Our Museum Shop Welcomes Richard Aste and Hermes Mallea
An Old World empire and its caste-like social hierarchy underscores the social inequity endured by Spanish Americans in the New World. Colonial elites of all heritages amassed unprecedented fortunes leading to opulent displays of luxury goods and showcasing their purchasing power Behind Closed Doors. —Richard Aste, Curator of European Art
Behind Closed Doors Event
Thursday, September 19, 7 p.m.
The Museum Shop, 1st Floor
Richard Aste will be on hand for the Members Preview for the exhibition Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish American Home, 1492–1898, signing copies of the accompanying catalog. Read more.
Great Houses of Havana
Aste will be joined by Hermes Mallea, author of Great Houses of Havana, which traces the evolution of the Cuban home from the classic, Spanish colonial courtyard house to the “Tropical Modernist” villas of the 1950s. Read more.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Happenings at the Brooklyn Museum Shop
Since the completion of our design of the Brooklyn Museum Shop in Brooklyn, NY back in 2012, the shop has won awards, has had increased sales and grand exposure with articles in such publications as the New York Times, Time-Out and New York Magazine, as well as an exciting line of featured exhibits and artists. Check out what's happening these days at the shop...
Thursday, September 26, 2013
54 Jeff Competition
Our firm recently participated in 54Jeff, an ideas competition for public use of the former Grand Rapids Public Museum building at 54 Jefferson.
BACKGROUND
In 1940, after years of storing and exhibiting its collection of borrowed or repurposed spaces, the Grand Rapids Public Museum moved into 54 Jefferson, a 30,000 square foot facility, one of the last projects to be funded under the W.P.A. during the Great Depression. Over the next fifty years, 54 Jefferson, with a whale skeleton suspended in its great hall, and mammal dioramas and displays of rocks and minerals, taxidermied birds and other natural history specimens in the adjoining galleries, was visited by nearly every schoolchild in Grand Rapids. In 1994, faced with the deteriorating condition of the building and changing museum standards, the museum relocated to a new facility, leaving dioramas, showcases and exhibits behind. Since that time, 54 Jefferson has been maintained by the museum and the city of Grand Rapids, but has otherwise been largely closed to the public.
Beginning in 2010, the Grand Rapids Public Museum collaborated with SiTE:LAB, a non-profit that conducts art exhibitions in vacant buildings, on a series of projects in 54 Jefferson. Allowing the public - and particularly those who still remember the space from grade school field trips - to again enter the space has fostered renewed interest in the future of this iconic building. SiTE:LAB is hoping to use that attention to initiate a community driven reexamination of the building's potential as a public space, and as a first step in that process, conducted this ideas competition, called 54Jeff.
THE CHALLENGE
Competitors were challenged to create compelling visions for the future of this former museum. While not every proposal may be feasible in light of the political, legal and financial obstacles facing the development of any new urban public space, each can raise the community's awareness of the unique potential of 54 Jefferson to serve Grand Rapids in new and innovative ways.
OUR ENTRY
BACKGROUND
In 1940, after years of storing and exhibiting its collection of borrowed or repurposed spaces, the Grand Rapids Public Museum moved into 54 Jefferson, a 30,000 square foot facility, one of the last projects to be funded under the W.P.A. during the Great Depression. Over the next fifty years, 54 Jefferson, with a whale skeleton suspended in its great hall, and mammal dioramas and displays of rocks and minerals, taxidermied birds and other natural history specimens in the adjoining galleries, was visited by nearly every schoolchild in Grand Rapids. In 1994, faced with the deteriorating condition of the building and changing museum standards, the museum relocated to a new facility, leaving dioramas, showcases and exhibits behind. Since that time, 54 Jefferson has been maintained by the museum and the city of Grand Rapids, but has otherwise been largely closed to the public.
