Mesa Announces Main Street Prototyping Festival and Request for Proposals

Mesa Announces Main Street Prototyping Festival and Request for Proposals

Innovative Project Employs Arts-Based Community Design

 

 

 

Dec. 16, 2016 (Mesa, AZ) – A group of Mesa organizations are collaborating with the City of Mesa to bring the first Main Street Prototyping Festival to Mesa on Nov. 17 and 18, 2017.

Mesa is now seeking prototype proposals from artists, architects, designers, engineers, urban planners and others to create temporary projects that activate public space and engage the community toward enhancing connectivity and vibrancy in downtown Mesa.

Proposals for prototypes could include, but are not limited to, concepts for gathering places, pathways that increase connectivity, games that invite interaction, performances, interactive artwork and more.

The deadline to submit is Jan. 23, 2017.  

The City of Mesa, Mesa Arts Center (MAC), Neighborhood Economic Development Corp. (NEDCO), Local Initiatives Support Corporation Phoenix (LISC) and Downtown Mesa Association (DMA) are working together to engage creative minds and the community in testing ideas that respond to dreams, needs and desires of citizens and visitors.

“The beauty of this project is that it enables experimentation with a variety of potential enhancements that can impact both community and economic development,” said Cindy Ornstein, Director of Mesa’s Department of Arts and Culture and Executive Director of Mesa Arts Center. “This way, residents and visitors get to explore and respond to ideas in the flesh, and future investments or longer-term testing can be based on knowledge of what worked and the needed adjustments that may make it work better.”

 

The Main Street Prototyping Festival seeks to augment downtown Mesa’s vitality through arts-based community design and experimentation.

Through multiple community listening sessions, the project has and will continue to ask residents to contribute their ideas for creating a welcoming, diverse and connected downtown Mesa.

Those submitting prototype proposals are encouraged to use community input to inspire ideas and guide development.

At the culminating festival, residents will be invited to provide feedback and vote for their favorite prototypes, and those they feel will provide the most benefits to downtown and its visitors.

A total of 20-25 prototype concepts will be selected for implementation at the fall 2017 festival, with each project allocated $1,000-$3,000 for design, fabrication and project management.

 

“This is a natural next step in the development of downtown Mesa,” Mayor John Giles stated. “There is excellent momentum following on the heels of the extension of light rail and an extensive community visioning process that will help lead us to what’s next for downtown Mesa.”

 

Jeff McVay, Downtown Transformation Manager, said of the project, “The prototype festival is part of our Downtown Lab (D-Lab) that tests and develops solutions uniquely suited to our very special urban center. Many creative initiatives and events, and a number of other prototype projects have been a part of this process and we look forward to seeing how the community would like to activate downtown Mesa.”

 

The Festival is funded by a prestigious Our Town grant for $75,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Through Our Town, the National Endowment for the Arts provides grants for arts-based community development projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. Prototyping festivals are a relatively recent tool being employed by forward-thinking cities, and have been held in only a handful of municipalities in the last couple of years, including San Francisco and Denver.

 

The planning committee seeks proposals of prototype ideas from all types of disciplines and perspectives, and proposals can be submitted by either individuals or teams.

To download the Request for Proposals and learn more about the Main Street Prototyping Festival visit www.mesaartscenter.com.

 

In addition, artist-led residencies will take place with the Boys and Girls Club of Mesa–Grant Woods Branch and CARE Partnership near downtown to create community-generated projects that address neighborhood aspirations, needs and opportunities.

The residencies are the first steps in a larger initiative that will seek to strengthen the connections between downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods, and to help these residents develop relationships with organizations and resources available to them in downtown. 

 

Mesa Arts Center is located at One East Main Street in downtown.

More information can be found at MesaArtsCenter.com.

 

[END]

 

About Mesa Arts Center
The Mesa Arts Center mission is to inspire people through engaging arts experiences that are diverse, accessible, and relevant. Owned and operated by the City of Mesa, Arizona’s largest arts center is recognized as an international award-winning venue. The unique and architecturally stunning facility is home to four theaters, five art galleries, and 14 art studios and an artist cooperative gallery. For more information, visit mesaartscenter.com.

 

Main Street Prototyping Festival contact:

Samuel Peña, Project Coordinator at Samuel.Pena@mesaartscenter.com or 480.644.2168.

 

Main Street Prototyping Festival website:

https://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/engagement/initiatives/main-street-prototyping-festival.

 

Casey Blake

Director of Public Relations

Mesa Arts Center

Office 480.644.6620│Cell 480.390.1258

Casey.Blake@mesaartscenter.com│MesaArtsCenter.com

Wild Weather Incoming! Deadly Arctic Air & Icing Invasion! + a 2016 rant

Hit the button, baby!

