Contemporary - Pulitzer

Contemporary: "View from my desk"

What do you look at during the work day? Since starting here in August 2004 my desk has  remained in the same location (contrary to multiple office reorganizations), but my views have changed significantly. I thought an interesting feature for future months would be to see what my colleagues see from their desks.

Here is the "view from my desk"

The current vista encompasses one of my favorite paintings in the exhibition but also one of my least favorite collectibles. What you are seeing is a collectible by artist Pipilotti Rist which was commissioned by Parkett and is still available through their website, go here for a front view. This is not my favorite office view since starting, but it does afford some benefits. It hangs on the window which looks into the offices, on a visitor's left hand side immediately after walking up the stairs. Reactions which are triggered by the hanging figure are varied, I can generalize and say everyone is surprised rather than disappointed. Just today a young man of about 5 years old, turned back after passing it to have a second look, then pointed out the bloody leg to his companions.

If you look very carefully in the bottom left corner you will see a sliver from one of my favorite paintings in the exhibition, Thomas Struth's, Art Institute of Chicago I. I love looking out and seeing what seems to be a crowd of people contemplating a painting. Of course it is a crowd, but they were in the Art Institute some time ago. Watching people interact with art (like the Rist) is something which continues to fascinate me and other museum professionals, Struth tries hard to capture these behaviors within one image, I think he does a great job.

Does anybody have similar exciting views from their desks?   (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Hello Sugimoto

As promised, here's a Sugimoto Fact o' the Day:

Sugimoto has mastered the methods utilized in early photography, which emphasizes the craftsmanship in his work. Here's a quote from his 2005 interview with Art 21:

"People used to feel the light and how the light affected the surface of the object.  The sky, lights from the window are constantly changing every second, every minute.  So you really had to guess what was going to happen.  You had to develop your own sense of the best balance of F-stop and shutter speed.  I trained myself very well spending thirty years doing this.  So the machine cannot measure some things, very intimate factors.  What the early photographer gained from the study of nature, now people tend to rely on the computer or machines for.  That's not good enough.  You need something more than that."

Here's a sneak peek at another photograph that will be in the Sugimoto exhibition:   (Rachel)

Contemporary: Dollhouse

Jennifer is our Marketing and Public Relations Manager, here are her thoughts on what is currently in our lobby. (Mark)

The Contemporary is concurrently exhibiting The Collectibles with Contemporary Masterworks: Saint Louis Collects. The Collectibles is a fun and interesting exhibition which features affordable artist designed products including items such as skateboards, salt and pepper shakers, table placemats, and smorkin' labbits (aka smoking rabbits).

One of my favorite collectibles is the Kaleidoscope House by Laurie Simmons and Peter Wheelwright. This very colorful dollhouse sports transparent walls, allowing me to peek in and see miniature paintings, sculptures, and designer furniture created by noteworthy contemporary artists, along with action figures of the artist, architect and family poised in different rooms, living their plastic lives of domesticity. I'm particularly fond of peering into the play-like home each morning to see if anything has changed. Occasionally, one of the paintings slides off the wall during the night (this evidence seems to reveal that the action figures sometimes get the urge to redecorate). I'll make my way to the office, place a call to the registrar to let him know, and then begin to organize my own day's work.

You can see the dollhouse, the floor plans, and the artist/architect statement here and dream up your own ways of how you might fill your house with art or start on a smaller scale with a playhouse. (Jennifer)

The Pulitzer: Goodbye Minimalism

Tomorrow is the last day of Minimalism and Beyond.  I can't believe it.  I say this at the end of every exhibition, but I'm going to be really sad to see this one go.  However, that means new artwork will be arriving soon, which is definitely something to look forward to.  In honor of both the closing and re-installation, I thought I'd highlight a few past posts about the installation of Minimalism:

Installing Untitled (Yes) by Roni Horn

Installing Dan Flavin in the Lower Gallery

Installation of Roni Horn's Gold Mats, Paired (For Ross and Felix) on the Mezzanine

Installing Donald Judd in the Main Gallery

Deciding how to install Felix Gonzalez-Torres' candy piece, Untitled (Lover Boys) in the Cube Gallery

Looking back through the old posts, I re-discovered the "Minimalism Facts o' the Day" I wrote prior to the exhibition opening and realized I've been slacking off on these for our next exhibition.  Therefore, expect a "Sugimoto Facts o' the Day" on Thursday for your reading pleasure.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Looking Down

I was recently asked to review a new lesson plan prepared by Becky in Education about architecture and the Contemporary. Education is expanding on the existing lesson plans for K-12 school children and including the new topic of architecture. Having one of the most 'contemporary' buildings in St. Louis, of course it is a great 'object' to use in our quest for bringing all things contemporary to St. Louis residents.

