynamic and diverse creative businesses and
artists in the Mesa community. Local eateries and shops are already gearing up;
stay tuned as the project develops!
