Subject: Call for Design Proposals

From: [email-masked] (Paul Wittenbraker)
Date: 6 Sep 1996 20:11:48 GMT

Call for Design Proposals

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) solicits proposals for
the programming and design of the interior of a new Contemporary Arts
Center located at 41 Sheldon Boulevard in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The
project involves primarily 14,208 square feet of usable space on the
ground floor of an industrial building originally constructed in 1911. 
Facility programming will begin in November 1996, and the design study
must be completed by early March 1997.  UICA plans to move into this
building in the fall of 1997.

UICA

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is the largest multidisciplinary
arts center in Michigan.  Its mission is "to foster cultural dialogue and
creative experience through innovative and diverse events and services."
Since purchasing 41 Sheldon Boulevard in September 1994, we have engaged
in extensive planning for our future home, and we have launched a $1.5
million capital campaign to support renovation work and related expenses.
Additional information about the organization and our plans may be found
in the following: * Case for Support * The Sheldon Scenarios * The Master
Plan (the Sheldon Scenarios and the Master Plan are available
electronically at
http:\\www2.gvsu.edu\~wittenbp\scenario\sheldon.intro.html) * "You and I
See Art" (video) * This Call for proposals is available at
http:\\www2.gvsu.edu\~wittenbp\scenario\shel.rfp.html

41 SHELDON BOULEVARD

Constructed in 1911 as the city's first Ford dealership, the building
reflects radically modern architectural ideas developed by Albert Kahn for
the Ford Motor Company in Detroit.  The building has two floors, each
containing 14,208 square feet of usable space, and each of them divided
into a main building (11,648 square feet on each floor, excluding a
448-square-foot entrance ramp) and a west wing (2560 square feet).  The
project focuses primarily on the main building and west wing of the ground
floor, although attention will be paid to how design decisions interface
with the structure and further development of the basement.

The architectural statement of the building was bold in 1911, and the
integrity of its design is a major reason why it will be an ideal space
for a Contemporary Arts Center.  The ground floor contains one of the few
large clear-span spaces left in the central city, thanks to riveted steel
trusses and a reinforced concrete structure.  Sawtooth skylights bring in
natural, north light, and the large plate glass windows that once lined
the perimeter will be restored to bring the outside in and the inside out.
Even the terrazzo floor, marble chips in a matrix of cement, was an
innovative use of new materials.  Renovation of the interior will preserve
the soaring open span of the structure's 22-foot ceilings, while providing
attractive working spaces for artists and staff as well as flexible
performance and exhibition areas.

The building is located at the corner of Sheldon Boulevard and Weston
Street in the Heartside District of downtown Grand Rapids.  Situated
between the Ladies Literary Club to the south and the YWCA Center for
Women to the north, it will be a southern anchor to an expanding six-block
cultural corridor that also includes a new Children's Museum, the St.
Cecilia Music Society, the Civic Theater, the YMCA, the main branch of the
Grand Rapids Public Library, Kendall College of Art and Design, and the
Grand Rapids Art Museum.  The building's location gives UICA a unique
opportunity to increase its collaborations with diverse cultural and
social organizations, rehabilitate an architecturally and historically
significant building, and contribute to the inner city's economic
revitalization in ways that empower local residents and do not come at
their expense.

Additional information about the history, location, and current condition
of 41 Sheldon, including photographs and existing floor plans and
elevations, may be found in the following documents: * 41 Sheldon Blvd.
SE: A History of the Building . . . * Building Survey of Existing
Structure at: 41 Sheldon S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan * Eastern Cultural
Corridor Organizations

CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER

Working with M.C. Smith Associates and Architectural Group, Inc., and with
Constructors, Inc., both of Grand Rapids, UICA has already begun
renovation work on what the Master Plan describes as the Site, Skin,
Structure, and Systems of 41 Sheldon Boulevard.  We now seek
facility-programming and design services for what the Master Plan
describes as the Spaces and Stuff--the interior--of the ground floor, with
appropriate attention to how this affects the future development of the
basement.  Our challenge is to turn a modern industrial structure into an
attractive destination for everyone in West Michigan who seeks alternative
forms of artistic expression and who wishes to participate in a lively
cultural community. As we envision it, UICA's Contemporary Arts Center
will be a hub of innovation, creation, and collaboration for artists in
many disciplines and for participants from all segments of the public.  It
will provide a supportive environment for professional artists to work and
share their lives; be a community center where people from all walks of
life can learn about the arts and can try their own hand at cultural
creation; offer an intimate performance space where engaging music, film,
poetry, and dance can be enjoyed and discussed by a variety of audiences;
contain a state-of-the-art information center where students, educators,
and local artists can use the latest in computer technology and print
resources to pursue their cultural research; include inviting gallery
spaces for lively displays of visual art by local, regional, and national
figures; and be a friendly gathering place for UICA's staff, volunteers,
and community members.