You all know what it looks like from the side (see the banner on this page) and last week I provided some shots from the roof. But what does it look like from space? Crazy, I know, but those guys at Google can help us out with the satellite image for our zip code, 63108. I was really looking forward to telling Becky and seeing if she could use what I thought would be a cool geometric shape in her lesson plan. Here is what I found!! It is spectacular but a little disappointing that the building wasn't even there yet! But doesn't Joe, Richard Serra's work in the Pulitzer's courtyard, look awesome?   (Mark)

The Pulitzer: French Field Trip

Yesterday at the Pulitzer was the culmination of the French project I wrote about a few months ago (read the post here).  Four students from Lindenwood University visited throughout the semester with their professor, researched the artworks on view, and practiced giving tours of the exhibition.  The difference between this program and our student docent programs (like the ones we've been working on with SLU and Wash U), is that these students give tours completely in French.  The semester's worth of training was in preparation for yesterday, when high school students from Wentzville (located about 40 minutes from the Pulitzer) visited.  The high school students split into two groups that were each led by two of the college students.  The docents then conducted tours of the exhibition completely in French, which culminated in a discussion (still in French) on the stairs in the Main Gallery. Here are some pictures from the tours:

    Students discussing the Rachel Whiteread sculpture

Students talking in front of Ellsworth Kelly's Blue Black

Talking about Felix Gonzalez-Torres' candy in the Cube Gallery (always a hit)

It was so exciting, not only to test out how much French I could still understand from my high school days, but also to listen to the interaction between the college and high school students in a language that's not their own, talking about a subject that was new to most.  Almost all of the students had never been to the Pulitzer before, and many talked about wanting to bring their parents back to show them what they saw.  I'm hoping to get a few responses, from both the college and high school students, that I can post in the next few days.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Vertigo

Yesterday morning I was "on top of the world" well, certainly higher up than I have ever been before at the Contemporary. Our registrar Mike was checking on the shades we have covering the skylights and he needed someone to hold the ladder, quite literally. It was a scorching April day with additional heat and glare supplied by the metal flashing we have on top.

It was fascinating, seeing the Grand Center district from a new vantage point. I have attached some pics to help share the experience. MoMA has (recently) installed Sol LeWitt on their roof, does anyone have any suggestions for us?  I wonder how many people would be happy to squeeze through the manhole to access artwork?     (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Turning on the Art

On the first and third Tuesdays of every month, the Pulitzer is available for school groups to schedule an appointment to visit.  This Tuesday, we had around 90 high school students at the Pulitzer to take a tour of the installation.  When groups schedule a tour on a day we're normally closed, there are a few things that need to be done to prepare the galleries. 

First, the canvas covers for the Judd, Gober and Whiteread works on paper have to be removed --we cover them when we are closed to provide additional protection from light.  Next, we raise the shades on the Mezzanine windows (these are also down when we are closed to limit the sunlight on the Mezzanine).  And lastly, we "turn on the Flavin."   As I ran to do this on Tuesday, it struck me how surreal this actually was.  It had become a pretty habitual part of the day to shout to a colleague, "I'm going to go turn on the Flavin, be right back!"   Had I been told in college that one day it would be normal for me to flip a switch and turn on a Dan Flavin artwork, I wouldn't have believed it.  Sometimes, especially on particularly busy or stressful days, it's nice to stop and realize how amazing the daily routine of working in an arts institution actually is.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Library Exchanges

The Contemporary is fairly mature in terms of contemporary art spaces, it was born in 1980, during the middle of the contemporary art spaces boom of the late ''70s and early '80s. Two name changes and one purpose-built structure later we are looking to grow in many different areas. One such consideration which is unseen but important nonetheless is our library. When I arrived in August 2004, we had a couple of shelves of very random books and a small selection of magazines. Now, we are looking at several bookcases filled with books which specifically reflect our exhibition history and our focus on contemporary art. We currently subscribe to 11 periodicals of varying content and continue to expand our library exchange program.

