Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) seeks ideas from qualified vendors for public space activation and art installations during the winter months. We are particularly interested in interactive installations that incorporate light and sound or other creative ways to engage people in a creative experience. These installations will take place during our 2022 annual World of Winter Festival in Downtown Grand Rapids, MI.
The World of Winter Festival is a two-month-long festival that takes advantage of Michigan's cold climate to provide interesting ways for people to experience and enjoy the season. This Festival aspires to make Grand Rapids a more active winter city, making Grand Rapids an active year-round city by hosting all activities outdoors in public spaces. All programming and activities are FREE, socially distanced for these pandemic times and geared for both families and adults.
Last year's World of Winter Festival hosted 60 days of activation with 52 events, 16 grants to local artists, 20 art installations, and 109 ice sculptures and utilized 50,000 pounds of and ice. This earned us the title of the largest ice festival in the United States and brought in over 400,000 attendees.
The successful bidder will work in partnership with DGRI and the City of Grand Rapids for installations. The contract awarded will be between the successful bidder and the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority.
Scope of Work
DGRI seeks proposals for installations that could be hosted within our city from January 7 through March 6, 2021. All proposals must be able to withstand cold weather including rain, sleet, hail, snow, wind and ice.
The selected consultant, vendor or artist will work with a committee of individuals from DGRI, the City of Grand Rapids and other potential stakeholders. DGRI staff will be the primary point of contact and will manage the project. DGRI will hold the contract.
Project Location
Depending on the requirements of the installation, we will work with the successful applicant(s) to identify the best and most ideal location to host the installation. This could be in a park, a street, an alley, etc. We are open to ideas.
Proposal Submission
Registration
All interested consultants are encouraged to send an email to DGRl's Director of Public Space Management, Kimberly Van Driel (kvandriel@downtowngr.org) registering their intent to respond to this proposal. All firms expressing interest will be added to an email distribution list and will be notified if additional information related to the proposal becomes available.
Firms failing to register in this manner may not receive all information relevant to the preparation of their proposals.
Questions?
Any questions regarding the proposal may be submitted by email to DGRl's Director of Public Space Management, Kimberly Van Driel (kvandriel@downtowngr.org). Questions must be submitted by July 14, 2021, by 5:00 PM EST.
Acceptance of Proposals
All proposals shall be submitted to Kimberly Van Driel (kvandriel@downtowngr.org) by July 18, 2021, at 11:00 PM EST.
The DDA may waive any informalities or minor defects or reject any and all Proposals.
