Multidisciplinary design teams are being sought for Passageways 2.0 to create a permanent art and architecture installation in a newly-renovated alleyway in downtown Chattanooga with a project implementation budget of $80,000.
A program of River City Company, Cogent Studio and Public Art Chattanooga, Passageways 2.0 offers an open request for proposals, RFP, process seeking unique, innovative design concepts with a cohesive artistic vision to be implemented in the roughly 6,200 square foot alleyway behind the new Market City Center mixed use development at 728 Market Street. This alley is publicly accessible from three entrances: through the Market City Center indoor arcade, from East 7th Street and from the 700 block of Cherry Street where a round one Passageways winner, Office Feuerman from Sydney, Australia, has donated its installation – Urban Chandelier to transfer this temporary alleyway installation into a permanent art piece for the city.
“With such an overwhelmingly positive response to the first round of Passageways, we knew we had to continue this program for Downtown,” said Kim White, president and CEO for River City Company. “Instead of creating more temporary alleyways, we heard from the community how exciting it would be to have a permanent alleyway with art, light and activity. And while we work to launch this new lasting alleyway piece, we are also working to maximize the life and use of the temporary alleys from round one.”
Up to three teams will be selected from this RFP process and awarded $3,000 stipends to further develop site specific designs to activate the proposed alleyway and create a vibrant pedestrian corridor. The project entails designing a spatial installation that is habitable and can be adapted for use as a small public event space. This opportunity is open to design teams internationally.
"Dedicated to introducing a wide variety of high quality public art into the community, we are excited about the Passageways 2.0 program and what this installation can add to the fabric of our urban core," said Katelyn Kirnie, Public Art director for the City of Chattanooga. "Utilizing the vetted Public Art process that relies on the expertise of our local art and design community to select the winning design, will help to ensure an installation that enhances our civic environment and enriches the lives of both visitors and residents."
With nearly 80 submissions from the first round of Passageways in 2016, River City Company continued to animate the alleyways with the winning installations with free, community events. From movie screenings to concerts, River City Company partnered with 55 community organizations and local businesses to host 22 community-led events with a total of 4,000 attendees over the course of a year. The purpose of the year-long animation was to increase foot traffic in City Center and to offer opportunities for the community to engage with the installations over an extended period of time.
“Passageways 2.0 seeks to re-imagine the alleyway and demonstrate the potential and significance these in-between spaces have to our built environment on a permanent scale,” said Jared Hueter, architect at Cogent Studio and Passageways Co-Director. “With the first round of Passageways, we were able to begin the conversation in Chattanooga about what alleyways and good design could do for our community. Now with the second round, we’re creating a destination in our downtown that is enduring, intended for many uses and exemplifies the idea that well designed places evoke community.”
Passageways 2.0 is made possible by the Benwood and Lyndhurst Foundations. The receipt deadline for design team proposals is Friday, Nov. 3, by 12 p.m. The winning installation will be selected in the spring and will be installed summer to fall of 2018. For more information, to download the full RFP or to submit a finalized proposal, visit www.passagewayschattanooga.com.