Minneapolis Convention Center announces finalists for 2016 Creative City Challenge
Minneapolis Convention Center announces finalists for 2016 Creative City Challenge
Three projects will vie for prize in fourth annual competition for Minnesota artists, architects and designers
Minneapolis (Nov. 6, 2015) - The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), the Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy Program of the City of Minneapolis and Meet Minneapolis, Convention & Visitors Association, in collaboration with Northern Lights.mn and the Northern Spark festival, announce the three finalist projects in the fourth annual Creative City Challenge based on the theme, “What will you make of the Convention Center Plaza that will become part of the unforgettable, unexpected lore of Minneapolis?” They are:
- Animalopolus Connectallus by Christopher Lutter-Gardela, Missy Adzick, Gustavo Boada, Julie Boada, and Alison Heimstead
Animalopolus Connectallus consists of spectacle-scale animal sculptures that are interactive, animated and illuminated via solar, wind, and human-power. These figures will inspire awe, generate playfulness, spark reflections on our place as humans in the natural and social order and celebrate the many facets of our progressive and innovative community.
- SELF-MADE MPLS by Aaron Marx, Lucas Alm, Sarah Nassif, Jake Nassif, and Paul Schmelzer
SELF-MADE MPLS is an iconic artist-led architecture for urban self-reliance that includes an energy generating windmill and accompanying garden which transforms into a community gathering space for sharing knowledge and learning about sustainable living.
- MSP Vibe by Jess Hirsch, Emily Stover, Eric Forman, and Andrew Jansen
MSP Vibe is an immersive experience of the natural and cultural landscape of Minneapolis created from a prairie landscape, antenna towers, and an ever-changing series of radio transmissions.
2016 THEME DESCRIPTION FOR ENTRANTS
All three teams submitted entries that adhered to this theme description:
The Minneapolis metro area, according to the 2014 Creative Vitality Index, is the fifth most creatively vital among the most populous cities in the U.S. 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 his or her favorite restaurant, but a 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 temperature is below zero. However, ask anyone from outside of the region, who has never been here before, and you will get a dozen variations on the word cold and maybe several nostalgic pop culture moments.
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?
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?
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ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER
The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) is the largest indoor, contiguous, convention center in the Upper Midwest with over 1.5 million visitors annually, including 250,000 during the summer months. The MCC is more than a meeting place. It's more than a show space. It's a building all about building something else…relationships. A blend of form and function, the MCC provides aesthetically pleasing and innovative solutions for a variety of conferences, trade shows and events. With nearly 480,000 square feet of trade show space, 87 column-free conference meeting rooms, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, and an auditorium with superb production and flexible technology options, the facility can handle any event from a small meeting to a large convention or trade show.
ABOUT THE ARTS, CULTURE AND THE CREATIVE ECONOMY PROGRAM, CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS
The City of Minneapolis’ Arts, Culture and Creative Economy program leverages the creative sector toward social and economic growth in the city of Minneapolis. The program works with the Minneapolis Arts Commission, coordinates arts and creative economy programs and activities, promotes local arts and culture, develops policy frameworks for 21st century arts economies and collaborates on arts-based community development initiatives.
ABOUT NORTHERN SPARK
Northern Spark is produced by Northern Lights.mn, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to artists working innovatively in the public sphere, exploring expanded possibilities for civic engagement and encourage pluralistic community. The next festival begins at 8:59 p.m. on June 11, 2016, in Minneapolis. http://northernspark.org
ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS
Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes and sells the Minneapolis area as a destination for conventions and meetings, works to maximize the visitor experience and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to maximize the economic benefit of the greater Minneapolis area.
Meet Minneapolis is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of the Destination Marketing Association International.
Find out more:
Online: www.minneapolis.org and http://go.minneapolis.org
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MEDIA CONTACT
Kristen Montag, Media & Communication Manager, 612.767.8038, kristenm@minneapolis.org, Minneapolis_PR on Twitter.
