William Mitchell Gallery Feasibility Study – Request for Proposals

The government chose Bradford to be just the fourth UK City of Culture in May 2022. It’s a huge honour. It’s a massive responsibility. And it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

We’re building an organisation from scratch to plan and present 12 unforgettable months of creativity, culture and the arts across Bradford District. From New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve, 2025 is set to explode with more than 1,000 shows, exhibitions and events – by and for everyone, with much of it completely free to see.

Bradford 2025 will be a celebration of Bradford, its cultures and its people – right here, right now. From artists to businesses, schools to community groups, we’re inviting people across Bradford to help us create a year of culture that could only happen here.

With support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Bradford Council, Bradford 2025 is seeking to appoint a suitably experienced and qualified partner to deliver a feasibility study on a William Mitchell Gallery.

Bradford 2025 would like to invite interested providers to tender to fulfil this role and function.

The proposed contract will run from May 2024 to July 2024.

The William Mitchell Heritage Project

Alongside boasting the largest collection of David Hockney works in the world, Bradford District is also home to a large collection of wall relief sculptures by William Mitchell, the famous English Sculptor who sadly passed away in 2020. Mitchell was a leading post-war maker of public art whose work was rooted in mid-20th century modernism. Mitchell’s work adorns many public spaces across the country, with Bradford City Centre home to five of Mitchell’s public realm works.

One of these five works is currently installed within ‘Highpoint,’ a privately owned building in Bradford City Centre. Another of Mitchell’s works is in private storage and has been gifted to Bradford District with the ambition that the work can be brought back into the public realm as it was designed to be.

The remaining three of the five works are owned by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and are currently in-situ within Kirkgate Market. As part of plans to make the City Centre a greener, healthier and more sustainable place that will continue to be the economic core of the District, Kirkgate Market is due to be demolished. The centre is to be replaced by the new £23 million flagship Darley Street Market regeneration project. Demolition of the Kirkgate Centre will facilitate the development of the ‘City Village’ Housing led regeneration initiative which will deliver around 1000 new residential units in the heart of the city centre.

The Ambition

Working with Bradford Culture Company, the council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, BCC’s ambition is to establish the ground floor space at Highpoint as a curated gallery space for the Mitchell reliefs and other artworks. The objective would be for the space to incorporate other facilities, such as a café, which can be sub-let to provide income to fully mitigate the ongoing revenue costs of operation.

Alternative locations for installation have been also identified – please download the full RFP document for more information about this.

The partners Bradford Culture Company, The National Lottery Heritage Fund & Bradford Council wish to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced contractor to conduct a commercial feasibility study to explore the potential to establish a sustainable curated gallery at this location. This will likely require working with key partners and specialists, including the council’s technical staff and Parklane Developments, owners of Highpoint.

Please submit a proposal outlining your experience and your approach and how you’d intend to work with the team at Bradford 2025 to meet their priorities and objectives.

Deadline for proposals is Monday 10 May. Shortlisting/interviews will take place 17 May.

Please email proposals to [email protected]