The arts of fabric

摘要

Like many smaller cities located near large cities, Mesa, Arizona, has had to fight not to be swallowed up by the expanding megalopolis, in this case, Phoenix. It's not that Mesa isn't growing itself―right now, it ranks as the 50th largest city in the United States―but that it faces the dual challenge of maintaining its individual identity while saving and restoring a downtown business community undermined by the all-too-familiar threats of the suburban strip mall and highway bypass. Enter the Mesa Arts Center. Local politicians and city boosters hope that when the center, which takes up most of a city block right in the center of Mesa, opens in 2005, it will not only put the town on the map, identity-wise, but also provide a big boost to the downtown businesses.