School of Media Arts: Request for Information for Host Campus

New York State Summer School of the Arts

Request for Information (RFI) 21-001B for Host Campus for the School of Media Arts

New York State Summer School of the Arts
222 Madison Avenue, 10D79

Albany, NY 12230

NYSSSA@nysed.gov

Background

The New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) is a State-sponsored program administered by the New York State Education Department. Founded in 1970, the program assists young artists in planning professional careers in the visual and performing arts. Intensive work and interaction with internationally acclaimed artists and performing arts companies, such as the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, give students a unique opportunity to experience the rigors of their chosen arts field. Every summer, approximately 400 NYSSSA students earn the unique opportunity to experience daily life with professional artists and receive intensive instruction and mentoring from some of the world's greatest artists and artistic companies. They spend the summer studying with some of the world’s leading artists in the creative and performing arts.

The School of Media Arts is one of the seven (7) schools comprising the New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA).  Through online portfolio application, students apply for the opportunity to be one of 20-40 high school students selected to attend an intensive pre-professional summer conservatory.  Students will be housed in college dormitories and take classes from outstanding media arts professionals and educators who also live on campus for the two (2) to four (4) week program.

 

Purpose/Goal

NYSSSA provides advanced artistic training to young performers. Students in the Media Arts program vary in age. Students entering 8th grade to students who have just finished 12th grade are eligible to apply for the program. NYSSSA seeks a campus in New York State that is able to host the program as early as Summer 2022. The ideal campus is easily accessible (within 30-minute drive) from public transportation, such as bus stations, train stations, or airports.

NYSSSA is soliciting feedback from colleges and institutions of higher education (IHEs) regarding resources available and interest in hosting NYSSSA’s School of Media Arts.

Please note, this is not a request for proposals. A contract will not be awarded based on submissions.  NYSSSA anticipates issuing a request for proposals in the future.

 

RFI Contact Information, Timeline, and Submission Instructions

Interested entities are encouraged to submit a response according to the guidelines outlined below.

All questions regarding the RFI must be submitted in writing to Molly Hennighausen at NYSSSA@nysed.gov by August 11, 2021. Please use “School of Media Arts RFI Questions” in the subject field. Answers will be posted by August 18, 2021 to the NYSSSA website.

 

RFI responses are due by September 8, 2021. Please send by email to NYSSSA@nysed.gov. Responses should be labeled as “School of Media Arts RFI” in the subject line of the email.

Respondents should submit their responses to the prompts as a single .pdf or .docx file. Please place page numbers in the footers and the responding organization’s name in the headers of the document.

 

Information Requested

NYSSSA is seeking the following information from potential vendors. Respondents are encouraged to respond as fully as possible to the prompts below.

1. Cover letter

Each respondent should provide a cover letter (limited to no more than two pages in length) that includes the following information:

• Organization Name
• Contact Name
• Title
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Mailing Address
• A brief description of the organization

2.  Organization Information

• The organization should review NYSSSA’s needs outlined below. Describe how the organization is able to meet these needs and provide NYSSSA students and staff with an environment that fosters artistic growth.
• Provide estimated itemized costs for dormitory use, faculty housing, board, and academic/classroom needs as described in this RFI. Note the time period of this program will be two to four weeks; therefore, a range of estimated itemized costs is also acceptable.
• If applicable, the organization should provide examples of successfully hosting outside summer programming.

 

Deliverables/ Project Description

Host campuses must be able to provide:

Dormitory

1. Student dormitory for up to 40 students for sixteen (16) to thirty (30) days (dependent on program length), one to two students per room; air conditioning preferred. Students may arrive two (2) days prior to the start date.
2. Sufficient room on the same floor/wing of student dormitory for up to five (5) NYSSSA residential life staff for twenty (20) to thirty-four (34) days in single rooms. Residential staff arrive five (5) days prior to the start date and remain one (1) day after end date of program.
3. Office space within the dormitory to serve as NYSSSA headquarters. Must include two (2) desks and two (2) dressers. Must have internet connection.

Faculty Housing

1. Separate faculty housing within 5 miles of the host campus with basic furnishings (outlined below) for up to fifteen (15) adults for the duration of the program. An Artistic Director is included among the fifteen (15) faculty.

Option 1 – in an air-conditioned on-campus grad apartment(s) or suite(s) (separate from the student dormitory). Each faculty member must have a private bedroom. Must have private or shared bathrooms exclusive to our faculty, with no more than 3 faculty members to a bathroom. Shared bathrooms must be gender designated.  Must include an exclusive common area for meetings and meals, as well as an exclusive kitchen area with full size refrigerator, sink and stove for preparing meals.  An additional room to be used as the Faculty Office for storing supplies, holding meetings (with capacity for 20 faculty and staff members), and internet and phone connections are required. Artistic Director will be provided with their own private on-campus grad apartment or suite (separate from the student dormitory).

