Contemporary - Pulitzer

Contemporary: Reasons for Working in a Museum #206

It was never our intention to become too personal in this blog, but while I was standing in line today at the Office of Transport for several hours it occurred to me how fortunate I truly was. 

Since arriving (in a rather belligerent mood) I went downstairs into Gallery C, sat on a bean bag and became a much more enlightened and calm person.  I sat for some 10 minutes watching Rineke Dijkstra's video piece we are showing in the Girls' Night Out exhibition.  Entitled The Buzzclub, Liverpool, England/Mysteryworld, Zaandam, Netherlands, 1996-9, it consists of a double projection lasting more than 26 minutes.  Each screen contains either one or two people who have been selected from the club and placed into a small white room.  They can still hear the club music and DJ (as can the viewer) and are encouraged to dance in this new sterile looking background.  In my opinion all those chosen have a certain look. Without knowing the title I assumed this had been filmed in Eastern Europe, with very young looking dancers, the majority smoking.  The girls have sometimes excessive makeup, whereas the boys do not look as if any effort was made before heading for the club.  There are many aspects of this work I enjoy, the fact I have been through both cities and experienced the environments being focused on provides me direct experiential hooks.  But the techno/pop music is a real picker-upper for me.  Most particularly this afternoon, sitting on the bean bag, immersing myself in the atmosphere and letting myself go proved that working in a museum is far better than many other occupations.      (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Couriers

Take a look at our empty galleries:

 

 

 

Couriers arrived this week from the Centre Pompidou, the National Gallery, the Guggenheim, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts, and from Harvard to take back their art.  Their job is to oversee the deinstallation and crating of these works and to make sure they are in good condition for travel.  In some cases, couriers have to ride with the art to ensure their safety. 

Sounds like a pretty good job--not only do you travel to interesting locations like us, visit museums all over the world, but you also get to travel in trucks, freight planes and, if you are lucky, with first class company like Brancusi.  Times are often extreme, like very early in the morning (5am) or very late at night (midnight), but that is part of the fun (at least I hope). (Rachel)

Contemporary: 'Select' the Date

This rather lame title is supposed to reflect humor and a phrase I had not heard before working in American not-for-profit organizations. "Save the Date" postcards are not received to frequently at my apartment, however I do see them floating around the city newspapers and we ourselves have been known to quote the phrase before large and important events.

Well one approaching event which you can make large and important, is the inaugural Select Night. So "Select the Date" of October 6th (one week from tomorrow) to come visit us from 6pm until 9pm. There is beer and music, so bring your own great company and we will provide the spectacular backdrop of contemporary architecture that is unlike any bar in the city, surrounded by photographs by Cindy Sherman and the Girls' Night Out exhibition.  Entry is limited to 21 and over, so bring your folks if they are in town too!     (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Bye Brancusi

We are now officially closed for installation.  Yesterday and today the crew began to dismantle Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue.  Taking a last look this weekend, I realized how much I have enjoyed this exhibition.  It's sad to think that Brancusi won't be as easily accessible anymore (for instance, being around the corner from my office). 

However, this does mean that exciting new works will start to arrive.  One of the many to be featured will be this piece by Rachel Whiteread, entitled Untitled (Gray). ("Untitled", I think might win in being Minimalism's favorite word.)

In honor of the upcoming installation, I thought I'd start up again with the Minimalism Facts o' the Day  (admit it, you missed them).

"Whiteread is one of the few artists of her generation to have produced monumental public sculptures.  In 1993, she created House (1993; destr. 1994) which was a life-sized replica of the interior of a condemned terraced house in London's East End, made by spraying liquid concrete into the building's empty shell before its external walls were removed.  House was a monument to lost domestic space and to a whole way of life, evoking the former occupants through their very absence and through the entombment of the space.  Its controversial creation and destruction made it a focus for public debate about the role of contemporary art."  (Rachel)

