Carolynne Harris INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT
Steve Seamons Director of Operations National Museum of Wildlife Art 2820 Rungius Road Jackson, WY 83001 Dear Mr. Seamons, Thank you for the opportunity to submit qualifications for the Analysis of Programming and Space Needs for the National Museum of Wildlife Art Building and Grounds. Adam Harris forwarded the RFQ to me, and I hope you will find that our team offers the skills, expertise and approach to most effectively and creatively address the goals and needs of the project. My experience in planning new museums and gallery renovations is appropriately supported by StudioAmmons, the architecture firm with which I have partnered. I have helped clients establish mission-driven goals and plans for new construction, gallery renovations and exhibition development. By considering the detailed needs for major capital improvements within the parameters of institutional realities, visitor experience, and operational impact, I am able to assist clients to develop comprehensive plans that anticipate challenges and maximize opportunities. My background in traveling exhibitions can provide a project with the necessary flexibility and address a variety of installation issues and technology needs.
I have partnered with Studio Ammons, an architecture firm with substantial experience in museum exhibition and facility design, historic preservation, wayfinding, lighting and communication strategies. Their wealth of talent is ideally suited for this project, as they understand the circulation requirements, space needs and functional demands of contemporary museums. Their award-winning historic preservation work will foster a sensitivity and respect for the architecture of your unique facility. Principal Terry Ammons’ extensive background in museum lighting is a particular advantage for this project, as lighting is key to enhancing artwork and the visitor experience. Our approach to this project will incorporate a systemic look at the current facility, an understanding of the goals of stakeholders and staff and a vision of future programming opportunities. We will look beyond the space analysis and into the constraints and opportunities inherent in the project and related operational issues. The
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analysis and plans will be formulated to fully realize the institution’s goals of being “the significant resource for organizations and individuals interested in the connection between art and wildlife.” To that end, we propose the following work plan: 1. Start-up meeting confirming timeline, roles, responsibilities, human and capital resources, and deliverables. This meeting would re-establish goals, mission and vision of the space planning effort. The Core Team would be defined during this meeting. In advance of this meeting, NMWA would share background documents, drawings, site plans and relevant institutional information. 2. Solicit and gather information from Museum leadership, staff, community and stakeholders to inform the planning process: a. Conduct a collaborative workshop with Senior-level staff and Board committee or liaisons to determine future programmatic, collections, outreach, technology infrastructure needs and visitation growth plans. b. Utilize staff survey to understand existing facility constraints and potential opportunities. c. Reach out to community via a town hall meeting or targeted surveys to understand current visitor experience, visitor expectations and potential methods of engagement. d. Inventory facility spaces, operational uses, technology needs, adjacencies and circulation issues. e. Review of Sculpture Trail plans, including vehicular traffic patterns and exterior wayfinding. 3. Develop key goals and program needs for entrance, galleries and back-of-house spaces. a. Coordinate and integrate with Sculpture Trail and parking/access plans. b. Review and revise with Core Team. c. Articulate, codify and memorialize decisions made by the Core Team, and any information needed to insure streamlined processes, including clear direction and specifications to team members. 4. Develop space program, including a schedule of square footage, with special attention to current architecture, operational efficiencies, technology opportunities and visitor experience. 5. Develop 2-3 preliminary concepts for entrance, wayfinding, circulation and gallery designs, including overall facility floor plan. Work with key members of project team to review and select concept. 6. Draft sketches and scaled building plan. 7. Draft milestone schedule, preliminary budget and work plan for future phases, including potential expansion. Develop design guideline package for developing RFP for full architectural planning. 8. Create digital visualization of concept for use in fundraising, community outreach and programmatic planning. (Optional – Studio Ammons has extensive visualization capabilities.) We have developed this work plan to maximize engagement with your team and community, unconstrained by our location in the mid-Atlantic area. With targeted trips, clear agendas and advance planning, as well as consistent and coordinated communication and file-sharing, I’ve worked with clients, design firms and museum professionals across the country.
