Celebratory banner to be displayed in City Hall

The arts play an important role in building a community. For example, one Mountain View-based nonprofit organization recently undertook a creative project to showcase the people and the city that it serves. In April and May 2009, Mesa de la Comunidad Mountain View arranged to have photographs taken of almost 100 local families at three community events. The organization then created a large banner collage featuring a number of the family portraits, as well as several landmarks in the City of Mountain View. (Each family was also given a print of its photo.)

The banner will be displayed in the City Hall Rotunda from October 5 through October 31 as part of Mountain View's celebration of Arts Month. Come discover this local art piece and see how many people you recognize! City Hall is located at 500 Castro St. in Mountain View.

Mesa de la Comunidad Mountain View's mission is to advocate for and increase participation of underrepresented groups in Mountain View’s civic and business life. Three focus areas of this all-volunteer organization are (1) education (scholarships & outreach), (2) community building and (3) advocacy.

Funding for the family photos and the banner was provided by 1stACT Silicon Valley's Multicultural Arts Leadership Initiative.

What are the prizes for the random drawing?

Take the challenge to celebrate the arts in Mountain View. Tell us about your experience by filling out your "Arts Challenge" entry form in October and returning it by November 6. You'll be entered in a random drawing for great prizes generously provided by local organizations! The prizes that will be given away include:

• Three $75 gift certificates for classes or camps at the Community School of Music and Arts in the spring, summer or fall 2010
• Four tickets for performances at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (value of up to $50 each)
  
• Two tickets to QUADRE's Horns for the Holidays concert on December 8, 2009 (value of $18 each)
  
• Four tickets to Talk Cinema in Palo Alto (value of $20 each)
  
• One voucher for a birthday party at Art-n-Fun in Los Altos (value of $156); will expire on December 15, 2010
  
• Five vouchers for an introductory clay/art class at Art-n-Fun in Los Altos (value of $26 each); will expire on December 15, 2010
  
• Two tickets to a performance at Pear Avenue Theatre (value of up to $30 each)
  

Each winner of the prizes provided by the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, QUADRE, Talk Cinema and Pear Avenue Theatre will receive a pair of event tickets.

Download the entry form here.

What is this all about?

Since 1993, hundreds of organizations throughout the United States have celebrated October as National Arts and Humanities Month (“NAHM”). The event is now the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation, and has encouraged millions of Americans to renew or begin a lifelong habit of active participation in these disciplines.

This year, representatives from the City of Mountain View’s Performing Arts Committee and Visual Arts Committee, the Community School of Music and Arts, the Central Business Association and other organizations have formed a planning committee to launch a local celebration of NAHM in Mountain View, California. The purposes of the planning committee’s activities are

• to increase awareness of the importance of the arts in Mountain View, and
• to lay the groundwork for an annual celebration of NAHM in Mountain View.

The committee is organizing an Arts Challenge in which community members will be asked to complete a fill-in-the-blank letter, describing ways in which they appreciated and/or created art in Mountain View in October 2009. The "blank" letter will be available to download from this blog and the websites of local organizations; and hard copies will be available to pick up from the Mountain View Public Library and other central locations. Individuals who submit completed letters (at the Mountain View Public Library or by mail) will qualify for a random drawing for prizes.

Stay tuned!