Whenever we publish a catalog (8 in the last two years) we seek to exchange it for publications produced by similar organizations to ourselves. That way our colleagues know what we are up to in the Midwest and we find out about their projects. We can also bolster each others libraries. One of the exciting aspects is we send these all over the place. There is one particular French institution which exchanges with us alot, so I get the joy of choosing which of theirs we can have in return.

Anyway, the next few days are going to be spent exchanging our two most recent publications to our colleagues elsewhere. Cindy Sherman: Working Girl and the Great Rivers Biennial 2006 catalog.                (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Then and Now

Today I thought I would share two photos with you -- one when the building first opened and one from the present. 

Here's a view taken by Peter Clarkson, Construction Manager for the Pulitzer building.  This picture was taken shortly after the building opened--on the right you can see the Contemporary still under construction (click on the image to enlarge).

Here's a much more recent picture of the roof garden on our mezzanine.  I wanted to show the same angle as the above picture, but unfortunately, I can't stand on the roof.  However, comparing the two images, you can see how much the vegetation around the building has grown. The pgymy bamboo garden (which is the largest of its kind outside of Japan) has grown considerably, and trees have been planted at the far end of the building.  A lot has changed in Grand Center since we opened in 2001.  If you have any memories or pictures from when the building first opened and how the area has changed since then, post a comment and let me know.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Opening Night

It has been so busy this week I have not even mentioned our fabulous opening last Friday night. What I found most interesting/disturbing was how my office (ok, it is not only mine) was turned into a kitchen and serving area!

A dinner was held after the opening for some of  the generous people of who made this exhibition possible; collectors and artists who have lent us pieces from their precious collections. I mean, if you owned a Thomas Struth as beautiful as the one on our website, would you lend it out? Not me!!!  (Mark)

The Pulitzer: After Hours

Right now we are gearing up for our "After Hours at the Pulitzer" event tonight.  Similar to our event with Saint Louis University, tonight student docents from Washington University will be on hand throughout our galleries to discuss the exhibition, this time with students from universities throughout the St. Louis area.  We at the Pulitzer would like to be a place that students can use as a resource, show their family and friends, or just visit on a Saturday afternoon.  Hosting an event in the evening will be a nice way to introduce (or re-introduce) us, and with the student docent discussions, includes an extra twist that extends the event beyond being just a party.  My hope is that "After Hours at the Pulitzer" will become a tradition with each exhibition, and will open the door for even more student events and interactions in the future. 

If you're interested in reading more, here's a story in this week's Student Life, Washington University's student newspaper.  And if you'd like to check out what the Pulitzer is like "after hours" come by tonight from 5:30-8:30pm.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Being a Muse

Last week the artist Janaina Tschape was in St. Louis to prepare for the exhibition she is having here at the Contemporary next season. It was very exciting to have an artist from out of town here all week and we are working in collaboration with a new partner, the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Tschape's photographs include models enclosed in various costumes set in flora and fauna situations. Andrea Green, Curatorial Assistant is organizing the exhibition and was asked to solicit models, some of which included our own staff! Here is Rebecca's experience, with a sneak image of the artists making her work.     (Mark)

One model's perspective:

Janaina's costumes had a life of their own, it didn't matter who was in them. They made all of us rethink our bodies and the way we move. Some costumes had long tentacles that were attached to our legs. When we walked in them it felt like our bodies had morphed and grown new parts- we now had new appendages that had to be thought about and accounted for before we could just begin moving about. The pink costume was made to fit two or three people, therefore when changing positions we had to consider the others connected to us,  we were interconnected,  no longer autonomous. She didn't tell us how to look or act, it really wasn't about us, it was about the costumes- they spoke for themselves.  As we walked around the gradens, the looks from the curious children were marvelous, they were so amazed with the colorful configurations, their jaws dropped open as they passed us. It was as if we were magical creatures in some kind of strange Disneyland.  (Rebecca, curatorial intern)