Contemporary:Weekend Working

One aspect required in this industry is flexibility, there are some who are motivated by money, some by success, some just to get the job done.  This past Saturday combined some of these motivations:  a great deal of flexibility and some patience to see a joint program with the Pulitzer to fruition.  We saw probably our largest lecture crowd yet, yes even bigger than Glenn Lowry (director of Museum of Modern Art, New York) last November!  I am very pleased (and relieved) to report that everyone who came and wanted to hear Richard Serra and Carmen Gimenez (who curated Guggenheim Bilbao The Matter of Time) did!  My responsibilities were such that I never managed to sit and take notes (as is my want) but there certainly was a "dialogue" going on between the curator and artist.  Matthias Waschek, Director at The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts did an excellent job of facilitating a lively discussion.  At one point, Serra was very direct in his opinions of Mr. Lowry's new building, calling it "very corporate".  I personally sensed tension between artist and curators; both Washek and Gimenez have completed exhibitions including Serra's work this past year.  Serra remained reluctant to acknowledge his contribution to the modern art encyclopedia and this was particularly telling when discussing Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue, which closed this weekend.  If there are any readers who came on Saturday I would love to hear what you thought of it all.     (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Grand Evening

What better way to spend a Friday evening, than celebrating the Opening of the Arts Season in Grand Center.  Come to the Pulitzer and Contemporary tonight from 5pm-7pm to enjoy free wine and refreshments in our courtyard. 

After you take one more look at Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue before closing tomorrow, and after you walk through the newly opened Girls' Night Out and Cindy Sherman: Working Girl at the Contemporary, check out our "Grand Center Info Desk" with material from all sorts of arts organizations in the district.  Once you have perused, pick up a map (see below).  Take this map with you as you stroll around Grand Center and enjoy these organizations who are staying open late in honor of the evening.  See, there really is no better way to spend a Friday evening than that!  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Podcasting

There is absolutely no chance of Luddites surviving in my job at the moment. Not only have we (The Pulitzer and Contemporary) managed to be one of (if not the) the first joint institutional blogs, but at the Contemporary we have now launched the coolest looking podcast/audio tour in the city, and maybe even "west of the Mississippi". The new Apple Nano was launched last week and I had the privilege of purchasing some for our new tours which have been recorded as podcasts.

Some reasons for us going down this road:
1. Education: This introduces a new layer to the visitor experience. It falls somewhere in between the passive text-reading visit and the docent-led interactive tour. Try it once and then see which experience you prefer.
2. Expense: Audio tour equipment is an expensive investment, by using the latest technology we have been able to introduce the same features within our not-for-profit budget!
3. Feedback: Personally I see this as a unique opportunity for visitors to let us know what they are thinking. This broadcasting technology is available for all, even the Luddites should they wish, and I am interested in asking visitors to do their own mini commentaries during their walk through. This may only include one piece of work, or maybe the entire exhibition. Would you like to tell us (and others) what the art means to you?
4. Availability: The podcast is available online, to download on your own mp3 player or iPod. Our exhibitions are now available worldwide, if you want to hear our Director's distinctive tones then go here .
5. Cutting edge: Even this months issue of Museum News from AAM has a feature on the new technology and focuses on some other institutions which are leading the way.

It has been a steep learning curve, but thanks to Mike's perseverance and the patience of the contributors, we managed to get them up and running in time for last weekend's opening. Next time you come over ask at the front desk for the podcast equipment, or if you have your own iPod/mp3 player download us and bring it with you, OR if you don't live in the St. Louis region, have a listen and view some of the pictures available online for our artists. Then you will be sure to buy a ticket and come for a visit.         (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Wall Street Journal

Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran a great article about the Pulitzer.  The author, Joel Henning, discusses the Pulitzer's unique identity, with insights into its background, why we don't have labels, how it's not a traditional museum, and more.  It also touches on our collaboration with the Saint Louis Symphony and the Foundation's hopes for collaborations with other institutions. 