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In the following pages, you will find details of the team’s experience specifically related to this project, a timeline for completion and our fee schedule. Prior to my consulting work, I worked on over 40 exhibitions of various sizes and disciplines, including contemporary art, photography and painting. Before forming his firm, Terry Ammons worked extensively in art museums such as the Denver Art Museum renovation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. My work in and for natural history museums and Studio Ammons’ experience with nature centers brings an affinity for the wildlife, ecological relationships and the natural landscape that your Museum works to inspire through the medium of art. We both have a special interest in the mission of your institution and the opportunities this project presents. We look forward to discussing it further with you.
Sincerely,
Carolynne Harris
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Firm E xperience
and
C apabilities
Studio A mmons F irm P rofile
StudioAmmons is a firm of architects, exhibit and museum designers, graphic designers, and historical researchers, ready to continue our relationship with the National Museum of Wildlife Art as we work to meet the museum’s immediate and long-term strategic goals. We bring to the table a broad range of services to assist you in fulfilling the potential of this project. Whether it’s a marketing brochure, website development, or fundraising products, our team can provide you with effective supporting tools to help further the museum’s mission and realize the project’s full potential. By offering a broad range of design disciplines in-house, StudioAmmons provides clients with fully integrated design solutions, where wayfinding, architecture, exhibits, graphics, marketing and interpretive planning are developed together in a collaborative environment creating unified products that directly respond to our client’s mission and core values. Visioning is our greatest strength. A hallmark of the firm’s philosophy is our ability to listen to our clients, consultants and stakeholders and then distill, from the conversation, both the grand and subtle implications of their needs, desires, and intentions. We then create the collaborative environment necessary to bring the entire team to the table, forming a project direction that is unified in its support and focused on our clients’ goals and objectives. Terry Ammons, the firm’s principal and Design Director, know how to tap into our team’s passion for their work and the mission, envisioning projects with clear, concise, beautiful and inspiring results.
INTERIOR PHOTOGR APH OF STUDIOAMMONS’ RECEPTION AND GALLERY SPACE
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R esume Terry A mmons
CREATIVE DIRECTOR For over 26 years as an architect, painter, sculptor, and renovator, Terry’s approach to design has been based on a desire to learn and explore new ways to develop sensible solutions to both common problems and special challenges. As the Creative Director of StudioAmmons, Terry ensures that the project team of architects, designers, consultants and clients challenge each other to produce clear and concise solutions for a broad range of clients with ever more complex programs and project needs. Terry has had an extensive career working in the fields of architecture and museum and exhibit design. From his work with the museum design firm of George Sexton Associates in Washington DC, to the work of his firm StudioAmmons, he has provided planning, exhibit and lighting design work and consultation to museums and visitor centers throughout the United States and abroad. Terry always designs with community in mind. His greatest strength lies in his ability to lead teams of diverse, passionate individuals toward the consensus needed to realize greater project goals; those that have an impact well beyond the scope of the project. Successful projects, following this interactive approach, create inspired design teams, sharing their passion and energy with the communities where they work. EDUCATION Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bachelor of Architecture, 1987 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Registered Architect, Virginia – 1991 Certified Historic Architect – State of Virginia AWARDS AND HONORS ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ··
Southeastern Museums Conference 2013 Exhibition Design Award, Robert Russa Moton Museum Excellence in Preservation and Education Award, Robert Russa Moton Museum, Preservation Virginia, 2013 Design Excellence Award, The Peppercorn Renovation, Virginia Downtown Development Association, 2011 Mount Pleasant: Preservation Project of the Year 2010, Preservation Virginia Design Excellence Award, Petersburg Downtown Harbor Plan (R/UDAT), Virginia Downtown Development Association, 2007 NOVA AIA Young Architects Design Award; 1995 Building Better Communities National Competition; 1993 Virginia AIA Design Award; 1990 Sunday Prize for Architectural Drawing; 1989 Virginia Society Competition; 1986 Harold Hill Memorial Competition; 1982 International Film Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria; 1983 Sunday Prize for Architectural Drawing; 1988 Brick Society Competition; 1983
AFFILIATIONS ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ··
Cockade City Initiative, President Petersburg Downtown Harbor Initiative, Co-Chair American Association for State and Local History Leadership Southside Petersburg Architectural Review Board, Former Chairman Preservation Alliance of Virginia, Board of Trustees Southeastern Museums Conference Bath County Historical Society Trustee
· Battersea Technical Advisory Panel · American Association of Museums · Historic Petersburg Foundation, Former Trustee · National Trust for Historic Preservation · Virginia Association of Museums · Virginia Historical Society · Virginia Downtown Development Assoc.