Published on Dec 16, 2016

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/th... ------- Fundraiser Linkhttps://www.paypal.me/THORnews ------ paypal

Speaking Up | Adam Galinsky

Low-power double-bind?
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Speaking up is hard to do, even when you know you should.
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TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more. Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED

James Clapper, Retiring Director of National Intelligence, Had A Classified Blog

One of your MesaZona's favorite investigative reporters Jeremy Swahili had something to say about it yesterday

Jeremy Swahili December 15 2016, 12:39 a.m.

James Clapper has a classified blog.

It is called Intercept

During his tenure as the director of national intelligence, James Clapper has maintained a classified blog. It’s called “Intercept,” and is only accessible to people within the intelligence community with clearance to access the government intelink site. It even offers a secret RSS feed so analysts will never miss a post. Clapper’s Intercept blog has no relationship to The Intercept, except that he hates pretty much everything we stand for. In one of his posts, written in May 2013 and obtained by The Intercept, Clapper posted a handwritten letter he says he received from “a constituent in Nevada.” It’s unclear what makes this person a constituent since Clapper was not elected to any office. In any case, this constituent “discusses supporting the IC’s [intelligence community’s] position on civil liberties” in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“If the american [sic] people are not willing to release some freedoms, they cannot blame the IC when they can’t stop” domestic terror attacks because of the intelligence agencies “having their hands tied by Law [sic] & policy,” the “constituent” wrote. He adds that Americans “cannot have your cake and eat it too,” and then offers what has become a dangerous cliche in the post-Snowden mentality of the intelligence community: “So if one has nothing to hide why would a little government watching for mass protection be such a big question.” The letter ends: “WE SUPPORT YOU.”

Who was it from Nevada?

Then, later on, there are some comments by a guy named "Wormy"

While the blog is only available to people with proper security clearance, Clapper does welcome commenters. The first two intelligence people to comment on his post took Clapper, and his “constituent,” to the woodshed.

"I think it was inappropriate for DNI Clapper to respond in a way that indicates he agrees with the premise of the writer’s letter, namely, that government must expand its domestic “watching” and the people must give up “some ‘rights’ in the interest of the greater good,” one IC commenter posted.

“The head of the US Intelligence Community — the business of which is foreign intelligence —should not be taking sides on matters of domestic intelligence policy.”

Another commenter wrote that, like Clapper, he agreed with the letter’s author about “the fact that it is impossible to defend 100% against these kinds of attacks given the restrictions placed on America’s security forces and the freedom and range of targets enjoyed by the attackers.” However, this commenter, who went by the name Wormy, warned against being “too quick to release your freedoms and “rights” in the name of security.”

 

Among the points Wormy made:

• “Ridding ourselves of certain rights, such as those outlined by the 4th amendment, will absolutely not guarantee our security or freedom from attack.”
• “Always be careful about surrendering rights. History shows that governments don’t have a great track record of giving them back once they’ve taken them. You may think your government is different, but that’s just a perception created by the fact that the American people have fought tooth and nail to see their rights are protected.”

Wormy concludes with the following:

“The Constitution and the Bill of Rights have survived for centuries, defended by courageous man and women both in the armed forces, in various civil rights movements, and just individual citizens standing up for themselves and others. They have made incredible sacrifices and endured tremendous hardships to pass these sacred rights down to you.

Do you want to be part of the generation that threw it all out because a group of Islamic radicals is posing a threat to you that statistically doesn’t even come close to the threat posed to you by lightening [sic]?”

 

We don’t know if Clapper ever responded to Wormy or other commenters. But we do know that Clapper is a big fan of expanding domestic surveillance operations and doing away with some civil liberties in the name of security. Clapper has submitted his resignation, but rest assured his successor will carry the torch of domestic surveillance. Will the Intercept blog continue to secretly publish under the new administration? As Donald Trump would tweet, Stay tuned!

 

https://theintercept.com/2016/12/15/james-clapper-has-a-classified-blog-it-is-called-intercept/

MT. ST. HELENS/MORE MOVEMENT/GAMMA RADIATION HEATING.

More pressure building > Thermal Hydro-Heating ....more quakes getting ready to rumble?
Published on Dec 15, 2016
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HYDRO-THERMAL MOVEMENT DUE TO GAMMA RADIATION HEATING. http://www.BPEarthWatch.Com

Open Government Data >> Submit for City of Mesa

Welcome to the Open Knowledge Newsletter.
December 2016 Issue
Season's Greetings!
What information does your government make available?

Submissions for the 2016 Global Open Data Index are well underway.
Contribute to the survey today and help us evaluate the quality of open government data around the world.
Submissions will be open until the end of December.

To view in your browser go here

Activities of the MAG Economic Development Committee, December 6, 2016 Meeting

December 6, 2016 Meeting Summary

Message From the Chair
Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane

When it comes to growing the economy, workforce development is at the forefront of many discussions.

• At the December 2016 Economic Development Committee (EDC) meeting, we discussed the importance of developing a skilled and educated workforce to build a more globally competitive labor market.

