Opened in early 2012, BSA Space features over 5,000 square feet of gallery space for creative exploration of the potential for design to engage community, inspire vision, and provoke change. BSA Space is home to the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) and the BSA Foundation, formerly the Boston Foundation for Architecture, who jointly oversee the gallery exhibitions. BSA Space produces exhibitions and programs that are intended to unite the public and the design profession in a common understanding of the importance of architecture, design, and the built environment. Exhibits in the gallery engage and inspire with a goal of provoking positive change within greater Boston.

Submitted proposals are reviewed by the BSA Space’s Exhibition Committee, which is composed of museum professionals, BSA and Foundation representatives, and community members. The Exhibition Committee will select a designer who will be responsible for conceiving, fabricating, executing, and installing all aspects of one of the BSA Space’s major exhibits. Major exhibitions generally run 4-6 months, and are intended to utilize all of the second floor space. Guest curators will be given a budget of $30K-$70K, depending upon the size, scale and preparation of the exhibition, which will include all exhibition expenses, including materials, fabrication, installation, curator fees and fees for any portion of this work contracted out. Selected designers will work closely with the BSA and the Foundation staff to develop content, format, and programming.

BSA Space has a diverse audience, and our exhibitions are targeted both at a design-loving public as well as design professionals. Exhibition content should be communicated in such a way as to appeal to visitors with a wide range of backgrounds, design knowledge, and learning styles.

This call is open to individuals, teams, or firms, and preference will be given to exhibitions that contain a variety of media, including but not limited to interactive, three-dimensional, models, digital elements, video or a combination of formats. Applicants should not feel limited to architectural themes, as the committee will consider proposals that explore a wide variety of design and urban-related topics. Applicants for this round of entries must have demonstrated experience curating a museum-quality exhibition.

Proposals should include the following, in PDF format:

1. A maximum 500-word letter of interest (one page).

2. Outline of your exhibition proposal. The proposal must clearly describe the proposed exhibition and include a vision statement, working title, target audience, interpretive format, proposed schedule, and a list of potential programs (both public and professional) that could accompany the exhibit (one page).

3. Relevant renderings, sketches, images, or objects that would present the exhibition themes in a compelling way

4. Proposed budget (please use budget worksheet found here).

5. Portfolio of recent work (3 pages maximum).

6. Resume or CV.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 14 at 4:00 pm. The six proposal elements should be combined into a single PDF, and may be emailed to Mary Fichtner, BSA and the Foundation Director of Exhibitions, at [email protected]. You may also send the file using the file sharing software of your choice.

Tips for crafting your proposal:

Clearly indicate the central ideas that the exhibition will communicate to visitors. What is important, unusual, or distinctive about this project? Why is it important for the public to learn about the subject?

What is the story line? What objects, images, exhibition components and environments will be included, and how do they relate to the exhibition themes and subthemes? How will this exhibition make its important ideas clear to the public and address multiple styles of learning?

How will your exhibit engage and inspire the viewer? What aspects of this exhibit might provoke change?