The Pulitzer: SLU Reflections

Below is a post from Julia, a SLU student docent who participated in "The Pulitzer by SLU", with her reflections on the overall experience. Click here, here, here and here for past posts about the collaboration.  (Rachel)

Over the past few weeks the American Studies class I am enrolled in has worked in very close contact with the Pulitzer, who is currently exhibiting work that falls within the realm of Minimal art.  I feel that as a class, our goal was the gain a better understanding of the Minimalism movement that took place in America during the sixties.  In gaining a better understanding of this style of art, we had a great opportunity to pass on this knowledge to the greater SLU community by organizing our very own open house at the Pulitzer.

In order to ensure that our open house ran smoothly and successfully, each individual student researched a different artist that has their work displayed at the Pulitzer.  In addition, advertising techniques were organized and executed to guarantee that the SLU community would be aware of the open house.  The SLU students also took part in docent training with the Pulitzer, so we would feel comfortable passing on the knowledge we have gained to the greater public.

Overall I think the event was a great success.  Not only was it an amazing experience to work so closely with such a prestigious establishment, but a better understanding of this movement in American culture was gained as well.   In addition, it was so gratifying, after doing research for personal endeavors, to share that information with other people.  After discussing the art and minimalist concepts with various people, it was an amazing feeling when they showed a look of understanding and said "Oh, I see. That's very interesting."  Of course art is subjective and not everyone is going to like or agree with the concepts of Minimalism, but it is still satisfying to know that as a class we were broadening people's cultural horizons.  (Julia, SLU student docent)

Contemporary: NAN

Here's another student's viewpoint of New Art in the Neighborhood a.k.a NAN, look out for the announcement of scholarships for next years NAN intake, soon.    (Mark)

No matter what the descriptions say, New Art in the Neighborhood isn't just a class - it's a way of life. Spending 4 hours every Saturday in the most unique building in Grand Center (Sorry Pulitzer fans - Mark) with access to the latest contemporary art is an under-appreciated privilege that only a few high school students are allowed each year. Although New Art may sound like a big commitment, it's actually become a love of mine. Being in touch with so many other talented, wonderful teens who share my passion for art and bring new meaning to it with their backgrounds and varied personalities has given me a strong anchor in my life. Whether or not I had the stormiest, worst week of my life, I can come to New Art and relax, and I'm finding more and more that the program provides a built-in-time for my creative side to wake up. As a junior in high school, I don't have much time to sit down and purposely immerse myself with art. However , New Art provides just that. I can't imagine a better way to give students the chance to work with professional artists in a professional setting. The program is also scholarship-based,  allowing students who may not be able to afford an expensive program to attend, which I believe is a good example of why this program is such a gem. I intend on visiting as often as possible after I've graduated next year, and I'll miss the students and setting very much.    (Jill "Scruffy" Firns, 3rd year NAN Student, Nerinx High School Student)

The Pulitzer: Ducks

On Wednesday I wrote that I was interested in hearing Charles Amirkhanian's Two Talking Pieces for Speaker and Tape, which used the voice recordings made earlier this week during rehearsal.  Well, at last night's concert I did, and I was not disappointed.

David Robertson was the speaker for the first piece, entitled Dutiful Ducks.  He spoke on top of a recording of his own voice to create an effect that he said "must be similar to an acid trip." 

Downstairs I found the rubber duckies he lined up during the piece.

Here's an excerpt from the script: 
dutiful
the drano ducks collide
and mercy
gather-collide-like
fancy tension
pow-wow
dutiful dutiful ducks
than double Elly
Macy
treetops pray
the signal
hay in May
says
dutiful

(Swing by the Pulitzer tonight if you'd like to hear the rest...)

The second talking piece was called Ka Himeni Henena, was spoken in the Hawaiian language, and used two live voices (David Robertson and Erik Harris) on top of their pre-recorded voices.  Robertson commissioned this piece from Amirkhanian while he was the music director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain.  And as he put it, they "still renewed his contract" afterwards.  Click here to read Amirkhanian's introduction to the piece.  The page also has a link that lets you listen to the audio of the work while reading the score.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Almost there!