If you are interested in reading, you can download the article here:

Download wall_street_journal.pdf

Otherwise, things have been really busy around here in preparation for this weekend.  In addition to the Arts Season Opening reception on Friday and the Serra lecture on Saturday, on Sunday the Pulitzer will hold a symposium of conservators invited from national and international institutions.  Art conservation is very new to me, but I am very interested to learn more.  I'll let you know what they discuss!  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Opening

Well, well, well, thanks to St. Louis for everyone turning up on Friday night to our season opener. It proved a hectic weekend with the brunch and curator's walk-through tour on Saturday.  It is safe to say we had our largest opening so far.  I enjoyed the diversity of the crowd, a lot of young student faces, perhaps to catch a glimpse of Cindy Sherman as she walked around the Girls' Night Out photographs. There were also the usual St. Louis art patrons milling around, in what seemed to be a busy weekend for galleries. There were openings all over St. Louis, I am sorry I never saw all of them (although I did have some sneak previews last week as I canvassed the city for our events), but also very glad that I spoke with folks who had managed to do the hopping right and catch all of us. Life here could easily be compared to public transport, nothing for weeks on end then a rash of activity. This Friday is a large event promoting our neighborhood's organizations (Grand Center, St. Louis) and then on Saturday is the big Richard Serra dialogue, tickets are harder to find than ice cream in Greenland, possibly. If you have a ticket be sure and arrive before 1:45 to guarantee your place, if you are on the waiting list please come down, we will try all that we can to make sure people get the chance to listen somehow.  (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Upcoming

The last week of Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue has arrived.  If you have not visited yet, Wednesday and Saturday are the last two days you can view these works before they are shipped home.

Though it will be sad to see Brancusi go, I am very excited about what's coming up.  A week from today, installation of Minimalism and Beyond will begin.  Our doors will be closed for three weeks, but not for the blog readers--starting next Monday you will be able to get a behind-the-scenes look at all the excitement here.  The art work may be minimal, but nothing about the installation will be. 

Before all this happens, however, this is also the week of Richard Serra.  His lecture with Carmen Gimenez is this Saturday at 2pm, and it's already going to be a full house.  If you would like to add your name to the waiting list, go here, or stop by the Contemporary that day and cross your fingers for possible standing room.

Quote by Richard Serra: "I would prefer to discuss different options for museum architecture and how they do, or don't, function in relation to the art they are to accommodate.  Should a museum be a closed structure consisting of rooms, corridors, book stands, storage facilities, a cafeteria, etc., or should it be a very open, flexible structure that would allow for a continuous adjustment to a broad conceptual variety of works?  I would definitely opt for the flexible open-ended museum, although I don't exactly know what I am talking about, because there are no precedents."  from: Richard Serra Writings Interviews.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Intern Ideas 3

We have had an excellent week of intern news and experience. This has been beneficial as we progress towards our season opener tonight (6-7pm = members/friends, 7-9pm = free and open to the public). All the intern talk made me reminisce a little about my own life changing internship memories. I was an intern too, in fact some may still say I am one!  My life changing "art desire" moment can be traced to Venice in the Summer of 2001. I was offered a couple of months at the famous Peggy Guggenheim Collection, an elusive, yet extremely rewarding and exotic internship. I stayed for an extra month in September, and it was then that I decided finally that museums and art history were the paths I wanted to take.

Please review the new sidebar items (to the left), browse the organizations and begin to get a feel for your upcoming plans.  If it is an educational internship you want, or perhaps a marketing role, they can all be found here. This list is by no means exhaustive, we compiled it (thanks Rachel) using our own internship histories, friends, friends of interns etc....If you know any you'd like to add to the list, let us know.  I know our very own director, Paul Ha, started out as an intern, and tonight he will be introducing Cindy Sherman to the St. Louis contemporary art massive.  If you would like to hear his story, let us know, and I will squeeze it out of him. The most important things to remember are that we all make photocopies and we all build and use databases, but some of us get to do it surrounded by wonderful ideas and beautiful creations.  (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Intern Tips

Tips for Prospective Interns:

(some of these depend on the institution--feel free to say "that's crazy!" or add new ideas to the list)

-Say why you are interested in the specific institution, and why working at that place in particular would be beneficial to your goals.  Someone is not going to respond as strongly to a generic letter that everyone in the world has received.  Try and visit the institution or at least the website, and tie in your experience there.

