Form – Speakers and Exhibition Internal Proposal

As an educational institution dedicated to nurturing the highest level of creativity both inside the classroom and out, College for Creative Studies (CCS) wholeheartedly supports the ability of students, faculty, staff, and invited guests to display their work on campus and other venues as may be appropriate. Please use the form below to submit proposals for exhibitions, as well as nominations for speakers for the Woodward Lecture Series speakers and Toyota Lecture Series.

Acceptable proposals include faculty-driven projects, staff-driven projects, or faculty-sponsored student projects. Student proposals MUST be submitted by the sponsoring faculty member(s) and that faculty must act as lead on the project from start to finish. Student exhibition proposals not faculty-sanctioned should be submitted for consideration to the U245 Student Gallery and not via this form. Proposals should include a detailed description of the proposed exhibition with installation requirements and images with descriptions of the work. Accepted proposals will require a more detailed description and a meeting to discuss these details.

If you need technology, pedestals, specific display walls, or other materials, please indicate this below. Exhibition proposals are reviewed by the Speakers and Exhibitions Committee, and if approved, will be subject to CCS Exhibition’s Policies and Procedures.

DEADLINE: Applications are due by the end (11:59pm) of the last day of the semester PRIOR to the academic year of proposal. For (Example, a proposal for the 2025-2026 will need to be submitted by the last day of the Fall 2024 semester.)

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

NOTIFICATION: The CCS Speakers and Exhibitions Committee will review all proposals and notify upon approval. Due to the volume of proposals received, individual submission critiques will not be offered. Thank you for your understanding! Proposals for alternative spaces will be considered on an ad hoc basis at the discretion of the Speakers and Exhibitions Committee.

For Questions, contact Lucy Cahill, Gallery Coordinator, at 313-664- 7667 or via email at lcahill@ccsdetroit.edu

Gallery Floor Plans

Valade Gallery

Located on the first floor at the west end of the Taubman Center, the Valade Family Gallery is approximately 5,250 square feet.

Large front facing wall surfaces

The north wall has four front facing walls: 6’, 5’, 9’ and 5’ – total 25 linear feet

The south wall has three front facing walls: 13’, 8’, and 11’ 10” –total 32 linear feet

The east wall has two front facing walls: 9’ and 13’ – total 22 linear feet

The west wall has one 6’ front facing wall – total 6’ linear feet

Total linear feet of front facing walls – 85’

Small walls between windows and perpendicular walls by windows

The north wall has 25 linear feet of additional wall surface

The south wall has 21 linear feet of additional wall surface

The east wall has 3’ linear feet of additional wall surface

The west wall has 26 linear feet of additional wall surface

Total linear feet of small window walls – 75’

Total wall surfaces – 160’

Hall Way windows for signage

Including the aluminum frames, that set of windows is 49 1/2″ tall and 164″ wide.