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Studio A mmons Staff G ibson W orsham ARCHITECT
StudioAmmons senior architect Gibson Worsham combines a master’s degree in architectural history with a professional degree in architecture. His career has been based in the knowledge gained in the extensive survey and documentation of existing buildings and historic districts. He has spent the latter part of his career writing and researching about historic sites, preparing texts for state and Federal agencies, and devising and analyzing museum interpretive plans and copy for cultural and natural history museum exhibits. Gibson brings enthusiasm about this project as well as long-standing professional experience to our team. His research and writing skills give him the ability to uncover and collate the large amount of material needed to prepare interpretive programs involving complex cultural themes and disparate historical material. Gibson has provided museum design and content development for several recent projects, including sections of the extensive interpretive material for the Robert Russa Moton Museum—The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights in Education, and the cultural history segments at the Smith Mountain Lake Visitor Center focusing on the development of regional settlement patterns and the effects on the land and native ecosystems. EDUCATION University of Virginia—M.A., Architectural History, 1996 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University—Bachelor of Architecture, 1977 AFFILIATIONS The International Network for Traditional Architecture Building and Urbanism Architectural Review Board, Petersburg, Virginia PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Registered Architect, Virginia – 1981 SELECT AWARDS 1996 – Third Place – James City County/Williamsburg Courthouse Competition 1986 – Grubbs House Design – Citation for Excellence in Design: American Wood Council SELECT PROJECT EXPERIENCE Robert Russa Moton Museum Sailors Creek Battlefield Historical State Park Visitor Center Smith Mountain Lake Visitors Center James River State Park Visitor Center Cold War Museum Maymont—An American Estate Waterford Mill William King Regional Art Museum Wilderness Road—Virginia’s Heritage Migration Route Robert Russa Moton Museum
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Studio A mmons Staff J illian C olumbus
MUSEUM/EXHIBIT DESIGNER / GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jillian thrives in collaborative environments. She comes to us with past experience in the field of museum exhibition design, having worked on numerous exhibits for clients such as the Library of Congress, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Colonial Williamsburg. Holding a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Fine Art in Visual Communication and Design enables Jillian to see the big picture regarding design and the compelling results that it can yield. She is constantly aware of and intrigued by the power and necessity for high quality design embodying meaningful communication. EDUCATION Virginia Commonwealth University / Master of Fine Art in Visual Communication and Design, 2009 University of Tennessee, Knoxville / Bachelor of Architecture, 2006 AFFILIATIONS · National Association for Interpretation · American Association of Museums · Virginia Association of Museums SELECT PROJECT EXPERIENCE Wilderness Road—Virginia’s Heritage Migration Route Library of Congress—Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition Robert Russa Moton Museum Restoration and Permanent Exhibits The Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery Reinstallations and Wayfinding Signage Maymont—Interpretive Plan and Signage Masterplan Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Ancient American Art Gallery The Colonial Williamsburg, Visitor Center Orientation Exhibits Herblock Traveling Exhibit Virginia Commonwealth University—Richmond Professional Institute Exhibits Heartwood—Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway Merchants Millpond Nature Center The Homestead Resort—Alleghany Springs Family Park Wayfinding Signage
Merchants Millpond Nature Center
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Studio A mmons Staff R ichard W orsham ARCHITECT