-B sure 2 spel & grammr chek.

-After sending the initial letter, follow up a week later.  Not too quickly (annoying), but don't wait too long (seems like you don't really care).  Also it's important to follow up in case your email decides it doesn't want to work (speaking from experience...)

-Dress to Impress at your interview.  Showering is an excellent start.

-Send a thank you note after any kind of interview, even if you don't get the job.  Letting the person who interviewed you know how much you appreciate their time is CRUCIAL.  The word of your kind gesture will spread far and wide, and if something comes up they'll be more likely to contact you.

-Gimmicks (a la scented letters) usually aren't a good idea.  It's better to come off as professional, instead of standing out in a potentially bad way.

Here's just a few websites I found with further internship advice...(Rachel)

Top Tips for Interns
Top Ten Tips for Interns
Five Powerful Tips for Interns

Contemporary: Intern Ideas 2

I pursued an internship at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis because I was attracted to its intimate setting and to the subject matter of contemporary art. After my first visit to the museum, I was impressed by the friendly, yet professional dynamic of the staff when working together. My internship at camstl began at the end of May and ended at the beginning of August. Although this is not an extended period of time, I felt very comfortable with the staff, my tasks, and had the opportunity to learn about all the different aspects of the museum institution. I worked at the museum on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from nine in the morning until five in the evening. My tasks over the summer consisted of researching different topics for Lisa Grove, deputy director of the museum. Just after my first couple of days at the museum, I was able to assist the staff at the Patron’s Dinner held at the museum. This experience was significant because I was able to see the museum being used as a social venue. The transformation of the stage areas with tables, candles, and dimmed lighting was pretty incredible. My first research task, however, was to find articles, biographical information, and former exhibitions of the ten female artists in the new exhibition, Girls’ Night Out, that will open on September 16, 2005 alongside the Cindy Sherman exhibition, Cindy Sherman: Working Girl. This research was exciting for me because all of the artists were new to my eyes and each woman was uniquely intriguing to me. In correlation with the Cindy Sherman and Girls’ Night Out exhibition, camstl has decided to host an event honoring 50 Fabulous Women in the St. Louis area. I took the minutes at a meeting held at camstl for brainstorming and ideas for the event that could focus on women and women’s relationships, mother/daughter, friends, etc. Once an event decision was made, I researched women in the St. Louis area who could possibly be paid tribute to at this event. In addition to this research project, I was given the opportunity to research cocktail/music nights at museums around the United States because camstl and Anheuser-Busch have joined forces to host Select Nights this year, the first evening occurring on October 6, 2005. My overall experience at the Contemporary this summer was impacting and I will be eternally grateful for the chance to be involved in the museum.  (Lauren Sindelar, Summer Intern ’05)

The Pulitzer: Internships

As a part of our Focus on Internships Week, I thought I'd write about what this experience is like at the Pulitzer.

After graduation, I started working here as a public relations intern.  On my first day, I saw this:

The maquettes for the Asmat Ancestor poles were up in preparation for the Art and the Spiritual exhibition.  I felt so behind-the-scenes and was excited to listen to discussions about where the poles should go, how far apart they should be, what their distance from the wall should be, etc.

That set the stage for my summer in a very hands-on internship.  The Pulitzer had not explored much into the world of public relations, which in turn, created an exciting environment full of new ideas and projects.  The internship allowed me to learn skills that I never got from any of my classes.  Over the summer, I was able to develop our contact lists (similar to Francesca's role at the Contemporary), help with the upcoming opening, and learn how to write press releases.  Being at a smaller institution, I was able to be involved with projects important to the operations, and not just make copies and coffee.  As the communications initiatives at the Pulitzer grew, so did my job, and I was able to work part-time, then full-time.

