Mesa Celebrates Mask Alive
Mask Alive is celebrating its 5th year of bringing the art of masked storytelling to Mesa through diverse arts and culture performances from around the world. Cultural Coalition has been able to present this free festival at Pioneer Park each year thanks to the support of the City of Mesa and its elected officials dedicated to serving their communities. We had a chance to speak with two of the festival’s biggest champions, Vice Mayor Jenn Duff and Councilmember David Luna, to discuss their involvement with the festival and the importance of having accessible arts engagement events and programs for the people of Mesa and their families.
Vice Mayor Jenn Duff for the City of Mesa, a Mesa Native, moved from NE Mesa to downtown Mesa in 2009 and “fell in love with the local community.” She continued, “From that time, I became heavily involved in the community and neighborhood issues which eventually led me to city council in 2019.” When asked why supporting the arts was important to her, she answered “The arts connect people across all divides and it is a beautiful expression of our perspectives and diversity.”
City of Mesa Councilmember David Luna has been involved in public service for over eight years, with the distinction of serving as the first elected Latino City Councilmember. But his love of helping others didn’t start there, Luna shared, “I’ve been involved in my community in various capacities for over twenty years.” With a long history of working with his community, he shared why he believes having accessible arts is important to him, “The arts serve as a reminder of who we are: creative beings that enjoy color (visual), sound (music) and touch (tactile), kinetic (movement through dance).”
Mask Alive is just one annual festival that Cultural Coalition produces throughout the Valley. The one thing that connects all of our events is offering these arts engagement opportunities for free to our communities and including a diverse line-up of performances that reflect the many cultures of Arizona. Having elected officials that value and uplift the arts is integral to making our festivals accessible to all.
Having a chance to see first hand the work we do, Vice Mayor Duff became a supporter of Mask Alive. She recalled, “I served with Carmen Guerrero on the i.d.e.a. Museum board and became aware of the Cultural Coalition events. When I attended my first Mask Alive Festival, I was enthralled with not only the diversity of the performances, but the diversity of the audience – young and old, various cultural backgrounds, etc. It was magic and I knew I had to support it!”
On a more personal level, Councilmember Luna connected with the festival’s ties to history and cultural preservation, “Mask Alive reminds us (me) of our ancestry and of our indigenous roots, who we are as people and where we came from whether Toltec, Olmeca, Aztecs, Mayan, or like me, Yaqui.”
The favorite part of the Mask Alive Festival for both Vice Mayor Duff and Councilmember Luna? The performances!
“The performances are by far my favorite. The foods and crafts are icing on the cake,” Duff says.
Luna said he loves “seeing the larger than life figurines, folkloric dancers, music, color and the energy from the people celebrating life.
We couldn’t agree more! Thanks in part to the support of Vice Mayor Jenn Duff and Councilmember Luna, this year’s event will once again be presented as a free festival at Pioneer Park in Mesa, on Sunday, March 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. We look forward to seeing you all there and thank you for supporting the arts!