There is just over a day until our new exhibitions are open to the public, as you can imagine it is now that the panicking starts, for me anyway! The works are 98% installed, I took a walk around this morning before launching into my 'todo' lists. What I saw was an eclectic selection of "Masterworks" ready for you, the visitor, but for the labels. You can imagine my enjoyment as a nerdy art museum employee trying to identify which piece was by whom and then trying to recall all that I know about the artists.

I cannot claim an A+ in identifying all of them but after researching the artists, their works and a smattering of university education I did OK. Can you do better? Next time you are presented with a gallery of various artists, try and identify them before reading the label. Recognize the style, content, media, consider the alternatives, "mmm it is a highly detailed photograph of a palazzo's interior, is it Hofer or Gursky or....? What makes them different as artists? What can I see?" I find it helps me remember work better, especially when I come across artists whose work is new to me, like this morning.              (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Recordings

Yesterday was the rehearsal for this week's chamber concerts.  They are the last performances in the Minimalism and Beyond series, which is a little sad--I've enjoyed learning more about a genre of music that previously seemed very difficult and unfamiliar to me.  However, it looks as though this final program will be the most interesting (and challenging) yet. 

Voice parts were recorded yesterday that are, as Steve from the Symphony described, "nonsense sound poetry".  These recordings will play back during the actual performance while they speak another layer of sounds, slightly off from the recording, to create a buildup of voices. This will take place during Two Talking Pieces for Speaker and Tape by the composer Charles Amirkhanian.  Other pieces in the program include Gnossienne No. 1 and Vexations by Satie, The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs and Amores by Cage, and Coming Together by Frederic Rzewski.

Click here to read a post on the Symphony's blog that describes the concerts better than I ever could, and click here for tickets.  (Rachel)

Contemporary: Finishing touches

I am out and about this week doing some last minute errands for this weekend's activities (Contemporary Masterworks: Saint Louis Collects - opening, Saint Louis Art Museum collaboration, Saturday Brunch and Artist Talk (Vik Muniz)) and having a sneak preview of September's exhibitions. 

One of my responsibilities is to provide information about the artists in the galleries. With 45 artists included in this show that is proving a tall order!  The biographies on each artist were completed by Andrea (Curatorial Asst.), Rebecca and Liz (curatorial interns) and myself several weeks ago; my task today is to make them appealing and durable for the galleries.  After much fiddling on Word they are looking as attractive as artists' lives can, so I am heading to Kinkos to get them bound and ready for Friday night.

Tomorrow I am planning on visiting an artist who is in town working on a project for our fall exhibitions, pictures and stories will follow on Thursday.   (Mark)

The Pulitzer: Saturday with SLU

We had a full house of students and faculty from Saint Louis University who took advantage of the beautiful weather and turned out for our "the Pulitzer by SLU" event.

The student docents chose specific artists to research, and positioned themselves nearby their works.  Visitors were encouraged to explore the installation, ask questions, and chat with the docents.  The idea came from an initiative Matthias witnessed at the Louvre (where he used to work).  Students from the Ecole du Louvre were positioned strategically throughout the galleries twice a year and students from all over would come, ask questions, and enjoy snacks (which is something that all students appreciate).  Walking through the galleries on Saturday, it was so exciting to listen in on the variety of discussions taking place, and to see the fruits of a semester's worth of planning and training.  I'm trying to coerce a few of the student docents to write a post describing the experience--from the beginning of training until Saturday night's event.

Along with the refreshments, we set a table in the courtyard giveaways from neighborhood locations.  Students and faculty wrote their names and email address for a chance to win five different packages which included tickets to the Symphony, tickets to the Fox Theatre, passes to the Moolah movie theatre and bowling, a student membership to the Contemporary, and gift certificates to local restaurants, just to name a few. 

If you attended, I would love to get your feedback on the event.  If you didn't, check out our photo album section to the left for pictures.  And if you're from SLU or any university in St. Louis, be sure to come to "After Hours at the Pulitzer" on April 13th with student docents from Wash U.  (Rachel)