ATTACHMENT_21,_TASK_ORDER_0002_-_PROGRAM_VISION,_20171016.docx

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 33310517R0020

CONTRACT NUMBER: 33310518D0000

TASK ORDER NUMBER: 0002

JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

JFK MEMORIAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

TASK ORDER 0002 – PROGRAM VISION SOO

ATTACHMENT 21

OCTOBER 16, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION TITLE PAGE

1.0 BACKGROUND 3

1.1 OVERVIEW 3

1.2 THE KENNEDY CENTER 3

1.3 THE JFK MEMORIAL 5

1.4 THE EXPANSION 6

2.0 PURPOSE 6

3.0 SCOPE 7

4.0 OBJECTIVES 7

4.1 VISITOR METRICS 7

4.3 DEVELOP A PLACEMAKING STRATEGIC PROGRAM VISION 8

JFK MEMORIAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

TASK ORDER 0002 - PROGRAM VISION

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

1.0 BACKGROUND

1.1 OVERVIEW

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Kennedy Center or JFKC) has built a reputation as one of the paramount performing arts centers in the nation. By act of Congress, the Kennedy Center is the nation’s cultural center, which makes it a unique space open to visitors from across the country both onsite and online. Each year, it hosts more than 2,000 national and international performances from artists around the world. Over 2 million people come through the Kennedy Center doors for performances and activities onsite, with another 11 million students, teachers, and families from around the country partaking in its national education programs. The Kennedy Center is currently one building encompassing approximately 1,500,000 square feet of usable floor space and is situated on 17 acres of land overlooking the Potomac River. There are six levels above the Plaza level and three levels below grade.

While the spirit and ideals often ascribed to the 35th president are embodied within the mission and the daily operations of the Kennedy Center, members of the general public who are not frequent patrons or longtime Kennedy Center members do not know that, in addition to functioning as a vibrant performing arts center, the Kennedy Center is also a living memorial to John F. Kennedy (JFK) by an Act of Congress.[footnoteRef:1] The 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Center’s opening in 2021 presents an opportunity to reimagine JFK’s Memorial and ask: How can public spaces within the Kennedy Center become a gathering place for people and communities? How can the Kennedy Center enhance visitor awareness of JFK’s legacy and his contributions to cultural life in America? How can the Kennedy Center portray the connection between JFK’s legacy and the use and design of the space? [1: John F. Kennedy Center Act, Public Law 88-260, JAN 23, 1964]

1.2 THE KENNEDY CENTER

The Kennedy Center opened to the public on September 8, 1971, but its roots date back to 1958 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Cultural Center Act authorizing the institution’s construction and requiring that it be an independent, self-sustaining, and privately funded facility.[footnoteRef:2] In addition, this Act gave the National Cultural Center an educational mission and an artistic mandate to present a wide variety of both classical and contemporary performances. [2: National Cultural Center Act, Public Law 85-874, SEP 2, 1958]

As a lifelong supporter and advocate of the arts, President Kennedy placed the prestige of his office firmly behind the endeavor. He took the lead in raising funds for the new facility, appointing his wife Jacqueline and Mrs. Eisenhower as honorary co-chairwomen. The Kennedy Center was designed by noted architect Edward Durell Stone.

Two months after President Kennedy’s tragic death in November 1963, Congress designated the National Cultural Center as a “living memorial” to President Kennedy, and authorized $23 million to help build what is now known as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Additional support came from private sources as well as nations around the world, which donated funds, building materials, and artworks to assist in the project’s completion.

From its very beginnings, the Kennedy Center has represented a unique public/private partnership. As the nation’s living memorial to President Kennedy, the Center is a government facility and receives federal funding each year to pay for maintenance and operation of the building. However, artistic programs and educational initiatives are paid for through ticket sales and the generous support of individuals, corporations, and private foundations. The Kennedy Center houses eight performance spaces, multiple production support areas, two public restaurants, nine multi-function/special event rooms, five public galleries/halls/foyers, and approximately 55,000 square feet of administrative office space. The three below-grade levels of the building contain additional administrative offices, support spaces, and a parking garage for approximately 2,000 cars (staff and general public).

The Kennedy Center attracts approximately two million visitors annually. The facility operates 365 days per year for 14 hours per day. As a performance venue the Kennedy Center has entertained millions of patrons. As a cultural destination it attracts large numbers of tourists as well as political and world leaders, dignitaries, students, and families.

The Kennedy Center offers rich and diverse programming to students, teachers, and families of all ages and backgrounds. A unique feature is the Millennium Stage, which presents a free performance 365 days a year by a broad spectrum of artists, including world-famous performers, international touring groups, emerging artists, and student artists. The Hall of Nations and the Hall of States feature flags from the countries with which the United States has diplomatic relations and the flags of each state in the Union, respectively, and at times are also a venue for visual art installations that are aligned with ongoing performances to expand the themes and accessibility of Kennedy Center programming. The Kennedy Center regularly presents international performances as well, and has a rich history of developing major international festivals that celebrate cultural traditions from around the world. Previous festivals have focused on artists and artistic works from Latin America, China, Japan, over 20 countries of the Arab League, India, Africa, the Nordic countries, Ireland, and more, attracting thousands of local patrons and tourists for live performances, authentic food, outdoor activities, free events, educational opportunities, and visual art installations and exhibits. Additionally, the Kennedy Center programs an entire series for students and families, offering free and discounted tickets to school and community groups in the region whenever possible, and also provides robust professional development workshops and materials for teachers across the country.

