Dow Visual Arts

Located on the campus of Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Center for Visual Arts is a state-of-the-art educational facility that serves as the new home for visual arts programs serving Camp, Academy, and College of Creative Arts students.

The new 3-story, 36,000 sq. ft. building addresses a goal established as part of a 1991 Master Plan aimed at gathering each individual art program under one roof rather than scattered around the campus. Completed in September of 2008, it was the same master plan that was the genesis for The Writing House and DeRoy Center for Film Studies, both built by Hallmark Construction in the past few years. Previously the visual arts program operated out of a 1940’s era building and various “satellite” studios in numerous buildings throughout the campus.

The primary design concept for the new facility was to create a signature project in which the physical presence of the building matched the production and quality of the visual art being created by the students inside it. To achieve that goal, Cornerstone Architects, Hallmark Construction, and the engineering consultants utilized a design-build approach to maximize value and efficiency while minimizing cost overruns. The final result is the region’s first LEED certified educational facility, as designated by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The new 8,500 sq. ft. Eyaawing Museum & Cultural Center for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is situated on the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay in Peshawbestown, Michigan.

The two-story building, completed in May of 2009, is intended to reflect the culture and heritage of the native sovereign nation. The word eyaawing means “who we are” in the tribal native language of Anishinaabemowin. The tribal members on the museum board felt the name was appropriate in capturing the spirit of the tribe’s culture and history. “We really pride ourselves with integrating our culture into our facilities,” said project architect Steve Feringa.

The buildings architecture reflects the tribe’s strong traditional ties with the water, the lifeblood of mother earth. The building is positioned on an elevated bluff above the shore, with an east-facing curving entrance canopy clad in blue metal panels, which represents the waves of the nearby bay.

Additionally, the building is oriented in alignment with the true compass points, north south east and west. Each face of the structure is painted in the tribal color representative of that direction, white (north), red (south), yellow (east), and black (west).

The steel and wood-framed structure utilizes natural earth tone products from stone veneer to cedar siding and stained concrete floors. There are large expanses of glass which take advantage of the views of the water beyond and extensive landscaping around the building.

The interior consists of a gift shop, gallery spaces, study center, support spaces and an archives room. These spaces provide a fitting backdrop for the tribe to tell the story of its people and heritage.

The DeRoy Center for Film Studies is located on the scenic campus of The Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen. The project, a Dormitory and Film Studies Facility, addressed the needs for the Film Studies program which had outgrown its previous facilities and the associated increase in boarding school housing. Both needs were met with the combination Film Studies Center and Dormitory project.

The Design-Build project overcame its share of budget, design, and construction challenges while providing a premiere facility for the world-renowned academy. Completed in October of 2006, with extensive owner participation, the architect, Hallmark Construction and its prime subcontractors were able to incorporate modern interior design elements with a traditional exterior, which fits the campus in both footprint and aesthetics.

The Dormitory wing provides 28-rooms in individual and suite arrangements on two floors. With scenic views of the Performance Bowl and Green Lake beyond, a living room is centrally located on each floor with slate and hardwood clad fireplaces that foster a sense of warmth and home. To serve the needs of its residents, a basement provides a wired lounge, laundry facility, and storage space.

The Film Studies wing, a state of the art facility, incorporates spacious classrooms on the main floor, with editing rooms, sound stages, and faculty offices below. Sharing the same views as the Dormitory living rooms, the classrooms feature the latest in film technology while maintaining a warm and creative atmosphere. At the heart of the Film Wing, a student gathering area features a vaulted cedar ceiling with exposed structure. To serve the needs of the film presentations and other events held in the gathering area, a student lounge is creatively designed into the space featuring granite counters with stainless steel and wood detailing.

The Eastern Michigan University three-building facility of the Jean Noble Parsons Center for the Study of Art and Science is located on 86 wooded acres of protected forest in rural Benzie County, Michigan.

Completed in September of 2006, this state-of-the-art facility is an environmentally friendly interdisciplinary nature and education center developed by the Eastern Michigan University Departments of Art, Biology and Psychology. The center is the enduring legacy of the renowned sculptor and potter Jean Noble Parsons. Her vision was to develop and educational center that encouraged relaxation, retreat, exploration and inspiration of creative endeavors in a natural setting. Jean imagined an environment where scholars would gather and that encouraged mentorship bonding.

The center is comprised of a two-story Dining Hall with a full commercial kitchen, 50 person dining room, informal lounge areas and shower facilities for overnight guests. The building is heated with solar panels and a geo-thermal system. The Dining Hall also provides space to exhibit student artwork. The Classrooms/Studio building is equipped with the teaching spaces, a formal classroom and an art studio. Both spaces feature polished concrete floors and numerous motorized skylights. The third building is a six-unit Sleeping Lodge designed to accommodate twelve visiting administrators, instructors, students and guests. Each unit has an individual entrance and provides a view of nearby Ransom Creek.

The unique design, created by Sunstructures Architects, presented many challenges to Hallmark Construction including site cutting trees which were subsequently kiln-dried and utilized as posts, beams and flooring throughout the three buildings.

The finished product exhibits Jean Noble Parsons passion in developing a retreat that supports formal coursework, field investigations, research projects workshops and seminars to be used by the entire education community.