Mesa Arts Center Receives $75,000 Grant From National Endowment For The Arts

Mesa Arts Center has announced it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $75,000.

This grant will support Mesa Arts Center's annual Día de Los Muertos Festival, which draws over 30,000 visitors to the City of Mesa.  In total, the NEA will award 1,135 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than $37 million as part of its second round of fiscal year 2024 grants. 

“Projects like Mesa Arts Center's Día de Los Muertos Festival exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “So many aspects of our communities such as cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit.”

Mesa Arts Center's annual Día de Los Muertos Festival is a free two-day celebration held each October, engaging visitors in Mexican art and culture, traditional food, interactive activities, and live music performances.  Created in collaboration with the community, Día de los Muertos is a celebration of Latin American art and culture related to the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, a celebration and memorial of the deceased.  

“Each year, tens of thousands of people come together in Downtown Mesa to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos at our festival, a wonderful event that welcomes everyone to share in our city's vibrant spirit and rich cultural heritage” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “We are thrilled and honored to receive this support from the National Endowment for the Arts, underscoring the importance of community-led initiatives in fostering cultural exchange.”

“As Mesa Arts Center enters its 20th Anniversary year and 18th anniversary of the Día de los Muertos Festival, we are thrilled that the National Endowment for the Arts has given such incredible support of a festival that celebrates the arts and diverse cultures in our community,” said Richard M. Parison, Jr., Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Mesa.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA's grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

About Mesa Arts Center

Mesa Arts Center, owned and operated by the City of Mesa, is a unique, architecturally stunning facility located in the heart of downtown Mesa. Arizona's largest arts center is home to four theaters, five art galleries and 14 art studios. Guests, patrons and students come to Mesa Arts Center to enjoy the finest live entertainment and performances, world-class visual art exhibitions and outstanding arts education classes. Mesa Arts Center's mission is to inspire people through engaging arts experiences that are diverse, accessible and relevant.

For more information, visit mesaartscenter.com.

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