Creative City Challenge Submissions

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

The Minneapolis Convention Center and The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy of the City of Minneapolis in collaboration with Northern Lights.mn and Meet Minneapolis announce the fourth annual Creative City Challenge.

The Creative City Challenge is a competition for Minnesota-resident architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, scientists, artists, students and individuals of all backgrounds to create and install at the Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza an artwork, which is an innovative use of the space and acts as a sociable and participatory platform for scheduled and impromptu onsite programs throughout the summer.

The Creative City Challenge is a unique opportunity to create a destination artwork that animates the Convention Center Plaza the entire summer. The commission fee for the selected project is $75,000, and the winning work will be launched at the annual Northern Spark festival, June 11, 2016, and there will be programmed activities throughout the summer.

Initial responses are due by 4:30 pm CDT Friday, October 30, 2015.

Email creativecitychallenge@northern.lights.mn with questions. A complete request for the proposal document can be downloaded here >>> and a dwg file of the plaza here >>>.

If this material is needed in an alternative format please call Lance Knuckles at (612) 673-2919 or email Lance.Knuckles@Minneapolismn.gov. Deaf and hard of hearing persons may use a relay service to call 311 agents at (612) 673-3000. TTY users may call (612) 673-2157 or (612) 6730-2626.

SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT >>>

Goals

The goals of the Creative City Challenge at the Minneapolis Convention Center are to:

Draw residents of the city to the MCC as a vital gathering space
Provide a compelling gathering site for the MCC’s thousands of visitors spring through fall.

These goals are directly related to the goals and strategic directions for the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and Meet Minneapolis:

To add character to the city through a site-specific commission, which enhances the health and enriches the lives of Minneapolis residents;
To recognize Minneapolis as a regional center for excellence in architecture, urban design and the arts
To enhance community identity and a sense of place in the MCC plaza;
To contribute to community vitality
To deliver a consistently excellent pedestrian experience that inspires people to explore Downtown block after block
To position Minneapolis as a national and international center for creativity and design
To identify Minneapolis as an internationally recognized leader for a healthy environment and sustainable future

Theme

The Minneapolis metro area (MSA), according to the 2014 Creative Vitality Index, is the 5th most creatively vital among the most populous cities in the US. If you asked someone from Minneapolis what it is that makes Minneapolis special, you would rightly get a litany of responses from parks and biking to theater and art spaces from balmy summers and bracing winters to its burgeoning food scene and diversifying population.

Dig a little deeper, and any Minneapolis resident would share with you not just the name of their favorite restaurant, but their favorite dish at a particular time of year. Not just parks in general, but a specific location at a specific time of day, during a specific season. Not just the beauty of winter, but the funniest thing you could possibly imagine doing when the temp is below zero. But ask anyone from outside of the region, who has never been here, and you will get a dozen variations on the word cold and maybe several nostalgic pop culture moments.

To some extent, this is how it is and always will be. Local knowledge will always be different than outsider knowledge, and no single event/symbol/site can adequately explain just what it is that makes Minneapolis special.

But we’d like you to give it a try.

One thing we do know is that the arts and design make tangible a city’s vitality and personality, so for $75,000 and a summer of fun, what can you imagine, dream, promote, share, and make that anyone who visits will have to see/do/experience - as will anyone who lives here? What is your Spoonbridge and Cherry for a 21st century Minneapolis? What is the hidden gem of your personal city presented to and for everyone? We know that interactivity and immersion are big draws for the public. Can you harness this such engagement to transform people’s perception of Minneapolis in 90 days? Forever. What innovative project will be the pop culture meme that takes us beyond tossing berets and wood chippers?

We invite you, expectantly and with enthusiasm, to tell us your best idea for the 2016 Creative City Challenge. What will you make of the Convention Center Plaza that will become part of the unforgettable, unexpected lore of Minneapolis?