Richard Worsham is a student of classical and traditional architecture and urbanism. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Literature from Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, and his Master’s Degree from the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture. Richard wrote his undergraduate thesis on the concept of imitation and genius, and his graduate thesis on the architectural rhetoric of the market hall and formal square in Richmond, VA. Richard operates the Tympanum Press, a letterpress print studio, is the owner and designer for Janus Motorcycles, and contributes to the blog, Urban Scale Richmond, a database for the urban morphology of his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. EDUCATION University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN / M. Arch in the School of Architecture, 2011 Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack, NH / B. A., Literature, 2007 PUBLICATIONS “Reorganizing the Modern City,” essay co-authored with Mario and Giacomo Gallarati, published on the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism site. Edited the translation of La Consapevolezza del Preesistente by Mario Gallarati Illustrations for “Why the Orders Belong in Studio” by Carroll William Westfall, The Journal of Architectural Education, Volume 61, Number 4, May 2008, p. 104 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 5 Years SELECT PROJECT EXPERIENCE Maymont’s Interpretive Plan and Signage Master Plan, Richmond, VA Virginia University Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA Stafford Regional Airport—General Aviation Terminal, Stafford, VA Hi-Dollar Warehouse Renovation, Wilson, NC Henry Hotel Renovation, Martinsville, VA Public Market and Square at Richmond’s Historic First Market (Thesis Project Notre Dame University), Richmond, VA Nauvoo Dining Hall, Nauvoo, IL* Visitor Center at Historic Navoo, Illinois* Urban Restoration of the Quartiere dei Banchi, Rome (at Nore Dame University)
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*projects completed while at a previous firm
4. R elevant P rojec t E xperience : Terry A mmons / Studio A mmons The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
Design for a complete reinstallation of the museum’s permanent collection: StudioAmmons worked with the Chrysler Museum on the design for the re-installation of 28 galleries presenting the best of its permanent collection of paintings and sculptures. Working closely with the museum staff, StudioAmmons developed a new wayfinding and visitor information system for the museum’s 40 million dollar renovation and expansion.
Robert Russa Moton Museum, Farmville, VA
Winner: Southeastern Museum’s Conference 2013 Exhbit Design Award Winner: Preservation Virginia’s 2013 Award of Excellence in Preservation and Education Building restoration and exhibit design and installation: StudioAmmons served as the architect for the restoration of this National Historic Landmark building and provided the interpretive planning, content development, exhibit design and fabrication and installation services for the museum’s award winning permanent exhibits.
The National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY
Masterplan for expansion and renovations: In partnership with museum consultant Carolynne Harris, StudioAmmons worked closely with the NMWA staff and board members to develop a masterplan to guide the museum’s expansion, renovation, and re-programming to better manage and exhibit its collections and serve its community.
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC
First Floor permanent gallery re-installation and lighting: Terry led the design team to reconfigure and renovate two of the museum’s permanent galleries managing the move of pieces between the galleries and museum storage, the renovation and upgrading of finishes to the galleries, and the re-hanging and lighting of the new artworks.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Gallery Installation and Lighting: Terry worked with the design team to provide specialty lighting design and installation for three period rooms at the Museum.
Pamplin Historical Park Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Museum Expansion Museum expansion cafe and boardroom: StudioAmmons provided planning and design services for the expansion of the $8 million facility which included expanded visitor services areas, new restaurant and public meeting rooms, new gallery space and a new museum board room dedicated to Robert Pamplin Sr.