I can't express enough how much you will love interning.  Seriously. It's the greatest.  Like Mark said, at the end of this week we are going to launch our internship link section, and if you're interested in working in the arts, I highly recommend applying to every single institution on the list.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Intern Ideas 1

This week is opening week which means a very erratic and unusual schedule; therefore I thought it may be interesting to obtain some guest blogs from some students who interned here over the summer.  Often described as the "lifeblood of non-profits," these volunteers are common place during holiday periods as students investigate their goals and dreams.  On Friday, we will be launching our new sidebar of useful links to internship programs and the arts organizations that offer them.  This week read about volunteers at the Contemporary and see if you are interested.  (Mark)

The bureaucracy of established museums often prevents students from having significant internship experiences.  Mastering the art of coffee-making would have its merits if you were to forgo your dreams of a job in an art field to become a barista.  However, there are a number of art institutions that are willing to empower their interns beyond a slave status and give them valuable insight into the world of art.  In order to have a truly meaningful experience as an intern, you must find an open environment that is receptive to people without an MFA or PHD behind their names; an environment that is driven by a group with an underlying passion for the arts rather than stringent hierarchical structures.  This summer I experienced just that at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.  On my first day on the job I gained a sense of the teamwork that it takes to successfully run an art organization. Though most of my time was spent updating the contact information of curators, journalists, art editors, and critics, I had to correspond with various members of the museum staff in order to complete my task.  Through doing this, I learned of the necessity of museums to have connections in the art world.  A rich resource of contacts in the art world can not only enable museums to receive better press coverage, but also provide valuable insights into trends in contemporary art and help curators in attaining significant exhibitions.  Although I did not see any immediate affects from my work, I took pride in it because I knew that it would help "camstl" stay amidst other leaders in contemporary art through keeping in contact with the leaders of the contemporary art scene.  Though my work was tedious at times, I was constantly driven by the surrounding atmosphere of the museum.  Despite the different tasks that the staff and interns set out to do, we all worked toward a common goal. The most important aspect of attaining a valuable internship experience is finding an organization that shares a similar passion as you.  I only worked at the Contemporary for three months; however I felt that I had become a part of a team that valued my work and opinions.   (Francesca Wilmott, summer intern '05)

 

The Pulitzer: Condition Reports

When a new artwork arrives for an exhibition, the overall goal is for the work to return home in the same condition (hopefully excellent) in which it arrived.  This is monitored by doing condition reports, conducted by our registrars, Helene and Elise. 

First of all, the artwork needs to be in a stable enough condition for traveling.   The work arrives at the Pulitzer with condition reports, which are then carefully gone over and compared with the actual piece, to make sure no changes occured during transit.  Images are taken of the works upon arrival as well, and these are used as a verification throughout the exhibition that no changes or damage has occured.  Once a week Elise and Helene compare the art to these images.  This process is especially challenging with works by Brancusi.  He scavenged the wood from construction sites, so the pieces are already in a distressed condition.  What these condition reports do is make sure that the cracks that do exist haven't widened, that there's no flaking, and that the artwork is stable.

Here's Elise comparing the images of Brancusi's Bench to the real thing.

Here she is doing the condition reports for Adam and Eve.

Here are the images of the works when they arrived to the Foundation, and are used for comparison to the real thing.  This process will start all over again, once the Brancusi works are sent back, and Minimalism works begin to arrive.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Life Skills

Reading, writing, and being able to tell others what you are reading and writing, is one of those skills learned at school that we actually continue to use in life after school.  One important aspect of our exhibitions - there are many, many blogs on that one topic yet to appear - revolves around providing different tools for visitors to help them get the most out of the exhibition content.  A key component in this is our reading table.  Compiled by Shannon Fitzgerald & Andrea Green (for art), Kelly Scheffer (for education), Kiersten Torrez (for merchandising) and myself (whatever is left), our main objective is to make sure the material complements, supplements and enhances the ongoing show.  Girls' Night Out contains 11 artists and there is also the influential Cindy Sherman to cover, so this reading table is going to be extensive.  In addition to the artists' background and influence, we want to provide layers of information including art historical evidence, technologies/media used, and social influences, just to name a few.  Today, I have been compiling the bibliography for our reading table, while Kiersten has the mammoth task of ordering the books not already in our library.  There is also the exciting new addition to our resource center of couches, soft lighting and bean bags.  Seriously, we are making it so comfortable here that you will never want to leave.   (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Arts Season Kick-Off

Self-Cultivation in Ten Easy Steps, through the opening of the Arts Season in Grand Center:

1) Visit the Contemporary and Pulitzer's joint reception on Friday, September 23rd from 5-7pm. 

