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bob dylan competition

The Bob Dylan Center

Submission: May 12, 2017
Registration: May 12, 2017
Language: English
Location: Tulsa, USA
Prizes: Please see details below
Type: Open

 

The George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) is soliciting Requests for Qualifications from agencies interested in submitting proposals for the development of a master plan, design and initial installation and exhibition components for The Bob Dylan Center (BDC) in an existing building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This master plan will establish desired standards and best practices for building interiors, installations and exhibitions, as well as the agency’s plans to make the BDC’s assets accessible to its constituencies in meaningful ways through effective and innovative curatorial approaches and public programs. RFQ submissions must be received by May 12, 2017.

INTRODUCTION

The Bob Dylan Center is dedicated to the study and appreciation of Bob Dylan and his worldwide cultural significance through six decades of his prolific and groundbreaking creative endeavors, including his recordings, songwriting, live performances, books and films. As the primary venue for The Bob Dylan Archive, The Center will curate and exhibit a priceless collection of more than 6,000 items spanning nearly 60 years of Dylan’s singular career.  The Archive’s priceless contents include handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia and ephemera; personal documents and effects; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments and many other elements.

An iconoclast who exploded the boundaries between high and popular culture, Bob Dylan, both the artist and global phenomenon, offers a unique opportunity to explore a broad range of subjects that have come to define the “American Experience” in the 20th and 21st centuries. Housing permanent, temporary and traveling exhibitions, The Center is a multivalent venue readily accessible to the public, and one in which artists, historians, musicologists, cultural critics, and others have a central forum to engage the public and each other with an aim to foster a deeper comprehension of Dylan’s work and the myriad of influences it both embodies and engenders. Finally, as a tacit but important aspect of its core mission, The Center promotes a greater knowledge and a more profound understanding of our world, beyond any single worldview or ideology, in an effort to build cultural awareness and tolerance.

The master plan for the BDC will provide a framework for future decision-making about the facility, its physical and environmental structure, constituent access and experience, and on-site preservation needs. The BDC should be designed to accommodate myriad activities and functions, including:

  • Public engagement with archive assets
  • Interactive and immersive museum about Bob Dylan based on the archives assets, with both permanent and temporary exhibits
  • Research and programmatic collaboration among academics, Dylan scholars and cultural commentators
  • Educational programs
  • Indoor events and performances
  • Live and recorded video production
  • Retail of merchandise related to The Bob Dylan Center
  • Offices for BDC staff

Agencies submitting their qualifications for this project will be evaluated based on their demonstrated professional and technical skills and their ability to collaborate with multiple stewards of the archive’s assets to identify and address the future facility’s physical design; accessibility of its elements by its constituencies through installations, exhibitions and scholarly research; and the on-site preservation needs of its assets.

BACKGROUND

In 2016, GKFF and The University of Tulsa (TU) acquired The Bob Dylan Archive. The Archive is permanently housed in Tulsa, under the stewardship of TU’s Helmerich Center for American Research. Comprised of more than 6,000 items spanning nearly 60 years of Bob Dylan’s unique artistry, singular career and worldwide cultural significance, the archive includes decades of never-before-seen handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia and ephemera; personal documents and effects; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments and many other items. Ultimately, a permanent exhibit space for The Archive will be designated near the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa’s Arts District, which houses a museum dedicated to American folksinger and Oklahoma native Woody Guthrie. Guthrie was one of Dylan’s most significant early influences, even inspiring one of Dylan’s first tracks, “Song to Woody,” on his 1962 self-titled album.

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Participating agencies should provide one original and 7 paper copies of the Statement of Qualifications and one copy of all materials submitted in electronic format on a CD. Please provide the following information:

  1. Letter of transmittal
    The letter of transmittal should contain the name, address and contact information for the agency’s primary contact, as well as a brief overview of the agency’s participating team members.
  2. Conceptual approach and description and team philosophy
    This section should include the vision and innovation of the team, detailing the means by which the team proposes to address required tasks and elements that will guarantee project success.
  3. Statement of Qualifications
    The intent of this section is to give GKFF a clear idea of the history of work the team has accomplished, showing a clear picture of the style, look and feel of completed projects, how they work and how they are integrated into the surrounding landscape.
  4. Overview of the team
    Describe the experience of your team, providing examples of projects you’ve worked on as a team, particularly those involving site development for high-visibility parks and cultural projects. Discuss your familiarity with Tulsa or other similar city’s development processes, and conceptual planning for maximum sustainability.
  5. Experience Record
    Provide details regarding team members’ prior relevant experience. In addition, provide details, including visual representation (photos, illustrations, video clips) of showing the final product, for at least two and up to five projects that the team has completed within the past five years.
  6. Organization and Management Plan
    Include a description of the proposer’s organizational structure that clearly identifies the project manager and key personnel associated with the proposed work.
  7. Firm Information
    Provide a concise description of the agency’s office location(s), and resumes of key project personnel.

REVIEW PROCESS

All submittals will be reviewed by GKFF and associates. The results of the review team will be presented to the GKFF board for final approval.

A short list of two to four agency finalists will be chosen from the RFQ submittals; selected agencies will be asked to provide detailed proposals that include how the tasks in the scope of work will be accomplished. Following a careful assessment of detailed proposals, one agency will be chosen to work closely with GKFF, archive personnel, as well as the museum and center’s project management, legal, construction management, public outreach and public relations representatives.

REGISTRATION AND QUESTIONS

All interested agencies should email an intent to respond to this RFQ to:
Email: DylanRFP@gkff.org

Questions regarding the RFQ process and related project should be directed to:
Email: DylanRFP@gkff.org
Phone: 918-392-1612

SUBMITTAL DUE DATE

One original and 7 copies of the Statement of Qualifications and one copy of all materials submitted in electronic format on a labeled and indexed CD must be delivered no later than 5 p.m. CST on May 12, 2017.

Go to the competition’s website