Project:
UF-214, Whitney Center for Marine Studies, Marineland, St. Augustine

Budget: $5,310

Deadline: 5 pm, Friday, June 16, 2006

Located in the heart of North Central Florida in the city of Gainesville, the University of Florida (www.ufl.edu) is one of the largest universities in the United States and students from more than 100 countries attend UF's 20 colleges and 100 interdisciplinary research and education centers and institutes.

Situated on Florida's Intracoastal waterway near the coastal city of St. Augustine, the Whitney Center for Marine Studies and the Whitney Laboratory occupy an 8-acre campus surrounded by a marina and residential developments. This location allows it to be intimately linked with the subjects of its research. Directly across the street is Marineland, an aquarium and favorite Florida tourist attraction.

Expected to be completed in May 2006, the Whitney Center will house traditional classrooms and teaching labs, an interactive foyer and aquarium room, and facilities to provide access to the living classroom that surrounds the Whitney Laboratory. To meet the needs of the growing educational programs of the Whitney Laboratory and serve as a regional resource for education and training in marine science, the Whitney Center will provide educational opportunities to all age groups - K-12, college students, and senior citizens - and career training opportunities in marine animal health, ecotourism, and marine technologies.

The Center will be a multifunctional building with education as its main focus, while also serving as a training facility. While engaging in the next stage of marine research, the Whitney Center is also planning for the development of community involvement and interest. The completed center will feature an auditorium that can be used for educational lectures, but also for concerts and fund-raising events.

Sites for Artwork

The project's Art Selection Committee expressed an interest in pre-existing art, most likely two-dimensional, such as a series of photographs or prints or perhaps 2-3 paintings. The Committee would like the artwork to reflect the buildings's transition to the "next stage" of research and "look to the future."

Additional appropriate themes would include discovery, adventure, frontier, and vibrancy, possibly reflecting local, marine and coastal animals as well as scenes and subjects that convey a cell and/or molecular biological message.

NOTE: All submitted artwork should be light-resistant, as it will be exposed to a great deal on light at the Whitney Center.

The Committee has chosen four potential sites for the placement of artwork, listed below in no particular order. The hope to select artwork for one or more of the sites.

Site 1  Interactive Exhibit Area

This area will feature informational exhibits that highlight the many areas of marine studies, specifically those researched in the Whitney Center laboratories. Artwork in this area would be installed on the east-facing wall of the interactive exhibit area in two locations. The dimensions of the available space for artwork in these two locations are 9.5'h x 6'w and 10'h x 9'w .

Site 2  Exhibit Area Entrance

The Committee is interested in exploring 3-D designs that would be suspended above the entrance into the interactive exhibit area. The entrance has a clearance of 28 feet from the floor and the ceiling slopes at a slight angle.

Site 3 1st Floor Corridor

The Committee suggested that a series of paintings, prints or photographs could adorn the walls of the 1st floor corridor, which runs from the entrance of the facility back towards the laboratories and restrooms. Installations in this location would be subjected to intense light throughout the day.

This hallway has an overall height of 9 feet, and in separated into four segments, each a possible site for a single piece or a series. Total space for artwork: 1) 9'h x 12'w; 2) 9'h x 22'w; 3) 9'h x 14'w; 4) 9'h x 9'w.

Site 4  2nd Floor Corridor

A series of paintings, prints or photographs might be displayed on the walls of the 2nd floor corridor, which runs from the mezzanine above theentrance of the facility, back towards additional laboratories and offices. Installations in this location would be subjected to intense light throughout the day.

This corridor has an overall height of 9 feet, and in separated into three segments, each a possible site for a single piece or a series. Total space for artwork: 1) 9'h x 18'w; 2) 9'h x 24'w; 3) 9'h x 8'w.

Computer renderings of the exterior

For  additional information, visit the Facilities Planning & Construction website at http://www.ufspace.ufl.edu/pm/web/viewprj.jsp?prj=2043

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