Summary Of Required Services

Respondents to this call are requested to provide a project concept for a panel, which will select up to 3 proposals for further development. The initial response should include:

Statement of interest and conceptual approach to project (2 page max)
Project proposal, including including how it relates to the CCC Theme and addresses at least one of the outlined strategic goals of the City (3 page max.)
Supporting materials (max. 6 images and 1 2-min. video)
Relevant previous experience / Past projects (max. 3 projects with max 1 page description each)
Team member bios (max 1 page each)
- Include information about permanent residency for each team member. Note that the lead member(s) of the team and at least 50% of the core team must be permanent residents of Minnesota
- Include information about whether members of the team have collaborated before, and if they have previously produced projects in the public sphere. This is not a requirement, but it is desirable.
Budget (max. 1 page)

Site

The Convention Center Plaza is an 87,000 sq. ft. (~2 acres) area bounded by the Convention Center, Marquette Ave. and 12th St. South in downtown Minneapolis. It is the green roof over an underground parking structure, which means that there are weight restrictions—no more than 100 lbs. per square foot--and no significant staking into the ground is possible. MCC and CCC staff will review all proposals. Electricity is limited. The sprinkler system will have to be adjusted to accommodate the installation. The installation cannot prevent events from taking place.

Any part of the plaza, including the walkways, is available for a project as long as it does not preclude normal uses of the plaza, is physically feasible, meets all code and regulatory requirements, and is an asset for the local neighborhood. The plaza must be able to be returned to its original state at the end of the project.

Eligibility

The Creative City Challenge at the Minneapolis Convention Center is open to Minnesota-resident architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, scientists, artists, students and individuals of all backgrounds. If submitting as a team, which is encouraged, the lead member(s) of the team and at least 50% of the core team must be permanent residents of Minnesota. Family members and employees of MCC, The Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy of the City of Minneapolis, Northern Lights.mn, or the jury are not eligible as finalists for the Challenge.

Selection Process

A committee of stakeholders will select up to three finalist. A separate jury will select the winner based on in-person presentations by the finalists. The selection committee reserves the right not to select a winner.

INITIAL PROPOSALS

Submit your proposal for the Creative City Challenge by 4:30 pm, Friday, October 30, 2015.

Submissions will be reviewed by CCC staff, and any proposal deemed not feasible or not appropriate will not be presented to the panel.

A panel of stakeholders from the Convention Center, the City, Northern Lights.mn, other stakeholders, and past CCC finalists will select up to 3 finalist proposals.

FINALIST PROPOSALS

Finalists will be provided a stipend of $2,500 and the opportunity to meet with staff from the Convention Center and the City of Minneapolis to refine a proposal and present it in person to a the jury. Finalists will present their proposals to the technical review committee of the Arts Commission for comment. Finalists will present their proposals in person to the jury, which will make a final selection. The jury has yet to be finalized, but it will include at least the following:

1 person from the Minneapolis City Council
1 person chosen by the Mayor’s office
1 person from the Minneapolis Arts Commission
1 academic from the field of architecture, landscape architecture or urban planning
2-3 outside architects and/or landscape designers

Development of final project details must be approved by MCC before the commission is formally awarded.

The selected proposal will receive project management support in addition to the cash award

Evaluation Criteria

Phase 1 - Panel

Artistic Excellence: The primary criterion for the project is artistic excellence. Artistic excellence refers to the quality of the art that is made or presented. We recognize that there are various approaches to excellence among different cultures, media, styles, periods, etc.

In addition, a proposal will be evaluated for feasibility and how well it answers the following questions:

Theme: How does the proposal satisfy the them of the 2016 competition?
Innovation: Does the proposal represent innovative ideas? An innovative way to engage the community in creating the work? An innovative use of the space? Innovative use of materials?
Destination: Is it likely to be a destination for visitors to MCC and residents of the City?
Platform: How does it accommodate and encourage other social interactions and participatory activities, both planned and informal?
24x7: How does it work during the day? How does it work during the night?
Feasibility: Is it feasible within the resources and timeframe of the competition and within the regulations of the City of Minneapolis?

Phase 2 - Jury

In addition, a proposal will be evaluated for feasibility and how well it answers the following questions:

Theme: How does the proposal satisfy the them of the 2016 competition?
Innovation: Does the proposal represent innovative ideas? An innovative way to engage the community in creating the work? An innovative use of the space? Innovative use of materials?
Destination: Is it likely to be a destination for visitors to MCC and residents of the City?
Platform: How does it accommodate and encourage other social interactions and participatory activities, both planned and informal?
24x7: How does it work during the day? How does it work during the night?
Feasibility: Is it feasible within the resources and timeframe of the competition and within the regulations of the City of Minneapolis?