Beginning in 2010, the Grand Rapids Public Museum collaborated with SiTE:LAB, a non-profit that conducts art exhibitions in vacant buildings, on a series of projects in 54 Jefferson. Allowing the public - and particularly those who still remember the space from grade school field trips - to again enter the space has fostered renewed interest in the future of this iconic building. SiTE:LAB is hoping to use that attention to initiate a community driven reexamination of the building's potential as a public space, and as a first step in that process, conducted this ideas competition, called 54Jeff.
THE CHALLENGE
Competitors were challenged to create compelling visions for the future of this former museum. While not every proposal may be feasible in light of the political, legal and financial obstacles facing the development of any new urban public space, each can raise the community's awareness of the unique potential of 54 Jefferson to serve Grand Rapids in new and innovative ways.
OUR ENTRY
Proposal: In the same manner that the former Public Museum at 54 Jefferson offered an experience of our surrounding world that appealed to the senses through sight, touch, sound, taste and smell, we propose a Grand Rapids cultural institution that provides a dynamic, living & changing record of local ideas in their various stages from emergence through maturity that appeals as much to the senses as to the mind and offers its patrons an experience that has been enhanced beyond the limitations of a virtual realm.
Conception/Formation/Emergence/Development/Realization/Regeneration: We propose that the 54 Jeff building be used as a venue to introduce to the public new local ideas through launch events, presentations and physical displays. Ideas remain on display in the many existing vignettes for exposure to ongoing public reaction while providing up to date information on the idea’s progress as it moves toward realization. At the heart of this design is a map of metropolitan Grand Rapids superimposed on the main level floor. A “pin” placed at an idea’s geographic location will direct visitors to the corresponding vignette where they can learn more about the idea, experience actual samples, track its progress and find ways they can to get the idea off the ground. The floor will also serve the purpose of idea mapping; showing how ideas that have reached maturity are leading to new ideas (regeneration), highlighting idea concentrations throughout the city, demonstrating how ideas are related both in and across disciplines and identifying locations in our neighborhoods that may be in need of a good idea. As a starting point, we submit the following disciplines:
- Arts – fine arts, theatre, music, literature, language, design, cuisine
- Urban Renewal & Development – revitalization, preservation, development, beautification, transportation
- Social & Civic – community, justice, heroes, public servants, education, government, religion
- Entertainment – activities, functions, events, retail
- Science & Industry – medicine, materials, economy, environment, manufacturing, research, commerce
In this capacity, the redefined Grand Rapids Public Museum will strengthen our community, foster creativity, encourage cooperation across disciplines and connect ideas with needed support.
END RESULT
34 entries from all over the country and beyond were created with compelling visions for the future of this former museum. Although our firm's entry did not win, we believe it was a notable idea for this building as public space.
To see the winners and other entries, please visit 54Jeff's website or facebook page.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Heading Home Celebration at Cornerstone University
We are proud to have been a part of such a ground-breaking facility. We hope this stadium serves Cornerstone University well for many baseball seasons and years to come!
Major league trio helps Cornerstone University dedicate new baseball facility
GRAND RAPIDS – Aaron Taylor stepped into the batting cage Saturday ready to take a few swings.
Aaron, a 7-year old from Caledonia, had Joel Boersen, a Cornerstone University sophomore, pitching to him and Lee Guetterman, a former major league pitcher, filming the action.
Hitting from the right side of the plate, Taylor, a veteran of Little League baseball, grounded a few balls to the left side of the infield then lined a couple toward the shortstop position.
“I'm in machine pitch, but hitting's the best,” Aaron said after exiting the cage.
Former Major League Baseball players, from left, Brian Doyle, Sid Bream and Lee Guetterman sign autographs on Saturday, Sept. 21, during Cornerstone University's grand opening of its new baseball field and dormitory. “This is a unique place,” said Bream, 53, who played his entire 12-year career in the National League and who probably is most famous for scoring the winning run in Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series, thereby sending the Atlanta Braves to the World Series. “It is a pleasure to see how Dave (Mitroff) is working with these young men. He is not just developing players, he is teaching the right things as far as life is concerned. They are going to come out of here as men of honesty and honor.”