There are many efforts taking place in our communities around the region. The City of Phoenix, for example, is actively building a skilled workforce through its program, Arizona@Work, which is a great asset for the entire region. This program can assist new and existing companies with obtaining a highly trained workforce that will make the company more competitive. One unique facet of this effort is that the workforce development funds are within the Economic Development Department as opposed to Human Services.

• We also discussed the importance of data to economic development.

Jim Rounds from Rounds Consulting Group, Inc. discussed what we should consider when working with economic data.  He mentioned the need for gathering business analytics at a detailed level when developing strategies for attracting and keeping companies in the Valley.  If we want to develop a better understanding of a city or region, we need to take a deeper look into the data. Following this presentation, we heard from the City of Buckeye on how being nimble and able to move quickly facilitated the decision by Cardinal Glass company to locate in Buckeye.  The City of Mesa also provided information on the investment it made in a portion of their community, the Fiesta District - A Redevelopment Renaissance, which had $493 million in capital investment and created 1,500 new jobs in the last year.

• Finally, we heard an interesting presentation about some of the major advancements being made in aerial photography.  Aerial Sphere discussed how aerial imagery can be used to market the region. One of the aspects of this new technology, which was developed locally, makes it easy to import various data elements into this platform to highlight economic development projects within the MAG region.  It is good to be informed that major investments are being made to advance the region and state through innovative technology.

EDC Meeting Summary

Strengthening Arizona’s Economy Through a Workforce Development Network

In the present global economy, developing a skilled workforce has become a major task for communities to stay competitive.
The City of Phoenix is addressing this challenge through the initiative Arizona@Work City of Phoenix. City of Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Supervisor Rob Stenson provided an overview on this program.
This initiative is the statewide workforce development network that helps employers of all sizes and industries recruit, develop and retain the best employees. Arizona@Work City of Phoenix serves as a public and private partnership with the primary mission of proving innovative workforce solutions to employers and job seekers. The main services provided through this program are:

• Talent acquisition, which includes free job posting on azjobconnection.gov.
• Training and development for new and existing employees.
• Access to resources.
• Access to meeting and training rooms.

Through this program, the City of Phoenix assists the business community by decreasing turnover, increasing productivity and increasing engagement.

High-Level Metrics on the Regional Economy and Unique Regional Economic Drivers

Jim Rounds from Rounds Consulting provided a brief overview on how economic analysis can be used to assess the competitiveness of a region by looking into data in more detail.

When comparing a region’s economy, it is important to look at metro areas and those areas that are comparable. Taking a deeper look at the data allows a better understanding of what is happening with the economy and can tell the story of a region more accurately. This practice also helps with policy formation and planning at all governmental levels.

Two representatives from the City of Buckeye and the City of Mesa shared their success stories and unique economic drivers in their cities.

1 City of Buckeye Economic Development Director Len Becker presented on how the City of Buckeye successfully worked with Cardinal Glass Company to bring them to Buckeye. This required hard work from the city’s economic development team in order to meet all the operating requirements that the company needed. The direct economic benefit of this project to the city in the next 20 years is approximately $5.7 million.

2 City of Mesa Assistant Economic Development Director Jaye O’Donnell presented information on how the City of Mesa has focused greatly on data to better understand what the community needs.

Some outstanding projects in Mesa are the Fiesta District, a redevelopment project to attract businesses, the creation of the new Mesa Redevelopment Area, and the expansion of the Central Business District.

Showcasing Regional Assets through Aerial Photography

A Phoenix-based company, Aerial Sphere, offers an innovative aerial imagery service, which communities can use as an economic development and marketing tool to promote their communities and the region.
Aerial Sphere Co-Founder and President D.J. Vegh and Todd Photographic Services President Jim Todd provided an overview of the company. Aerial Sphere creates aerial and ground imagery for civic, development and real estate communities across the country. Aerial Sphere is a new way to visualize geospatial information. It involves the use of a proprietary camera system that photographs 360° spheres based on latitude and longitude. MAG can provide additional data that member agencies can use if they are working with Aerial Sphere on imagery for their community.

Update from the Arizona Commerce Authority

Arizona Commerce Authority staff noted that
ADP is bringing 1,500 new professional services jobs to Tempe,
Raytheon in Tucson is expanding its operations facility creating 2,000 new jobs, and
Lucid Motors will be locating its electrical vehicle manufacturing plant in Casa Grande creating 2,000 jobs by 2022.
On December 1-2, 2016, the annual meeting of Comisión Sonora-Arizona and Arizona-Mexico Commission’s, titled “Megaregion, A Partnership that Generates Results,” took place in Hermosillo, Sonora.

Update from the Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) staff commented that GPEC has had a remarkable year.
Thirty nine new companies relocated to the region and 7,799 new jobs were created.
GPEC has a new website, which is more interactive and user friendly. The new website went live last month.   

Comments from the Committee

U.S. Commercial Service staff commented on the upcoming U.S. Commercial Service event, Discover Global Markets Advanced Manufacturing. The event will take place in Scottsdale on February 16-17. Attendees include global industry leaders, oversees commercial specialists and various industry experts.