PROJECT HISTORY
In 2010 Manifest negotiated and signed a new long term (10-year) lease for its current facilities on Woodburn Avenue. The lease included a provision for an extension for an additional 5 years. It also included an incentive for establishing energy efficient heating and cooling. This incentive is a 'matching contribution' of facility space that will increase Manifest's facility by 33%.
Manifest has been in great need of a heating and air-conditioning system. The gallery and offices are currently heated by 12 very inefficient baseboard heaters and cooled by 5 window-unit air conditioners.
Our lease includes an incentive for Manifest to undertake the installation of high-efficiency HVAC for its facility. In exchange for our installation of a HVAC system the landlord is providing the gallery with another large space within the building, added to our lease for no additional charge for the remainder of the lease. This gives Manifest occupancy of the entire first floor of its buildling.
New high-efficiency heat and a/c will decrease our monthly costs for utilities and improve the comfort of guests, and climate control for the safekeeping of artwork and our inventory of books.
The new space added to our facility as a result of this project will allow us to revise our operational spaces (office, storage, work spaces, etc.) and double the exposure of our exhibits to the public, and increase gallery square footage by about 50%!
It is our plan to renovate the added space, linking it to our current gallery facility, and drastically increase the exhibition space of Manifest, as well as number of works shown, and number of solo and group exhibits per year. This would also include an improved reception area, and enlarged and improved book display area, and possibly an education space. This gallery expansion is clearly the second phase of a larger plan. But the HVAC has paved the way for that to occur.
As a young (but fiscally very sound) organization, Manifest still has no capital fund, endowment, or reserve funds to undertake such a project on its own.
We have already raised over $5,000 in public donations towards this project. Our goal is to raise $20,000 by June 2013 so we can achieve the largest and most important expansion at Manifest ever.
