Strange Encounters

A Halloween Scavenger Hunt in Downtown Mesa

WHO
Internationally acclaimed sculptor, pumpkin carver and creative installation designer Ray Villafane and Villafane Studios will create fun scenes with crazy Halloween characters and wonderful stories.

WHAT
Extraordinary Halloween carvings, humorous vignettes and creepy characters in 15 installations outdoors and in store windows throughout downtown Mesa, all visible out of doors for safe, distanced family fun.

The Strange Encounters Map, which will be available online and at locations throughout downtown, will include a fun scavenger hunt with clues for identifying items in the displays. Find them all and enter to win prizes!

PLUS an online instructional video will be created by Ray Villafane and provided FREE to the public, sharing carving tips for elevating your Jack-o-Lantern to a work of art and how to use natural & recycled materials to create fun Halloween yard installations.

Download the Strange Encounters map

Thanks to everyone who entered the scavenger hunt! Winners will be notified by email.

The Ray Villafane Strange Encounters exhibition is presented and generously supported by Downtown Mesa Association in partnership with the Mesa Department of Arts and Culture

Special thanks: We want to express enormous gratitude to CALIBER for the generous use of their spaces, and especially for a workshop space for staging the exhibition and to Jeff Davis and his donation of lighting equipment, time and his tremendous talent to help make the installations look great.