Another Creative Workspace Coming To Downtown Grand Rapids

As the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) has been planning its much anticipated move to their new location in the new Gallery on Fulton project, much discussion has gone on as to what would become of their current facility, an old automobile showroom built in the early 1900's on Sheldon Boulevard. Wonder no more.

The Dick and Besty Devos Foundation is announcing that it will become a "creative hub workspace," initially housing the headquarters for ArtPrize and the growing Compass College of Cinematic Arts, while working to draw additional creative and artist-based organizations.

ArtPrize, the world's largest festival of its kind, enters its third year in 2011. Its staff currently occupies a fairly hip location above Reserve Wine Bar in the Windquest Building. According to the Devos Family Foundation, Compass College of Cinematic Arts, currently located on Fifth Street NW, recently received its college designation and now offers an Associate's Degree in film and multimedia production. 600 students have already graduated from its program in its relatively young life. Both will move into the building after UICA transitions to its new location this Summer 2011.

"Our interest is to help build strong management structures and, ultimately, sustainability within the local arts and cultural organizations," said Betsy DeVos. "Allowing these organizations to share space will also help them build capacity in their programming and encourage them to strengthen their core competencies like fundraising, artistic and strategic planning and board development."

The Heartside Historic District, where 41 Sheldon Blvd is located, has seen a boom in redevelopment in the last decade, with dozens of new projects like 38 Commerce, new bars, restaurants, clubs, another collaborative creative space called GRID 70, the new home of accounting firm Beene Garter, and the much anticipated opening of the live music venue Pyramid Scheme.

Photos by Brian Kelly and Jeff Hill