Sainsbury Center for the Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, UK
Planning and design for expansion of collections and exhibits: Terry worked with the staff and curators at the Sainsbury Center to plan for the expansion of exhibits into the newly constructed wing designed by Norman Foster. Work in the new wing included the design of specialty built-in furniture to complement the architecture, the design of new cases for the expanded collection of decorative arts and sculpture, survey of existing museum conditions and modifications to gallery lighting, and the design of ten new audiovisual gallery installations, working with the artists and the museum staff. Terry provided coordination between the museum’s conservation and curatorial staff and the installation of Lord and Lady Sainsbury’s collection of Hans Coper pottery which was being installed in the new gallery wing.
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4. R elevant P rojec t E xperience : Terry A mmons / Studio A mmons USDA Term Contract for Visitor Center Planning and Exhibits
Exhibit design: StudioAmmons worked for six years under a term contract with the United States Department of Agriculture on the planning and exhibit design for visitor centers across the country and for other federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management Department of Indian Affairs and the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Projects ranged from entire visitor center exhibit planning to the development of traveling exhibits, maps, and brochures and wayfinding systems for Forest Service visitor contact stations.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Bach Wing Renovation: Terry was the project manager and designer for the redevelopment of the Bach wing, a building attached to the Gio Ponti designed Art Museum in downtown Denver. The Bach Wing, which had been used for the museum’s food service and offices was renovated as new gallery space and public gathering space adjacent to the new plaza between the Museum and the new Denver Public Library.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Underground Concourse Gallery Planning and Design: In order to create a direct connection between the Denver Art Museum and the newly designed Denver Public Library, a curved underground concours was developed which serves as both a circulation connector and as a new changing exhibits gallery. Terry was the project manager for the project handling the programming and coordination between both the Museum and the Library staff and consultants. Terry was the project designer for the development of the concourse and its museum components.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
3rd and 4th Floor Renovations: Terry was the project architect and lighting designer for the renovation and reinstallation of the museum’s 3rd and 4th floor permanent collection of pre-columbian and tribal art. All existing cases and exhibits were assessed for proposed reconditioning and layout while public circulation issues were analyzed to ensure that the exhibit’s content order and physical layout were clear to the visitor and manageable for the staff.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Conservation Storage Planning: In conjunction with the renovation of the 3d and 4th floor permanent museum collections, Terry worked with the design team and museum staff to review the organization of their conservation storage areas to accommodate the recommended curatorial changes to the permanent collection items on display.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
New lighting design for the Museum Cafe and the Museum Gift Shop designed to compliment the original Gio Ponti designed spaces.
Ellis Island / Liberty Island, New York City, NY
Lighting / Gallery analysis and recommendations: Prior to the full renovation of the Ellis Island museum exhibits, Terry was one of two exhibit specialists from George Sexton’s office who spent two weeks surveying and analyzing the exhibit and public space lighting throughout the complex. The study yielded a full report for the museum with recommendations for modifications to existing systems as well as recommendations for new exhibit lighting and power needs.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK Gallery Lighting Retrofit
National Building Museum, Washington DC Gallery Lighting for Temporary Exhibit Galleries
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Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
Lighting Throughout the National Landmark Structure: Terry was the lead designer and project manager for the planning and installation of lighting throughout Monticello. The Foundation had been using halogen torchieres for evening events creating an extreme risk of fire throughout the historic house.
Maymont, Richmond, VA
Interpretive planning and signage / wayfinding system: StudioAmmons is currently working with the staff and board of Richmond’s Maymont, a 400 acre intact gilded age museum estate on the James River to develop a masterplan for the site’s new system of interpretive and wayfinding signage.
Maymont, Richmond, VA
Welcome plaza design: StudioAmmons is currently working with Maymont to develop new entry plazas and visitor infrastructure at its three main visitor entries. These new entry plazas will act as information and welcome centers where visitors can gather and get oriented to the parks expansive set of opportunities.
Tredegar Works, Richmond, VA
Site plannng and interpretive planning and exhibit design: StudioAmmons is working with American Civil War Museum (newly formed from a merger of the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar) on the design of its Tredegar Arsenal site and its interpretation as an integral part of the development of a new national museum on the historic arsenal site.
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