Mesa Arts Center to receive $75K grant from National Endowment for the Arts

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

The grant will support Mesa Arts Center’s annual Día de Los Muertos Festival, which draws more than 30,000 visitors to the city of Mesa, according to a release.

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,” NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson said in the release. “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” Mesa Mayor John Giles said in the release. “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,” he said.

“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,” Mesa Director of Arts and Culture M. Parison, Jr. said in the release.

Go to arts.gov/news .