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 * "You and I See Art" (video)
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: uica@iserv.net