The Plaza Level of the Kennedy Center serves as the most visible public entrance to the Center's three multi-level principal theaters, including the 2,448-seat Concert Hall, the 2,140-seat Opera House, and the 1,142-seat Eisenhower Theater. Two grand corridors, the Hall of Nations and the Hall of States, lead to the Grand Foyer that extends along the length of the Center.

The Kennedy Center is also a national leader in arts education and arts integration, creating and disseminating innovative programs and resources in person, on-line, and in print. These programs and resources directly impact students, teachers and administrators from pre-kindergarten through college across the country as well as families and the general public. Program activities and resources reach all 50 states.

The entirety of the Kennedy Center’s facility is accessible to those with disabilities and is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The institution’s Department of VSA (Very Special Arts) and Accessibility serves patrons, students, and artists visiting the facility in need of accommodations to tour the building, participate in education programs, or attend performances. Furthermore, the department creates educational and professional development opportunities for students and young artists with disabilities who wish to build a career in the arts.

1.3 THE JFK MEMORIAL

The 60-foot tall Grand Foyer contains the bust of John F. Kennedy, by American sculptor Robert Berks, which serves as the memorial to the late president. The JFK Memorial currently consists of three (3) main components: the bust sculpture, an interactive digital archive, and a series of quotations from the late John F. Kennedy (some of which are inscribed in glass next to the bust, and some of which are carved on the exterior of the building facing the Potomac River). Although the entire slate of programming of the Kennedy Center functions as a living memorial to JFK, Kennedy Center staff have recognized that visitor awareness of, and integration with, the physical memorial is currently underutilized. New technological advancements, modifications to the public spaces surrounding the Memorial bust, and the use of creative experiences in the building could all be used when envisioning the future for this Memorial, in order to attract new and repeat visitors to the Kennedy Center to honor the memory of JFK and his legacy. The Kennedy Center is looking to re-envision this Memorial and make it a unique, integrated, and highlighted feature of the Kennedy Center guest experience that optimizes spatial assets and programmatic capabilities to invite visitors and inspire patron engagement.

1.4 THE EXPANSION

To more deeply explore and provide a home for new ways in which the arts, education, and community intersect, the Kennedy Center has embarked on the first major expansion in its history. The expanded campus will create new opportunities for performances, informal gatherings, community outreach, and interaction between artists and audiences across the full spectrum of the creative process.

Renowned American architect Steven Holl has created an innovative design that preserves the silhouette of the current building and adds three pavilions visible above ground: a Welcome Pavilion to introduce guests to the expanded campus, a Skylight Pavilion overlooking the new landscape, and a River Pavilion adjacent to the Potomac River. The facilities will include studios, rehearsal rooms, media-ready classrooms, a traditional lecture hall, space to accommodate critical education programs, an outdoor wall for simulcast and video presentations, and a café/bistro meeting spot.

These new spaces are designed to be flexible and create a new experience for members of the extended Kennedy Center community to interact and fully engage with the Center as a nexus of arts, learning, and culture.[footnoteRef:3] The River Pavilion will provide a participatory, interactive space for small-scale performances, intimate concerts, poetry readings, and other experiences which are not easily (currently) accommodated within the existing building.[footnoteRef:4] Construction of the pavilions is expected to be completed in 2019. [3: http://www.kennedy-center.org/pages/expansion/index] [4: http://www.stevenholl.com/projects/kennedy-center-expansion]

The Kennedy Center campus is bounded by:

2.0 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Statement of Objectives (SOO) is to broadly define the objective of the Kennedy Center to design and construct a comprehensive upgrade of the public spaces (interior and exterior) to refresh and expand the Presidential Memorial and enhance visitor services and comfort. The intent is to dynamically activate the Memorial by enlivening the public spaces surrounding the performance venues, developing an environment that is vibrant, welcoming, interactive, and openly perceived as a “second home” for individuals, organizations, and communities from Washington, D.C., the surrounding region, the country, and the world. A critical step in this process is the development and design of a unified campus vision that aims to improve the guest experience and which invites all visitors to engage with the JFK Memorial. Success will be achieved when the Kennedy Center is known as more than a performance venue: it will be seen as an institution that provides communities with an evergreen space for creative expression and activity, and also enhances the Memorial to the 35th President

3.0 SCOPE

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for proposing how it will provide visionary leadership in placemaking and design to develop a Program Vision for achieving the objectives set forth in 4.0, below. The proposal shall be in the form of the rationale for the approach proposed plus a detailed, 3 tier Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for achieving each of the five (5) key objectives. The rationale shall provide the logic, experience and thought process forming the basis for the approach. The WBS will provide the step by step process for the work to be performed, schedules of meetings with the Kennedy Center Program Manager and team to ensure common expectations, and proposed deliverables which it will produce and deliver.