Submission Requirements

Phase 1: Proposals for the Panel (due October 30, 4:30pm CDT)

Statement of Interest

In no more than 2 pages, describe your interest in the Creative City Challenge, your artistic vision, and how you would approach the ideas of the competition, particularly in relation to the theme.

Project Proposal

In no more than 3 pages describe your vision of your Creative City Challenge project. It can be precise,pragmatic, poetic, visionary, but it should be realistic and convincing. Be sure to be explicit about the public’s participation in the design, creation, and/or use of the project.

Project illustration(s)

Provide at least one and no more than 6 images of your proposed project. These do not need to be detailed plans, but should give some sense of the envisioned result. It can be based on a sketch, a CAD drawing, an altered image, or a construction, but the file itself must be in jpg, gif or png format. If you are providing a movie, it should be no longer than 2 min. and must be accessible online on Vimeo or YouTube.

Names, Roles, and Residency of Team Members

Primary contact. This person will be responsible for all communications with CCC staff. Short description of team member strengths, special qualifications for this project, and anticipated project involvement, as well as biographical data of the primary participant(s). Note that the lead member(s) of the team and at least 50% of the core team must be permanent residents of Minnesota Note any previous collaborations with team members List the names and titles of any additional professional staff, if known, who are expected to work on the project if awarded the commission.

Relevant previous experience

Relevant previous experience demonstrating the team’s ability to execute public projects of a similar scope and size. List no more than 3 projects with no more than 1 page of materials for each. You may include a link to further information about each project, but this information will not necessarily be reviewed by the panel.

Budget

Provide a budget of no more than 1 page. At this stage, this budget is just for a rough sense of proportion and will be used, for example, if you propose something for which there is no budget or an obvious mismatch - is it really possible to have 1,000 dancers on site every day for $150?

Phase 2: Voting by the Jury (due January 4, 2016, 4:30pm CST)

After selection of finalists by the jury, each finalist will receive a fee of $2,500 to prepare a final proposal to present to the jury. Finalist proposal details will be determined at the time of notification and will include:

Detailed proposal
Drawings and schematics
Budget + insurance
Permitting requirements
Installation timeline
Timeline of public participation (key moments when public is invited to participate in the design, creation and/or use of the project)
Usage scenarios
Budget. Provide a budget with at least the lines listed below. At this stage, this budget is just for a rough sense of proportion and will be used, for example, if you propose something for which there is no budget or an obvious mismatch - is it really possible to have 1,000 dancers on site every day for $150? You may add your own lines items or details for these line items.
- Artist fee
- Deinstallation
- Maintenance
- Personnel
- Permits, architectural drawings, engineering stamps
- Installation
- Equipment rental
- Materials
- Preparation

MCC staff will review the budget, schematics, and timeline for feasibility before the project is presented to the jury. If this cannot be resolved satisfactorily before the jury meets, the project will not be included in the final presentations, although the full design fee will be paid.

There may be a public forum prior to the jury at which all finalists will be required to participate. The form of this public forum has not been finalized at this point.

Timeline

August 5, 2015 – Call for proposals opens
August 26, 5:30 pm – Information session #1, 530 University Ave. SE, enter through the old Dunn Bros.
September 9, 6:00 pm – Information session #2, Pillsbury House + Theatre, 3501 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis
Thursday, October 22, 5:00-6:30pm - Open office hours at 530 University Ave SE: ask questions, discuss your proposal, and get feedback on your draft Facebook Event Page
Friday, October 30 - Proposals due by 4:30pm
Wednesday, November 3 - Finalists Notified
Thursday, November 4 - Finalist presentations to the Minneapolis Public Art Committee, 3:30pm. Please note: if you are selected as a finalist, you will need to be prepared to give this presentation within 24 hours of being notified.
January 4 - Finalist proposals due
January 12 - Finalist presentation to jury
January 20 - Winner announced
June 3 - Project installation completed
June 11 - Project opens to the public at Northern Spark

All dates are subject to change. Check back on the website for the latest information.

Final details regarding the project will be subject to a contract with the City of Minneapolis.

Questions

Email specific questions to creativecitychallenge@northern.lights.mn before 4:30 pm CDT October 30, 2015. Answers to all questions will be posted on the Challenge website on or before September 2.