Left hand windows are 22″ tall and 42 1/2″ wide

Center windows are 22″ tall and 6′ wide

Right hand windows are 22″ tall and 42 1/2″ wide

Center Galleries

Gallery Legal Agreement

  • Artists will notify the Speakers and Exhibitions Committee of any substantial changes to topic, format or medium following acceptance of an exhibition proposal. Such changes must be approved prior to shipping of work. CCS reserves the right to cancel any exhibition that changes significantly from what was originally proposed.
  • Exhibition design, installation, reasonable security and basic lighting will be provided by CCS. We reserve the right to change proposed exhibition layouts for risk management or aesthetic reasons. CCS reserves the right to curate and install each work of art as it sees fit;
  • CCS will provide, unless otherwise specified:
    • Insurance for the art work while on the College’s premises and while in transit (not including CCS student art work)
    • Professional art handlers to assist in installing the work. 
    • A ladder, hammers and other tools, general hanging devices, and lighting for installation (special tools/equipment must be arranged for in advance);
    • Maintenance of the gallery including lighting, cleaning, floors, painting walls, pedestals, etc.
    • Wall signage
    • Publication of promotional materials for exhibition with CCS Marketing department
  • CCS will not provide:
    • Secure storage space for work delivered before the installation day or after the exhibition has been uninstalled;
    • Framing or special presentation supplies for any exhibited materials;
    • Any special media or technological equipment required for the presentation of art work unless arranged with CCS in advance;
    • Consistent gallery attendants to staff gallery during open hours. CCS can provide a gallery attendant 1-2 days per week as funding allows.
    • Gallery open after business hours for any purpose unless arranged in advance.
  • Exhibitor’s responsibilities include:
    • To deliver artwork that is installation-ready (framed, wired, etc.) on the day mutually agreed upon by CCS staff and exhibiting participants;
    • To assume financial liability for any damage to the facility occurring as a direct result of the installation of their work;
    • To pick-up or arrange for delivery of artwork immediately following the close of the exhibition;
    • To cover all expenses related to shipping, special installation/fabrication materials, etc.
  • CCS reserves the right to:
    • Host events (either private CCS-sponsored events or outside organization events) in the galleries during business hours or after-hours;
    • Photograph any work installed in the galleries and retain the rights to said photographs;
    • Move or remove any work of art that is damaged, dangerous or not contingent with campus safety, ADA or the College’s exhibition standards policy requirements;
    • Consider incurring shipping and other expenses on a case-by-case basis.
  • 2D works appearing in any gallery MUST be framed and/or securely pre-wired for hanging PRIOR to arrival at the gallery. Sturdy wiring is an essential part of our basic security protocols in all gallery spaces, as it allows us to secure works to the nails/screws using a cable tie. If your works will not arrive wired, this limits available insurance coverage for certain works.
  • For exhibitions that require AV equipment, the artist is responsible for providing all necessary equipment and instructions for simple operation. Operation must be limited to starting the system at gallery opening each day of the exhibition (DVDs/CDs must loop.) Equipment must be installed to our risk management standards, or it will not be covered by insurance. 
  • Absolutely no drilling, nailing, or gluing to the floors, ceilings or molding is allowed. Absolutely no painting, mudding, plastering or use of adhesives/markers/paint/other substances on the walls, pedestals, windows, floor or ceiling is allowed.
  • Any programmatic or financial sponsorships, contracts, rental agreements of artwork, grants, funds, etc. must be disclosed to the committee on this form, detailed in the above description of your exhibition.
  • If the proposing party does not physically own/manage the artwork included in the proposal, adequate documentation of the availability of the artwork must be provided with the proposal. All rental, shipping, and transit insurance costs will be the responsibility of the proposing organization. The Speakers and Exhibitions Committee must review and approve all contracts related to exhibitions of this nature prior to their final execution.
  • Insurance against theft, fire and any damages in excess of normal handling will be provided by CCS. Artwork can only be insured while in the physical possession of CCS and while in transit to/from CCS. All artwork must be secured to our risk management standards in order to be covered by CCS’s insurance.
  • Artist is responsible for all expenses and logistics of transporting/shipping artwork to and from galleries, including insurance during transit and all packing materials. Artist is responsible for all incoming and outgoing shipping expenses, including packing/shipping materials, freight/shipping/delivery fees, and travel/lodging costs if hand-delivering works.

Exhibition FAQs

I am faculty/staff and want to show my work, students’ work, or the work of an invited third party artist. What should I do?

  • Faculty and staff may use the exhibition proposal form below to propose any exhibition. Please keep in mind that a group Biennial Faculty Exhibition will be in rotation every two years and that all faculty are eligible to submit work for consideration for this exhibition. 

What is CCS responsible for as the host of the exhibition?

  • CCS offers:
  • the in kind donation of a gallery space (Center or Valade Galleries)
  • personnel who can install and deinstall the exhibition
  • some administrative organization of the exhibition and curatorial assistance; includes design and distribution of promotional materials
  • Pedestals
  • Wall signage
  • Security cameras that are watched by an off site security team

What am I responsible for when I want to plan an exhibition?

  • The exhibitor/organizer is responsible for:
  • Providing promotional images
  • Providing values, dimensions, and special installation instructions for all artwork
  • Coordinating the drop off and collection of artwork to and from the gallery
  • Promoting the exhibition outside of the CCS community

What do I pay for when planning an exhibition?

  • Any expenses related to holding an opening reception, including catering and bartender if needed
  • Shipping and packaging costs
  • Any custom paint colors for walls or pedestals
  • Framing of 2D artwork
  • Any specially fabricated pedestals, exhibition elements

Can CCS store the artwork after the exhibition?

  • CCS does not have long term storage options.

Does CCS provide gallery attendants?

  • CCS cannot guarantee the provision of work study gallery attendants. Exhibitions may be staffed by gallery attendants 1-2 afternoons per week. Please contact the Gallery Coordinator, Lucy Cahill (lcahill@ccsdetroit.edu) for more information. 

Can artworks be for sale?

  • CCS does not take a percentage of artwork sales at this time. It is the responsibility of the exhibitor/organizer to coordinate the sales of artworks. CCS may list prices on labels as well as contact information for viewers who are interested in purchasing works.

Please note, this form may time out . Please use the Save As Draft option to save your work as you go or your details may be lost.