4.0 OBJECTIVES

4.1 VISITOR METRICS

Success of the JFK Memorial Design and Development Program will be measured in part by an increase in visitor metrics – the number of visitors, the communities they are part of, the length of their visit, the reasons for their visit, and the number of times they visit the Kennedy Center. Although the Kennedy Center is able to capture some visitor metrics – number of tickets sold, for example – it has an incomplete picture.

The objective of this requirement is to:

(a) Increase the capability, in conjunction with the Kennedy Center, to capture visitor metrics, taking advantage of current capabilities already at the Kennedy Center and recommending and, when approved, adding additional capabilities.

(b) Use the capabilities to continually measure and evaluate the success of Program interventions or need for reassessment.

The Contractor shall comply with Federal law, regulations and policy concerning the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) in meeting this objective.

4.2 DEVELOP A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APPROACH AND CONDUCT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Kennedy Center has a long history of producing world class music, dance and theater productions. Over time it expanded into many other performing and visual art forms.

The objective of this requirement is to:

(a) Develop a Community Engagement Approach which will facilitate a schedule of focus groups workshops, meetings, surveys, and conversations, as needed, with staff, patrons, donors, students, educators, artists, collaborators, the general public, and other stakeholder communities to understand the existing challenges present at the KC with regards to space uses and visitor invitation/interaction/engagement. The Contractor shall engage with individuals, organizations, visitors, current stakeholders, as well as groups unengaged with the Kennedy Center.

(b) Conduct the Community Engagement Approach, upon approval of its strategy, schedule, and content. The Contractor shall work with the Kennedy Center on all aspects of the Approach, including the establishment of goals and outcomes for these engagement strategies. The Contractor will synthesize key findings from the meetings and develop a set of recommendations for spatial improvements, which will be presented to the KC for discussion and review.

4.3 DEVELOP A PLACEMAKING STRATEGIC PROGRAM VISION

The performing and visual arts presented at the Kennedy Center have evolved over time but without a long-term focus on the future.

The objective of this requirement is to:

(a) Development of a Placemaking Strategic Program Vision looking into the future, with defined goals, schedules, budgets and resources. The idea is to create physical, spatial, and programmatic opportunities which will attract existing and potential communities to the Kennedy Center public spaces and the JFK Memorial, and empower these communities to adopt the Kennedy Center as their own to use, visit, and engage with over time. The Strategic Program Vision should take into account existing programs and assets.

(b) The findings of the Community Engagement, 4.2 above, shall be incorporated into the Strategic Program Vision and shall serve as a basis for:

(1) How the visitor and Memorial experience will evolve looking decades into the future.

(2) Incorporation of contemporary technologies in near-term interventions, allowing for future modifications to the plan that can incorporate yet-to-be-identified technologies and engagement strategies.

It is intended that the Strategic Program Vision provide the framework within which all future deliverables will be developed that also addresses schedule, budget, and resources.

4.4 DEVELOP A PATRON AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The Objective of this requirement is:

(a) Development of a 5-year multidisciplinary Patron and Visitor Experience Enhancement Implementation Plan for developing, designing, and implementing the new vision for the visitor experience of the JFK Memorial and enhanced public services and spaces. The Plan shall consider diversity and density of public programming, coordinating how public programs and existing and proposed spaces will be orchestrated to refresh and re-establish the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to JFK and his ideals.

(b) The Plan shall define the outcome of all design interventions, and shall feature a signature output that is intended to be completed before the Kennedy Center’s 50th anniversary celebration on September 8th, 2021. The Plan shall include the vision for making the Memorial a timeless and approachable gathering space that welcomes a diverse range of community members, guests, and visitors; the scope and proposed plans for space redesigns; and the implementation plan (including methods for collaborating with the Kennedy Center staff) for proposed activities in the existing and new public outdoor / indoor spaces in the original building and the expansion.

4.5 DEVELOP A MEMORIAL INTERPRETATION AND DESIGN SCHEMATIC

The objective of this requirement is:

(a) Delivery of a Concept Development Design that will illustrate the physical renovation plans for the Placemaking Strategic Master Vision following approval of the Patron and Visitor Experience Enhancement Implementation Plan. The Contractor shall develop a visual package that communicates and prioritizes proposed placemaking interventions.

(b) The Design shall:

(1) Cover high level concepts for the JFK Memorial development campus-wide, as well as visitor experience elements such as engagement with the Memorial and interaction with visitor and patron services and amenities.

(2) Consider concepts that integrate indoor and outdoor use and shall define solutions that may be replicable and adaptable throughout the project.

(3) Represent and identify all technical requirements need to execute the Implementation Plan.

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