OR

Option 2– in an air-conditioned on-campus grad apartment(s) or suite(s) (separate from the student dormitory) which does not include kitchen facilities. Each faculty member must have a private bedroom. Must have private or shared bathrooms exclusive to our faculty with no more than 3 faculty members to a bathroom. Shared bathrooms must be gender designated.  An additional room to be used as the Faculty Office for storing supplies, holding meetings (with capacity for 20 faculty and staff members), and internet and phone connections are required. Artistic Director will be provided with their own private on-campus grad apartment(s) or suite (separate from the student dormitory).

Basic furnishings for Options 1 - 2 above are the following:

• Bed, mattress, pillow, desk & chair, dresser and light (ceiling light or lamp) per individual bedroom.
• Dining room table (conference table size) with 8 to 10 chairs. Living room accommodations should include chairs, desk and internet/phone/TV cable connections.

 

Board

1. Minimum 19 meals per week meal plan for twenty (20) to forty (40) students for the duration of the program.
2. Minimum 19 meals per week meal plan for up to five (5) residential life staff for the duration of the program.
3. Minimum 19 meals per week meal plan for up to fifteen (15) faculty for the duration of the program.
4. Meal plan must be capable of substituting boxed meals in place of regular dining hall services upon advance request (field trips off campus, etc.)
5. Dining hall should provide fresh produce and be able to accommodate vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as food allergies.

 

Academic Needs

1. Daily use of five (5) classrooms described in "Specific Curricular/Classroom Needs" section below.  Classes consist of intensive immersion in a creative discipline. Students work in their disciplines 9am to 5pm, Monday-Friday with occasional evening uses.
2. Daily evening use of an auditorium with one hundred (100) or more seats for lectures and presentations held five (5) nights/week with visiting artists or film screenings.  Need HD video projection, video projection, computer feed to projection and audio system.
3. Use of an auditorium with one hundred (100) or more seats for final demonstration on the last 2 days of the program. Need HD video projection, video projection, computer feed to projection and audio system.
4. Gallery space in close proximity to the auditorium utilized in #3 above, (minimum of 300 linear feet) to show photography and computer graphic work and installations two (2) days only on the last Thursday and Friday of the program and five Macintosh brand computers available for gallery installation video work.
5. Office for Artistic Director with desk, phone and computer with internet access.
6. Access to campus facilities such as softball fields and volleyball and basketball courts, postal services, bookstore and library.

 

Specific Curricular/ Classroom Needs

NOTE: The total number of students will not exceed twenty (20) within each classroom.  All equipment and items must be in proper working order during the course of the program, and if equipment or items become inoperable must be repaired or replaced promptly.  All classrooms, workshop and stage facilities should be in the same building or in buildings of close proximity to facilitate class period transitions and other class group interaction (no more than ¼ mile from each other).

VIDEO:  twelve (12) to fifteen (15) students

• HD camcorders with manual focus and exposure;
• tripods;
• simple light kits;
• microphones;
• other sound gathering media;
• computer edit stations running Final Cut Pro, Avid or Adobe Premiere Pro.

FILM:  twelve (12) to fifteen (15) students

• Minimum of one (1) Bolex 16mm with prime lenses;
• light meters;
• tripods;
• small light kits;
• microphones;
• small recorders;
• 6 Mac Pro workstations with minimum current Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid or Final Cut Pro software.
• 16mm Moviola viewers, rewinds, split reels, reels and splicers where possible.

COMPUTERS

• twelve (12) to fifteen (15) Mac Pro workstations outfitted with the institution’s current Adobe creative suite software.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Digital Photography twelve (12) to fifteen (15) workstations
  • Computer facilities must be separate and apart from those designated for computer class and video class.  Digital photography facilities are required to be outfitted with negative scanners and Adobe PhotoShop.
• Facilities must include Epson SureColor P800 Wide Format Inkjet Printers or similar
• Chemical Photography (if available at institution)
  • Complete darkroom facilities (where available), including enlargers for black & white, color, and a color printer;
  • Complete chemistry, sinks and trays, negative drying, print drying and mounting, show preparation;
  • Facilities should include:
    • Light tight drawers for paper storage;
    • Storage niches for students’ materials (prints and negatives)

SOUND ART

• Six (6) to ten (10) workstations
• Recording Studio, mixing lab with 6-10 Macintosh stations, access to microphones and portable audio recorders.

 

Other Miscellaneous Optional Needs of the Program

NYSED prefers that the college campus be able to provide the following, but they are not considered part of the mandatory requirements:

• Full cooperative support of campus infirmary;
• Availability of additional single rooms on an as-needed basis for housing occasional guest artists overnight -- schedule to be supplied at the beginning of the program.  These may be single rooms within a suite sharing a common bathroom or single rooms with an attached private bathroom in facilities where faculty are housed;

• It is preferable, though not mandatory, that all workshop facilities be in the same building or proximity allowing for interaction between classes;
• Guest meal cards;
• Rental of vans or buses for special trips or events;
• Procurement of fans for facilities in the event of extreme summer heat;
• Use of facilities for special events not yet scheduled;
• Rental of additional equipment not listed in mandatory items;
• Copying and/or print shop fees;
• Rental of photocopy machine;
• Capability of providing food and refreshments for small receptions.  Cost of receptions should not exceed advertised college pricing;
• If available, use of campus pool, sports gym, weight rooms with appropriate supervision.