 The Master Plan establishes several parameters for the interior's design:
* A "buildings within the building" approach will allow for incremental
development. * Flexibility in use and easy assembly and disassembly of
furnishings will be priorities. * The design should provide significant
ways for UICA to generate increased revenues. * The core functions (lobby,
offices, meeting rooms, studios) should emanate from the northeast corner,
and dedicated construction should be clustered here and in the west wing.
* The eventual users of the space should have a significant voice in the
design process, and artists should participate on the design and
construction teams. * The design should express the history of the
building and of UICA.

Numerous meetings involving Board members, artists, volunteers, and other
UICA members have generated the following list of spaces to be included in
this project.  In general, Administration spaces and Service spaces have
top priority.  Providing acoustical and visual privacy for the
Multipurpose Theater will be one of the most intriguing puzzles for a
designer to solve.

Administration (approximately 2,500 sq. ft.) * 3-4 Staff Offices and
Volunteer Room * Multipurpose Board Room/Meeting Room * Entrance Lobby and
Reception Area * Storage and equipment spaces

Service (approximately 6,500 sq. ft.) * 2 Artist-in-Residence Studios *
8-12 Artists Rental Studios and Education Rooms * Education Center (with
several computer stations + slide and print library) * Rest Rooms *
Kitchen * Plaza/Lounge * Elevator

Exhibition (approximately 2,500 sq. ft.) * Main Gallery/Salon (for both
exhibitions and readings and other small events) * Community Gallery *
Installation Gallery * Exhibition Preparation Room

Performance (approximately 2,500 sq. ft.) * Multipurpose Theater(s) (for
film, music, dance, and other performances) * Technical Booth *
Performers' "Green" RoomPROCESS

The successful candidate will be hired by UICA's Board of Directors and
will work closely with UICA's Executive Director Marjorie Kuipers, our
Architect of Record Don Smalligan of M.C. Smith Associates, and a Sheldon
Design Team chaired by artists Dana Freeman and Joyce Recker.  The Sheldon
Design Team will be responsible for soliciting ideas and responses from
UICA's various stakeholders, including staff and volunteers, studio
artists, programming committees, and representatives of the UICA
membership and the general public.  The Design Team reports to the
Executive Committee, which is chaired by Board President Lambert
Zuidervaart.  All final recommendations about the facility program and the
design study will be made by the Executive Committee and decided by UICA's
Board of Directors.  Ideally the person(s) hired will meet regularly with
the Executive Director and the Sheldon Design Team as well as attend
several monthly meetings of both the Executive Committee and the Board of
Directors.  More information about the Sheldon Design Team and the design
process is contained in the following documents: * Sheldon Team Mandates *
Schedule for Sheldon Facility Design Process (Interior Spaces)

QUALIFICATIONS

We seek a person or firm that can offer the following: * established
record of creative adaptation of industrial or commercial buildings *
experience in designing multipurpose spaces and mixed-use cultural
facilities * ability to find exciting and relatively inexpensive solutions
to design problems * ability to work productively with a volunteer design
team * commitment to collaborative modes of working and dialogical modes
of communication * openness to working with in-kind contributions

DEADLINE

Proposals and references should be received at the address below by
October 7.  Final review will be conducted by UICA's Executive Committee
on October 22, and the candidate recommended by the Executive Committee
will be invited to meet with UICA's Board of Directors on November 5.
Notifications will be mailed to all candidates on November 6.  Address
inquiries and proposals to:

Ms. Marjorie Kuipers, Executive Director Urban Institute for Contemporary
Arts 88 Monroe Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Phone: 616/454-7000 Fax: 616/454-7013 Email: [email-masked]

-- 
Paul Wittenbraker

form:|:learn

[email-masked]