2) At this reception, enjoy free wine and refreshments in our shared courtyard.

4) Walk through the Contemporary's exhibitions Girls' Night Out and Cindy Sherman: Working Girl, which just opened the weekend before. 

5) This is your second to last chance to see Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue at the Pulitzer, before closing for re-installation.  Use this as an opportunity to experience this installation one more time in preparation for Richard Serra's discussion with Carmen Gimenez the next day.

6) While at our delightful reception, pick up this map: Download grand_center_map.pdf

7) Use this map as you travel throughout the district that evening, and explore all that Grand Center has to offer.

8) After you're exhausted by the festivities, fall asleep with Brancusi and Serra dialoguing in your head. 

9) Arrive in Grand Center bright and early for the discussion at the Contemporary.

10) Drink more wine at our post-discussion reception.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Office Pictures

I have been given the responsibility of making our office more interesting.  As they steadily hang photographs on the newly painted and pristine gallery walls, I have been requested to select some architectural images from our own building's construction for the bare office walls.  This of course is never as easy as it appears, with images suitable in content but not in format or the other way round!  One of the shots i was hoping to include proved too small in the "dpi" level.  However, the silver lining on this cloud is that you get to see this picture without having to work here.    (Mark)

Contemporary: The Joy of Stainless Steel Mesh Cleaning

No doubt if you have seen pictures of our building you may have noticed the dozens of stainless steel mesh panels that line the exterior and interior walls.   I know you were probably amazed and awed by their beauty, but did you ever wonder, “How do they clean those?”  Well, it’s a simple yet long process.

The exterior panels are a much simpler process requiring two men on a lift and two days work. They start by using a scrubbing brush attached to a 6 foot pole, dipping it in a cleaning solution and using some good old fashion elbow grease to scrub the panels. Then using a high pressure washer they spray the panel from top to bottom ensuring the removal of any dirt that was missed during the scrubbing.

The interior panels are a different story. We don’t have the luxury of using a high pressure sprayer inside for obvious reasons. So we came up with a somewhat complicated process. First we use towels pretreated with cleaner to wipe a small section of the mesh. Then using a well rung out sponge, we would wipe off the cleaner. Lastly, take a dry clean towel and wipe off the excess water. Having to work in small sections like that greatly increased the time it took to finish all the interior panels, five days to be precise.

The results, well, most people say they don’t notice a difference. But I tell you, having stared at the mesh for hours on end, there is a significant difference. The pictures below show the before and after.

(Jason, Facilities Manager/Asst. Preparator)

Before                  After

Before                   After

The Pulitzer: It all began with a dream...

Walking to my car this morning, I found a happy surprise inside this week's West End Word.

It's a great article and a nice compliment to be included with the SLSO blog and St. Louis Writers Guild, both of which I've really enjoyed reading. 

The article mentions how Mark and I first discussed the idea, where we got a lot of our inspiration, and mentions the mock-up blog we created to discuss the idea with our directors.

I thought it would be fun to show the mock-up here: Download blog_template.pdf   It's changed just a little...though I do still wish we could have re-created that concrete background...

We worked on that template a lot, trying to figure out a format for combining the two different perspectives and experiences of our respective workplaces.  The template evolved, and we showed this, along with a powerpoint presentation (because we are nerds) to our directors.  From there, we tried to learn computer programming to create our blog (we couldn't) then we found Typepad which lets you set up a nice-looking blog while being computer clueless, which was a bonus for us.  Now we have morphed into full on blogophiles, reading them constantly, singing their praises to everyone we see (much to their chagrin), constantly checking to see if visitors have commented (hint, hint), creating postcards for our blog, and so on.  There's no going back now.  (Rachel)