Saturday's festivities opened with Cornerstone University's varsity softball team taking on Grand Rapids Community College in an exhibition. After that, the Golden Eagles' men's soccer team took on Concordia.
“This is awesome,” said Doyle, 58, who played three seasons with the New York Yankees and appeared in the 1978 World Series. “I started working with Dave and this team when they were just breaking ground on this so this is a great day of celebration. The main theme here, for every student, is to impact the entire world for the cause of Jesus Christ. It is not just about what they do in baseball but what they do as Godly men.”
Cornerstone University baseball players put up a banner along the fence of the new baseball field on Saturday, Sept. 21. The school held a celebration for the grand opening of its new field and dormitory. “Coach Mitroff is building the program here and and I'm excited to see it growing,” Doyle said. “Whatever Coach Mitroff wants me to do, I will do.”
Tours of the facility also were available during Saturday's “Heading Home” celebration. Cornerstone's baseball program was reborn last spring, when the Golden Eagles went 16-26 overall and 10-6 in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference.
“Having a facility like this is really important to everyone, not just the students, and not just the school, but all of the community and even the surrounding communities,” Guetterman said. “It is important to support it, so we can ensure its success.”
The new facility already has made Mitroff's job, and that of his staff, easier.
“I have never seen anything like this anywhere in the country,” Mitroff said. “And it is making it easier for us. We have a national focus as well as a local one, but we had a Division I shortstop, Santino “Sonny” Mastrmatteo, who started 41 games last year (at the University of Tennessee-Martin) call us and transfer.”
Saturday's festivities were dampened, but only a bit, when the Golden Eagles lost to Spring Arbor.
“Sid and Lee are men of God who, as friends, told me what I needed to hear, not just what I wanted to hear,” Mitroff said. “Now I hope they can have the same kind of influence on these guys that they had on me."
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Best of Houzz 2014 Awards - we need your help!
Each year, Houzz.com awards active professionals on their site for excellence in a variety of categories (customer satisfaction, design, remodeling, etc), and its already time for consideration for the 2014 awards. Once again, to be entered for these awards, we need more recommendations! Would you do us the honor of giving us a short endorsement? Here's how to do so...
Step 1: Login to your Houzz.com account (it's free, so if you don't have one, it doesn't take much to sign up). Locate our professional profile on their site - http://www.houzz.com/pro/visbeen/visbeen-architects.
Step 2: Just beneath our name, click "Review Me."
Step 3: Fill out the short form and click submit. Done and done!
Thank you in advance for any kind words or "stars" you would give us. We appreciate all of our clients, vendors, builders, and followers that allow us to keep doing what we love to do. Thank you!
Monday, September 16, 2013
September, the Anniversary Month
No, I'm not talking about wedding anniversaries, I'm talking about the anniversaries of our staff members' first day with this fine establishment! September apparently has been a big month for hiring here at Visbeen Architects over the years and this year we celebrated some big numbers...
Paul Fikse has been with Visbeen Architects for 15 years, not including the years of contract work he did for VA prior to his official hire.
Angela Mulder celebrated a decade of employment here at our firm. Needless to say, it's not her first day of school anymore!
Other VA anniversaries in September included our senior designer, David Lorenz, with a whopping 13 years and me (Megan TerVeen) with 6 years.
Congrats to our long-standing staff members that have made a huge impact on what our business is today. Kudos!
Paul Fikse has been with Visbeen Architects for 15 years, not including the years of contract work he did for VA prior to his official hire.
Angela Mulder celebrated a decade of employment here at our firm. Needless to say, it's not her first day of school anymore!
Other VA anniversaries in September included our senior designer, David Lorenz, with a whopping 13 years and me (Megan TerVeen) with 6 years.
Congrats to our long-standing staff members that have made a huge impact on what our business is today. Kudos!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Hasserton Favorites
Michigan Blue Magazine's fall issue that we posted last month told us the design story behind the unique look of the Hasserton. A selection of beautiful photos gave you a taste for the feel and flow of this residence, but we wanted to show a few of our personal favorites that highlight some of the best architectural aspects of this home.
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